Real-life aftermath of murder and mayhem
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Re “The death penalty doesn’t pay,” Opinion, Jan. 13
Until you have stood knee-deep in the wreckage caused by people like Stanley Tookie Williams, Clarence Ray Allen and others who have blasted their way through innocent human lives, you have no reference point in the debate concerning whether the penalty fits the crime.
People like Elisabeth Semel have the ability to view murder like a day at the library. No body fluids or protruding body parts, no retching smells, no emotions, no wailing relatives and no urge to vomit.
The great debate is carried by academics such as Semel, who stand back from the incredible mayhem and crunch numbers, review reports, pose theories and draw sterile conclusions.
But the very personal, hideous act of ripping the life out of another human being leaves an unimaginably grotesque landscape around those who must roll up their sleeves and wade into the reality. It is a life-altering experience.
DAN MILCHOVICH
Covina
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