Before answering your questions, here are my basic positions:
* I teach and believe what the Catholic Church teaches, in other words I strive to conform
my intellect to what the Church proclaims. The Church teaches in the Catechism that the
State retains the right to execute individuals. The being said, the Church strongly believes
that the State should never exercise that right and execute felons.
* At the political level, I believe that how the Death Penalty is in practiced in the USA is
patently absurd.
1. Do you think the death penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment? If yes, why?
The SCOTUS has ruled that the death penalty is not cruel ( lethal injection ). Of course
many methods are cruel and are not practiced ( e.g. Beheading, crucifixion, impaling
). The SCOTUS has yet to rule if the death penalty is unusual. I believe it is. 20,000
murders a year in USA and fewer than 50 executions. That makes the punishment
unusual to say the least.
2. In your opinion, is there any crime appropriate for the death penalty? If you think that there
are, what makes them different?
The SCOTUS has ruled that states may only execute for the crime of 1st degree murder.
The Federal government may execute for additional crimes such as terrorist threats, drug
dealing, treason, hijacking.
3. You have military experience. Do you know if there has ever been a sentence of death for
a person in the military by a military court? If not, what is the highest level of punishment
that you are aware of?
The US military operates under a separate justice system, the UCMJ= The Uniformed
Code of Military Justice. The military still maintains the death penalty for murder and
alike and executes regularly for these crimes. It also maintains the death penalty for non-
murderous charges such as treason and desertion. The last soldier executed for desertion
was Private Eddie Slovak, 1945.
4. In your opinion, should civilian and military sentencing for crimes be the same?
No.
5. What does the Bible say about the death penalty?
Generally speaking, the Old Testament supports the Death Penalty, God and rulers
execute for all type of offenses, theological, criminal, moral.
Christ clearly preached a Gospel of mercy and forgiveness. Note that Jesus himself was
condemned to a most brutal form of execution.
Popes John Paul the Great, Benedict XVI & Francis were/are opposed to the death
penalty.
6. In your opinion, what emotional toll does the death penalty take on the family and friends
of the death row or executed person?
I have no way of knowing. I would assume a great stress but would not want to comment
on another's emotions.
* I teach and believe what the Catholic Church teaches, in other words I strive to conform
my intellect to what the Church proclaims. The Church teaches in the Catechism that the
State retains the right to execute individuals. The being said, the Church strongly believes
that the State should never exercise that right and execute felons.
* At the political level, I believe that how the Death Penalty is in practiced in the USA is
patently absurd.
1. Do you think the death penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment? If yes, why?
The SCOTUS has ruled that the death penalty is not cruel ( lethal injection ). Of course
many methods are cruel and are not practiced ( e.g. Beheading, crucifixion, impaling
). The SCOTUS has yet to rule if the death penalty is unusual. I believe it is. 20,000
murders a year in USA and fewer than 50 executions. That makes the punishment
unusual to say the least.
2. In your opinion, is there any crime appropriate for the death penalty? If you think that there
are, what makes them different?
The SCOTUS has ruled that states may only execute for the crime of 1st degree murder.
The Federal government may execute for additional crimes such as terrorist threats, drug
dealing, treason, hijacking.
3. You have military experience. Do you know if there has ever been a sentence of death for
a person in the military by a military court? If not, what is the highest level of punishment
that you are aware of?
The US military operates under a separate justice system, the UCMJ= The Uniformed
Code of Military Justice. The military still maintains the death penalty for murder and
alike and executes regularly for these crimes. It also maintains the death penalty for non-
murderous charges such as treason and desertion. The last soldier executed for desertion
was Private Eddie Slovak, 1945.
4. In your opinion, should civilian and military sentencing for crimes be the same?
No.
5. What does the Bible say about the death penalty?
Generally speaking, the Old Testament supports the Death Penalty, God and rulers
execute for all type of offenses, theological, criminal, moral.
Christ clearly preached a Gospel of mercy and forgiveness. Note that Jesus himself was
condemned to a most brutal form of execution.
Popes John Paul the Great, Benedict XVI & Francis were/are opposed to the death
penalty.
6. In your opinion, what emotional toll does the death penalty take on the family and friends
of the death row or executed person?
I have no way of knowing. I would assume a great stress but would not want to comment
on another's emotions.