Set sobering example with speedy and non-costly trial Nothing can be gained by taking Nikolas Cruz’s life
Enough is enough, folks. Let us have a speedy and non-costly trial for the killer of 17. Say he pleads guilty — this means he gets free food and the like for the rest of his life? What of the 17 who do not get anything else in this world? Yes, he is guilty of this nefarious deed, so let us not waste any more time and be hasty for once.
Let this be a lesson for all who try this again — speedy trial, a quick look at an appeal (if any at all) and speedy execution.
We know the scenario. If I knew that if I iced someone and would die very soon, it would make me change my mind and work things out.
Sometimes you cannot change of how much you try. bad regardless Dear friends, This past week has been so painful for our community as we’ve looked into the beautiful faces of our children pictured in the newspaper and felt the anguish of horror visited upon them. We have lost so very much that can never be assuaged. No words of comfort will ever comfort. No healing can ever come to these families who have lost the light of their lives. What can we do?
The least, the least we can do is stop the killing. What we can do is work very hard with the emotion of outrage to change our gun laws, the buying of the souls of our politicians and taking care of our mentally ill population. Jesus said “an eye for an eye” is not God’s answer to offense. Martin Luther King Jr. said “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
It would be a dishonor to mark the deaths of these innocent people with more violence and vengeance.
Nothing can be gained by taking the life of Nikolas Cruz. We as a community have the calmness of sanity to make this decision. We cannot continue the killing. The concept of incarceration is painful but somewhat merciful. Mercy is never regretted and mercy for a very disturbed young man whom we as overlords have failed, is in order.
Stop the pain! Grant a life of imprisonment to Nikolas Cruz and forego any continued rehearsing of the great sadness and failure that our community has felt. Let’s remember our precious children with anguish and unbearable loss, but let us collect ourselves so that mercy prevails. Pastor Dwayne Black, The Sanctuary Church PCUSA; Sr. Helen Prejean, Ministry Against the Death Penalty; The Rev. Dr. Daris Bultena, General Presbyter Tropical Florida; The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek, Moderator of the Presbytery Tropic of Florida; The Rev. Martha Shiverick, Riviera Presbyterian Church; The Rev. Jose’ Manuel Capella-Pratts, Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana Hispana; The Rev. Diane Shoaf PCUSA, Spiritual Director