<p>I don’t think it is politically possible for any of the main Manson Family members to ever be paroled or otherwise released. Whichever DA, parole board member, or other official who was responsible for the release would be turned out of office at the very next opportunity.</p>
<p>Coureur, I agree with you. I guess this may deter deranged cultists from murdering famous people. You’re more likely to get parole if you murder somebody with a lower profile.</p>
<p>As a person who is staunchly anti-death penalty, I have no problem with this person dying in a prison hospital bed. Because of the horrible crimes she committed, she does not deserve any compassion whatsoever, even in her last dying days. The victims families last goodbyes were at the cemetery and Ms Atkins family deserves nothing more imho.</p>
<p>Warning: sermon below.</p>
<p>I am deeply troubled by the statements that the Susan Atkins, or any other prisoner deserves no compassion. This view is directly in conflict with Christian values. In fact, when Jesus describes the great judgment, among those he assigns to Hell are not criminals, but those who failed to visit those in prison. Also, I would suggest those who believe that criminals are unredeemable and deserve no compassion should decline to sing such verses as “His blood can make the foulest clean.” Of course, having compassion for prisoners doesn’t necessarily mean letting them out of prison, but a Christian is commanded to have concern and compassion for the prisoners. I will mention one other New Testament story–a woman was brought to Jesus after having been caught in the act of committing adultery. Under Jewish law this was unquestionably a capital crime deserving–requiring–execution. What did Jesus do in that situation? As Casey Stengel said, you could look it up.</p>
<p>Hunt, I know you’re not directing anything at me, but to answer you, I was raised as a Congregationalist and have over the years pretty much rejected the Bible’s teachings, save for The Ten Commandments and The Golden Rule. So I guess I’m not really much of a Christian anymore and it really doesn’t violate any of my values system to not show Atkins any “compassion.”</p>
<p>Try living in my community of Focus on the Family and the New Life Church and see its members’ hypocrisy toward their fellow man (you can treat folks badly and “sin” as much as you like as long as you park your butt on a church pew once a week). Additionally, I’m not really a fan of much of ANY religion out there - just seems to me that they foster a significant amount of hatred and intolerance toward others, as opposed to teaching how to get along with their fellow man. But I guess this is all another thread . . .</p>
<p>Well, here’s a part II sermon, based perhaps more on the Golden Rule. I think one way we comfort ourselves when we hear about people doing horrible things is to persuade ourselves that we could never do anything so horrible–that those people who do those things are some kind of inhuman monsters. I remember a lot of comments along that line in connection with Andrea Yates, the woman who killed her children. It was important to people to feel that she was some kind of alien or freak who was nothing like them. If they are evil monsters, they don’t deserve any kind of compassion. We convince ourselves that the Golden Rule doesn’t apply to them, because we could never be in the same situation. But I don’t agree with this outlook. I think we all have the capacity for evil, and that anybody can end up in a situation where they might do something desperate.</p>
<p>Compassion is treating her disease humanely and providing a decent place for her to die, within the prison walls. It does not mean letting her go.</p>
<p>I don’t have too much problem with that. It’s statements like the following that bother me:</p>
<p>“take her from her hospital bed directly to the California electic chair to carry out the orginal sentence she received. Of course, allow her family to be there with her when they throw the switch.”</p>
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<p>It’s called justice. I am more worred about the people this woman harmed and their families. She chose her own fate and merely becuase she has brain cancer does not excuse her behavior. I say good riddance to her.</p>
<p>“I say good riddance to her.”</p>
<p>Thanks for helping me make my point.</p>
<p>I agree with the unkind, blunt posts, Hunt, but I also believe in separation between church and state. This decision should be made on legal guidelines, not what is the christian (for lack of a better wod) thing to do.</p>
<p>OK, then we don’t have to worry about value-laden terms like “justice” and “punishment” and we can just talk on pragmatic terms. It’s cheaper to let her out, and it clearly will have no effect one way or the other on deterrence.
I get tired, though, of conservatives who do claim that Christian values should inform political positions, but then fail to observe some of the more basic of those values.</p>
<p>Why is religion even mentioned in this discussion?</p>
<p>What ever happened to the seperation of church and state?</p>
<p>LOL strawberryblonde! Look up 2 posts (#73)</p>
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<p>You are re-writing Christian values to support your political/personal view. Her punishment is to die in prison. The fact that she is more quickly dying (as opposed to other life sentence imates who will die without disease), does not mean God wants us to set her free.</p>
<p>Your religious beliefs will inform your moral values, and those most definitely relate to political positions. In this case, the issues of “compassion,” “punishment,” and “justice” all relate to your basic ethical views. My point in my (duly labelled) sermon is that those who claim to be applying Christian values to these issues are commanded to show compassion. Separation of church and state doesn’t mean that one’s religious views have nothing to do with one’s political views.</p>
<p>“You are re-writing Christian values to support your political/personal view.”</p>
<p>I don’t think so. Besides, as I just posted moments ago, I’m not really addressing the question of whether to let her die in prison or not. I’m talking more about the attitude of “fry her” or “good riddance” which is totally antithetical to Christian values. Sorry if that offends you.</p>
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<p>Yet, you’re views on the question of this thread seem to square well with theirs…</p>
<p>Hunt–I clearly see the same message in the Gospel as you do.</p>
<p>My first thought in all of this is that if the original death sentence was carried out we wouldn’t be having this discussion. She would already be “gone”.</p>
<p>Garland, I have no issue with my values, in this situation or any other. To me, Atkins IS being treated compassionately and respectfully and we can disagree on this point.</p>