...and this is depressing even to read about

[volksdragon]

I wonder how people justify this as being somehow more humane than a death-sentence.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060504/ts_nm/security_moussaoui_cell_dc

Comments

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

Dude, the guy made no contribution whatsoever to the murders. He wanted to help, and that's reason enough to lock him away from other human beings forever, but he doesn't have any goddamn victims.

[nemomori.livejournal.com]

Allow me to give you a hypothetical:

I know, for a fact, that 10 students are going to enter my school and gun down innocent teachers and students. I do nothing about this, it happens. The prosecution finds proof that I knew about this going to happen. If I am not held morally and criminaly responsible for my clear indifference to life by withholding this information then the system fails.

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

Sure. Hence my agreement that he isn't to be trusted around other people and should be locked up indefinitely: he knew murders were going to happen, and he wanted them to happen, so he didn't take reasonable action to stop them. Treat him like any other SOB who has demonstrated criminal contempt for the lives and rights of others and put him away.

Still, equating his actions with actually carrying out the murders is not right, and to do so trivializes the actual act. While it's a tempting urge when the murderers are all dead, the genuine conspirators have been allowed to slip away, and the people who bear primary responsibility for failing to stop the murders are government officials the government doesn't see fit to prosecute, ritual punishment of scapegoats is not a worthy purpose for our justice system.