The AP is reporting that Sen. Brent Steele thinks Indiana needs a law addressing decapitations. Now, obviously Indiana has a law on the books against murder. And there are aggravators to enhance sentences and even the death penalty for some situations. But, Sen. Steele sees a need to address decapitation specifically:
The chairman of the state Senate Judiciary Committee says Indiana needs stronger penalties for decapitation.
Republican Sen. Brent Steele of Bedford cites a gruesome beheading in Oklahoma last month as the reason for the change. He has asked staff to draft legislation that would add decapitation or attempted decapitation to the crimes punishable by life without parole or the death penalty.
Actually, the real problem is that somehow under the current law decapitation is not regarded as mutilation or dismemberment subject to the enhanced penalty.
I get that beheading is viscerally more shocking to a good many people. Personally, I see dead as dead. As a victim, I’m not sure I’d care if the person killed me by cutting my throat enough to make me die versus cutting my throat clean through to the back of my neck.
Well, at least it is good to see that drawing and quartering still fall roughly (and bloodily) within mutilation and disememberment. I shall sleep better at night with our ever-vigilant legislators on the ball.
Glad to see this is getting the attention it deserves, especially around the Halloween season! Carving until dead is a problem that has been overlooked in favor of the shocking things we hear about…oh, maybe death by murder weapons in schools?
Interestly enough, today’s ‘word of the day’ is “quixotic”! (Here, if it works http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/ )
If anything, the death penalty statute needs to be severely cut back, not added to. If you laid in wait? seriously?
Don’t let our legislators know about Sharia. They would institute it under a different name.
Has there been a whole lot of problematic beheading going on that I was unaware of? I know I don’t pay attention to much, but… I would notice that, right?
The ditches, rivers and streams are clogged with horseless headsmen.
By the same principle, it seems to me, you should oppose hate crimes or hate enhancers in sentencing. Assaulted, battered or murdered is, well, assaulted, battered or murdered.
This is not a reductio ad absurdum. It’s the reason that 4 days out of 5 (approximately) I’m opposed to “hate crime” legislation. The 5th day, I entertain the possibility that the animosity-fueling effects of singling someone out because of X or Y is worse than victimizing X or Y randomly.
Well, if our Indiana lawmakers want to tackle the job of writing pertinent legislation, they might take some guidance from these opening lines from Rudyard Kipling’s work:
“If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you….”
The rest of the his first stanza might also deserve some attention by the same politician/lawmakers:
“If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise.”
`Look out now, Five! Don’t go splashing paint over me like that!’
`I couldn’t help it,’ said Five, in a sulky tone; `Seven jogged my elbow.’
On which Seven looked up and said, `That’s right, Five! Always lay the blame on others!’
`YOU’D better not talk!’said Five. `I heard the Queen say only yesterday you deserved to be beheaded!’
`What for?’ said the one who had spoken first.
`That’s none of YOUR business, Two!’ said Seven.
`Yes, it IS his business!’ said Five, `and I’ll tell him–it was for bringing the cook tulip-roots instead of onions.’
From Chapter 7, “Alice in Wonderland”