Jesus, I'm Waiting Here Boss

You know the exact minute Dennis Skillicorn will die. At 12:01 a.m. his time, just a few hours from now, the State of Missouri will kill Dennis Skillicorn. When I go to sleep, he'll be alive. When I wake up, he'll be dead.

Skillicorn and his friends took part in a crime spree that involved the killing of 3 people. One of their victims, Richard Drummond, was the father of 3 girls. I have no comprehension of their pain.

We can all agree that Skillicorn was involved in an act of evil that drenched innocent people in agony. We can all agree that there are consequences to Skillicorn for his actions. But I cannot agree with killing him.

I believe the death penalty is wrong, for several reasons, but when applied to a real person like tonight the arguments are empty words. People, a man will be KILLED tonight in our names. A real live person.

Where are those who in other contexts want to "err on the side of life"?! I know no rational person who thinks it is morally WRONG to keep Skillicorn alive. So if there is even the CHANCE that killing him is wrong, shouldn't we err on the side of life?!

My beliefs tell me this man, even with the evil he committed, Dennis Skillicorn is Yahweh's child and we have no right to kill him. No right.

I ask you to take 1 minute of silence and meditate on this issue. 60 seconds of your day to contemplate both the pain of the Drummond family and the fruitless continuation of that violence by killing yet another person. Let it end...