The value of something is reflected by the punishment given for destroying it.
Two very different death penalty cases have been in the news recently. Each raises a different objection to capital punishment.
At the end of last month, Tennessee officials gave Christa Pike what was supposed to be a lethal injection . Pike survived. She has left the hospital and is back in prison. What went wrong and whether Tennessee will execute her — again — is unclear. This case is an example of the logistical objections to the death penalty. Some complain about the cost of executing an inmate and the time it takes.
In 1995, Pike, then 18, and two other students tortured and murdered Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old. Pike even took a piece of Slemmer’s skull. It took 30 years from the trial to even attempt an execution.
But the delays and botched attempt aren’t inherent problems with the death penalty.
In fall of 1780, Gen. Benedict Arnold agreed to hand over West Point to the British. On Sept. 23, 1780, American troops stopped British Major John André , who had been coordinating with Arnold. In miraculous fashion , the plot was exposed, but Arnold escaped. A military board determined that André dese...