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Show ChRONicU TkcusdAy, ApRit Six Paqe 28, 1988 Mercy is best form of revenge It's easy to argue against capital punishment with abstract theories like mercy and love. But when you look into the face of an unrepentant killer and then see the trauma he's inflicted on innocent people, the arguments become more difficult. How can you tell a woman whose parents were slaughtered that her desire for revenge is barbaric? How can you tell someone whose wife was tortured not the individual-- is to and gassed that society-a- nd blame? You can't. In the face of their personal losses, such moral pomposity would be brutal and ridiculous. Because I realize this, my attitude toward the death penalty is often confused. For instance, I drove to the prison to protest Pierre Dale Selby's execution, but wouldn't tolerate attacks against family and friends who desired his death. And although I abhor capital punishment, I always feel a surge of sympathy for people who revenge themselves against killers. My sense of morality squelches that response, but it is there. I cannot seem to pity murderers. I feel obligated to fight for their lives, but never feel anything toward them as individuals. For me, the Selbys and the Arthur Gary Bishops are to launch moral argument from. I long symbols-plac- es to understand them, but I don't want to know them. John Demjanjuk strikes me differently. K-'UT- caters to E' wrong audience Editor: It is puzzling to me how Ben Fulton ("Music Poll Uncovers Truth") uncovered anything meaningful or truthful, let alone the "University of Utah's Top-1- 0 records." How 67 people can speak for the entire U. student body is a mystery to me. Given the possibility of winning $15 and the restricted groups chosen for the Top 10, this study is suspicious. Is it this type of slanted study that gives the right to pipe in its music "for U. students" to the Union "meeting and When I read that an Israeli court had sentenced him to death, I felt an incredible sadness. And for tlie first time ever, that sadness was more than symbolic. I don't just hate the death penalty, I hate the thought of hanging an old man for crimes that seem more like history than reality. Demjanjuk was a sadistic fiend, and his impossible crimes against humanity cannot be forgotten. But the operative word is "was." As a young man, he jammed thousands of Jews into the gas chambers of Treblinka and was so cruel that his use of whips, swords and pistols earned him the title, "Ivan the Terrible." But now he's nothing more than an aging, retired autoworker who hasn't committed a crime in more than 40 years. I admit that much of my sympathy for Demjanjuk stems from his age and the distance of his crime-fro- m the fact that his grandfatherly claims of innocence come to me through modern newsprint and color television, while the case against him comes through the memories of strangers and snapshots. And I admit that those feelings aren't enough to to life imprisonment. But change Demjanjuk also deserves mercy because his death serves no societal purpose. If the death penalty is ever an appropriate means of punishment, it is in those cases where killing a criminal feeds society's need for retribution and deterrence. black-and-whi- te death-by-hangi- ng It may seem I am criticizing Stockton- -I am not. He is doing tremendous things with his natural talent and has earned the right to be considered one of the NBA's best guards. Nonetheless, Stockton has a long way to go (in my mind and the minds of many sports fans) to be considered the best passer in the NBA. Scott Allen Vice Senior-Engli- sh su-THosein thq face-to-fac- or ridiculous. After all, creating a world without bigotry and hate is the best revenge against Adolph Hitler's ideology. Shauna Bona, a senior English major, is editor in chief of the Chronicle. are entitled to it." To me, the message of this drawing is more than "just an opinion." Lately, for some reason unknown to me (except maybe to "encourage" students to write to the editor), there have been many articles downgrading "God." I'm angry because the drawing is so degrading. The sadistic, violent, tasteless drawing with the word "God" attached to it was SICK. And as far as connecting "God" and Favor of "Ban THeFLac, appi pie.ano E' Demjanjuk's death does neither. Although victims of the Holocaust have a justifiable desire for revenge, the death of one man can hardly pay for the murder of 6 million Jews. Killing Demjanjuk won't erase the Holocaust and won't even come close to "satisfying the anger and pain of its victims. And even if retribution could be served entirely, that wouldn't justify murder. When detemining Demjanjuk's punishment, the Israeli court should have should chosen the method which best prevents a recurrence of Nazi-typ- e attroci' chose ties. Instead, it to throw violence after violence. Sending Demjanjuk to the gallows offers up murder as a governmental tool. Instead of providing deterrence, it teaches vengeance and hate. Unfortunately, these are the very emotions which justify holocausts and nurture genocidal prejudice. Deterence will come when mercy and love replace our need for vengeance. Afld though these are vague and easy abstractions, I think I could offer them to a e, without feeling brutal Holocaust victim, o mo-wer-hoo- biv; mws... omniBus raise Your eating" area and the dorms, professing that the majority of the music being played is what the people want to hear? Judging by the looks of frustration and grimaces on the faces of many students in needs to the Union, its audience and format. My guess is the listening audience in the dorms and the Union are two different audiences alto- auTHose in Favor season and deserves the hard-earne- Jr-Ui- -- Editor: I do not wish to denigrate the fine season turned in by the Utah Jazz's John Stockton, but I have to take issue with writer Glenn Seninger's (April 26) comment that "Stockton ranks No. 1" in "sheer passing ability." Yes, Stockton has had a phenomenal d respect he is finally receiving, but he is not comparable to passers like Bob Cousy, Jerry West or Magic Johnson. All three of these players can or could find the smallest defensive aperture and send the ball p accuracy. winging with Stockton has broken the NBA's e Yes, seasonal assist record, but the Jazz offense is geared to getting Stockton the ball, either after a rebound or when razor-shar- all-tim- streaking down the court. Sports Illustrated' s Jack McCallum said, "The point guard in the Layden system has the ball most of the time." Yes, Stockton can play defense and score. But the other great passers in the league work on other facets of the game. he misinterpreted and misrepresented the principles of Beyond War. Beyond War states, "War is obsolete," and "We are one." These are not goals or ideas of the organization, these are facts just like the law of gravity. Facts exist independently of people's understanding or believing them. The discovery and rapid proliferation of nuclear weapons has made all war obsolete as a means of resolving conflict because any conventional war has the potential to escalate into a nuclear war. As more nations that someone, sometime will push the button out of desperation. Even though war still exists, it is now an ineffective way to resolve conflict beause it endangers not only the "enemy," but also the of "Ban THeFLao, appLe pie.anpmoTHer HOOD CIVIL RIGHTS omniBusjBiLL:' raise THe 1 Stockton is good, but not the best Editor: This is in response to Justin Toth's editorial (April 21), which criticized the organization Beyond War. I am glad Toth was so interested in our ideas, but I think Pakistan, South Africa), the odds increase gether. Karen Hannahs Psychology misrepresented acquire nuclear capability (Israel, ne E" Beyond War was J &i attacker. "We are one" has many implications. sy xiVYour Humans are becoming increasingly aware that our environment is a global system, not a national one. The destruction of rainforests affects everyone's oxygen, not just Brazil's. The world's nations are becoming economically interdependent, g effects as evidenced by the of the recent stock market crash and the fluctuation of the dollar. Technological n advances in communication and have made every part of the accessible. Most importantly, we globe are united in our vulnerability to nuclear destruction. Nuclear winter, destruction of the ozone, and radiation will destroy the whole world, not just those nations in wide-rangin- Respect what's of value to others Editor: This is in reference to the cartoon on page 7, April 27 in the Chronicle. It men with depicts three military-dresse- d weapons, beating violently a mangled, crippled, twisted body on the ground. The drawing was very descriptive. The part that was tasteless and ignorant was the subtitle directly below the drawing: "God's chosen people persuading Palestinians toward peace." The cartoonist surely has freedom of speech, the freedom we all have as citizens of this country. And so do I. And I'll express my opinion further. In the past, whenever I've felt certain articles printed in the Chronicle were tasteless andor ignorant, I would say to myself, "Well, it's their opinion and they followers with horrid violence, throughout history, violent acts have been committed in the "name" of many subjects chosen by individuals committing the violent acts. People have done so in the name of religion, philosophy, human and so on. rights, If you're an atheist, the word "God" doesn't mean anything. But for a moment, attach something or someone of value to you to such a violent drawing. Maybe if self-protecti- on anything is valuable to you, you'll feel the same anger I feel. I hope my education here offers me more learning opportunities to respect human beings ana what's valuable to them. To conclude, I wrote this not to change you or anyone who believesthinks like you. You stand where you stand, and I stand where I stand. But just as you've the freedom of speech, so do I. Emeth (Toni) Rodriguez and psychology rt Junior-a- trans-portaito- conflict. Beyond War does not envision a Utopian society. There will always be conflict! But because of nuclear weaponry, we must change the way we resolve that conflict and expand our identities to include the whole world. If what I have written is unclear, if you're still critical or you have specific questions, please come to the next Beyond War meeting on May 4 at 7 p.m. in Union 319. We would welcome discussion from Toth or anyone else who is interested. Kari Nelson Senior-anthropol- ogy |
