Column: Wood’s Stock; Age should have no bearing on justice
As many of you are probably aware, 76-year-old Clarence Ray Allen was executed Jan. 17. Leading up to his death, Allen was petitioning for clemency on the basis that he was, in fact, old. California said no. Upon hearing this, countless media and political persons agreed that yes, he was old, and began pitching a fit against California and more specifically, my personal friend Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In the days leading up to and following his death, there were articles, reports and general bickerings arguing about whether or not Allen’s age and condition could constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.” Snippets such as “blind, deaf and dumb,” “used a wheelchair,” and my personal favorite, “old and feeble,” kept creeping into stories and for a split second, I almost felt bad for this guy.
This is the second of two controversial California executions in the last few months and I would just like to say what my friend Arnold has been unable to: You are all death-penalty girly-men.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the criminality of this man, let’s review: boy meets girl, boy and girl rob market in Fresno, boy kills girl, boy gets his booty convicted and goes to prison, boy then puts a hit on jury members that helped him move into his shiny new cell, all of this while over the age of 45. Gee, sounds like a swell guy to me, how about we let him loose and see how much fun he can get into in that wheelchair of his.
But he’s old.
Yes he is. I personally think of anyone over the age of 30 as “old,” so this guy was Jurassic when they stuck him with the needle.
But look at him, he’s feeble.
That really is too bad. It’s a shame he didn’t have the courtesy to start killing people at a decent age so that we wouldn’t be in this position.
But he’s harmless.
Really? I’m sure the family of that 17-year old girl would agree with you. Not to mention the jurors who got to have all the good family fun of looking over their shoulders while they ate their breakfasts.
But this is cruel and unusual.
Now that really is too bad. However, there is a simple solution. For all of you that are so hung up about the “humanity” of killing a senior citizen by lethal injection, here’s all you have to do: Don’t kill people and this won’t be your problem.
Clarence Ray Allen is a murderer. To allow this man to live is to head down a never-ending road. Today he’s 76, tomorrow a 74-year-old woman kills her grandchildren, next week a retired mailman guns down a super-mall until 30 years from now, anyone over the age of 40 is free to run rampant in the streets with total disregard to consequences.
In fact, on the local front, Bert Jackson, Utah’s 99-year-old prisoner, is set to be released in February after serving only three of a possible 15 year charge for two accounts of child sex abuse. Special Aggie connection: Jackson’s offenses occurred in Lewiston, Cache County.
Obviously those three years of time have rehabilitated a once horribly disgusting senior citizen into a wholesome outstanding even more-senior citizen; and just to be safe, his parole board told him sternly, and I’m not making this up: “You’re in pretty good health for a 99-year-old man. We don’t want you touching anybody anymore, OK?”
Usually the controversial death-penalty cases involve some report of the convicted’s “change of heart.” He’s found religion, he’s sorry for what he’s done, he’s writing a children’s book for Schoolastic about accepting people, yadda-yadda-yadda.
They still deserve to die, but at least these chumps take the time to have a sporting case. In Clarence Ray Allen’s case, I have yet to read one report of this Grinch’s heart growing three sizes. All we’re getting are bland, repetitive, “So what?” reports that he was, I repeat, old. He’s old? That’s his saving grace? The more I think about this, the more ludicrous it becomes.
The problem here is that people who are anti-capital punishment use cases like Allen’s and others like it as a platform to peddle their views. The question here is not whether the death penalty is right or wrong, the question is whether Allen’s circumstances are enough to obstruct justice. As long as capital punishment, or any punishment for that matter, is the legal consequence of our judicial system, we are obligated to treat all people fairly and by the same criteria. Age is in no way a valid excuse for special treatment. Clarence Ray Allen was a murderer and he deserved to die.
I don’t care how old he was.
Ben Wood is a columnist for the Utah Statesman. Comments and questions can be sent to bcwood@cc.usu.edu.