Recently in the news there have been stories about Ronald Smith, a Canadian (from my home province, no less!) who has been on death row in Montana for eighteen years because he murdered two men in that state execution-style. He was caught, arrested, tried, convicted. He recently appealed his death sentence and the highest US court denied it.

There's been a lot of flak about this from the Canadian public. People here are complaining how the death penalty is cruel and inhumane, how his sentence should be commuted to life in prison because he's Canadian and Canada doesn't support the death penalty, etc. People called on the Canadian government to step in and "do something", and when Canada didn't, people said it was just as if our government had said, "Sure! Go ahead and kill him."

Setting aside the question of the morality or ethics involved (or not) with the death penalty, here's my take:

If you're stupid enough to go anywhere where laws like the death penalty exist and knowingly commit a crime worthy of that punishment, you deserve what you get. Criminals should not have the privilege of hiding behind their nationality when they break the law somewhere else.

There are countries in the world which still practice death by hanging, stoning, or by firing squad. Whether or not the "civilized" world agrees with these practices, that is the law in those countries. Someone(s) decided that was a justifiable punishment for whatever crime. If you go there and break the law, tough. You are on their turf. Their rules apply, not the ones from where you live. This is little different than when a guest comes to your house. You rightly expect the guest to abide by your rules regardless of what the rules are and regardless of what the guest thinks, because they are your rules, and it is your house. Why should a guest in another country be treated any differently?

Why should a criminal who takes the lives of other human beings have more rights and receive preferential treatment than the victims' families? If Ronald Smith had been living in Montana, he still would have received the death penalty for his crime.

Likewise, people are complaining now about how Canada's youngest multiple murderer got the maximum sentence of ten years. She was twelve when she killed her family. People say this is too harsh and her sentence should be reduced. Yah, really? She killed her whole family. If she'd been an adult, she could have gotten twenty-five to life.

As far as I'm concerned, the moment you commit a heinous crime like Ronald Smith's, you give up your right to have rights. If you choose to go on a killing spree instead of hanging out at the arcade, your age shouldn't protect you either.

Easiest way to avoid the death penalty (or any other penalty)? Stay home and obey the law.

Tags: death, rant, stupid
Feeling: Exasperated