Newspaper Page Text
Th«* (’olU'giate
MARY KAY McKOW \
Kditor
Jim Farthing and Briggs Pelwa> Asst, pjditor
Bob \Iilps Business Manager
Staff VVriters: Jackie f’arker. Vina Jones. Phi] Jones. Alien
.Stallings. Leigh Ta>lor. Alton Watkins. Allan Kicheson,
Barrs Morgan. Kand> tlolloman. Jimm> Shepard. Debbie
Ferrell
T>pists: Mar\ Jane McI)o«ell. Kath> Turner and Janet
Poole
Photographers Jimm\ Parks and Ernest Sutton
Published »eekl\ b\ students attending .Atlantic Christian
( ollege Wilson. N.C. 27X93. The views expressed herein are
not necessaril> those of the faculty or administration of .ACC.
Punishment Is Capital
Individualized
Society
Yes. we are a sick society. We live in an age full of
questions. Questions to which everyone seems to have
an answer but none of the answers solve the problems.
In last week's editorial, “Canada is for Cowards’
there was a list of beliefs of a “sick” American. And
most assuredly these ideals were sick. That is exactly
how the article was to be read — that all the opinions
stated were the very qualities that would weaken and
were weakening the American society. However, some
persons could not accept this satirical writing.
Somewhere in grade school we learned to read and
then somewhere in our late life we learned to read
between the lines. It is in this faction of the American
people and the individual that misunderstandings arise.
Misunderstandings between individuals and different
groups will continue to arise without any instillation of
trust. It is true, especially in the Black and White
situation, that many of the White American society have
done little to instill trust in the Blacks. However, it is
necessary that an effort to understand each other be
made.
In an article such as “Canada is for Cowards” the
statements may sound condemning and offensive to
certain groups, but read in context the article is con
demning the very opinions it states.
This view must be accepted for just that without any
added individual feelings. Here is where the problems of
trust arise. As editor I published the article with the
trust in the students that they would read it as it was
intended and not think there was a hidden attacking
point. Evidently not. A feeling of trust is missing in the
American society.
But how do we establish this trust? What must we do?
•\nd what part of ourselves must we give? This does not
pertain to one group giving to each other.
As long as objectives, goals, and rights are rough on
a group basis that is how they will be won (if they are
won) — on a group basis. There it is — we will still be a
grouped society.
And why do we not have a society made of in
dividuals. The reasons are numerous — social,
historical, and individual — and we all have come in
contact with them at one time or another. But shouldn’t
an “individual society” be the goal of all Americans.
The quote “All men are created equal” stands quite
firmly on this ideal. And this quote did not originate with
the writing of the US Constitution but with the origin of
man for “All men are created in the image and likeness
of God.” No one can obtain any more equality
than that.
Why have all these ideas flowed from the controversy
of one editorial? That controversy brought to the sur
face many of the feelings that I have held for a long
time. I did not think it was a simple matter of explaining
the satire and I definitely did not think an apology was
needed. The reasons for the controversy go much deeper
than a few typewritten lines.
I was asked why something as controversial as that
editorial ever appeared in the paper. It covered many
topics with which we as students and young Americans
should be concerned.
Is it not true, as can be seen through history, that
things only get started because of controversy? But the
way they are settled is due to the way the controversy is
handled. Mary Kay McKown
I am against capital punish
ment on the grounds of five
major points, which I will later
name and discuss. First let me
put a few questions in your mind
to make you think a little. Is the
death penalty effective? If not.
shouldn't we find a better and
more effective way of handling
these cases? If you were sen
tenced to death and were in
nocent what would you think of
Capital Punishment? Does
Capital Punishment violate
Gk)d's word? These are some
questions that you think about
and base your opinion on this
question: Should Capital
Punishment be re-established,
nationwide? Those of us who
oppose the death penalty do not
raise this argument to condemn
our courts or our judiciary, but
only to underline the fallibility of
human judgement and human
procedures and we also oppose
Capital Punishment for the
guilty.
POI.NT I.
The death penalty doesn’t cut
down on murders, but in some
states where it is effective the
murders are more numerous.
Executive Director of Citizens
•Against Legalized Murder. Inc.,
Douglas B. Lyons says, "...in
1970 the States which had the
three highest murder rates ...
were all States which have use of
the death penalty." The
President's Commission on Law
Enforcement and Ad-
Letter
To The
Editor
Dear Editor,
■’Yes. this is a truly sick
society." It is not sick however,
because people won't stand up
for their beliefs but because
people stand up for beliefs not
rooted in truth or chained to
what is just and fair.
Blacks will never understand
or attain "their place in society"
because they don't have one.
Cross-burning in every yard will
not solve the race problem. The
burning of antiquated,
ludicruous and mythical race
superiority dogmas will.
It is time for Americans, who
have something to say, to stand
and speak to America. Not to
Slack of White America, but
-America.
It is also time for people, who
are standing and talking but yet
not saying anything to sit down
and listen.
■Alfred Sutton
ministration of justice after a
study on the subject made this
statement: "Far from deterring
murder, the continued existence
of the death penalty lulls us into
the mistaken belief that we are
actually doing something about
murder. In fact we are doing
virtually nothing about it. We
have been killing murderers for
eons — but the muders continue.
The time has come for us to
realize that we cannot stop
killing with more killing."
POI.NT 2:
The death penalty also takes
longer in the courtrooms and
clogs up the courts when they
could be used for other types of
cases which are more important
to the most people and which
effect the community, state, and
even the nation. Douglas B.
Lyons also stated that "Another
major effect... of capital punish
ment ... is the clogging of the
courts ..." and then Justice
Jackson backed this statement
with a reason why this could be
so when he said, "When the
penalty is death, we, like State
court judges, are tempted to
strain the evidence and even, in
close cases, the law in order to
give a doubtfully condemned
man another chance."
POINT 3;
Prejudice against race, sex.
riches or other classes of status
form to prove that capital
punishment is not a good form of
punishment and is not fair.
Joseph E. Lowery, Board
Chairman of the Southern
Christian Leadership Con
ference says, "...As of April
1972, 310 of the 581 condemned
people in our country, or 53.4 per
cent, were black." He was also
quoted as saying. “From 1944-58,
20.2 per cent of the whites
condemned had their sentences
commuted, while only 11.6 per
cent of the black condemned
were so fortunate." \ot only is
color of skin a factor, but there
are other factors involved as
well. I quote the book entitled
"The Death Penalty in
■America" as stating, "Whether
a man died for his offense
depended not on the gravity of
his crime, not on the number of
such crimes or the number of his
victims, not on his present or
prospective danger to society,
but on such adventitious factors
as the jurisdiction in which the
crime was committed, the color
of his skin; his financial
position: whether be male or
female (we seldom execute
females), and indeed oftentimes
on what were the character and
characteristics of his victim."
This quote explains that if you
have position and the right color
skin or right sex and you know
important people and hav'e in
side contacts or influence, you
can commit any crime you w'ish
and get away with it, whether it
is a traffic violation or murder i
quote the previous book
tioned -It may be exceedij:
difficult for a rich raantoem.
the Kingdom of Heaven but cl
after case bears witness that itt
virtually impossible for him !
enter the execution chamber
This too. shows that we arp
prejudice against others
POINT 4:
We convict innocents alonj
with the criminals, it is notj!
effective court system. Out of all
of the Court cases each year ii
we convict and execute one
innocent person, our system has
a huge fallacy in it and needs
corrections. 1 quote the same
book, "We cannot however close
our minds or our hearts to the
greater tragedy, the more
montrous injustice, the
ineradicible scheme involved
when the legal processes of the
state, knowingly j,
unknowingly, have been usedlo
take the life of an innoceni
man." The truth that we cannoi
ignore is that we have bea
executing innocents since »e
began the process and we musi
change it as soon as we can andl
think the time is now. 1 give you
two examples of the fallacy ol
the punishment. Socrates and
Jesus Christ were both executed
and in each case, we were sure
at the time that it was the righi
thing to do.
POINT 3:
If we re-establish Capital
Punishment, we will be going
against the w ord of God and ml
be disobeying his law, which this
country is supposed to be
following. .As the Pledge ol
.Allegiance says "One Nation,
under God ..." This is supposed
to be a country that follows
Jesus Christ. As the Bible saysij
Mark 11:25 and 26, "And when
ye stand praying, forgive if ve
have anything aginst any, that
your Father also, who is in
heaven, may forgive you yoiir
trespasses. But if ye do not
forgive, neither will your
Father, who is in heaven, forgive
your trespasses." The Bible also
says "thou shalt not kill." This
does not say we may kill tor
punishment or vengeance, for it
also says, "vengeance is mine,
saith the Lord.’’
On the basis of these five
points I hope that you will see
that re-establishing Capital
Punishment would be a grave
mistake by this nation. It goes
against God's word, it puts in
nocent people in danger, and
most of all it does not ac
complish what we want it to, it
does not cut down on murders
but it makes them more
numerous. I ask that you will
agree with me on my stand
will also stand against re
establishing capital punishment
nationwide.
ALLAN RICHESON
Copyrighted material removed.