compassion

today, the convicted lockerbie bomber was released from prison on compassionate grounds. i am pretty disassociated from this, being only 3 when the plane bound for new york was blown up by a bomb placed in a suitcase, killing 270. while the decision has sparked outrage from many, including president obama, it has sparked a very different emotion in me: intrigue.

i am intrigued by a society that considers having compassion for convicted murders. i have always erred on the side of anti-death penalty, without really knowing why. something about killing another person bothers me, but there are so many practical arguments for the death penalty. it is cheaper than keeping someone in prison, and there is always the fear that this person could hurt someone else in prison.

the thing that hit me most about the scottish compassion clause is how much sense it makes. in a civilized society, showing compassion for people who have done the unthinkable is the ultimate forgiveness. the death penalty doesn't make any sense, because it is saying it is wrong for you to kill, but okay for us. showing compassion to the worst criminals is the only way to prove to ourselves what society should be.