Stripped of Natural Rights

A torture house with mass graves was discovered on December 8th, 1007. The torture chamber was found fully equipped with and electrical torture device, rubber hoses, boxing gloves, ski masks, barbed wire, blood covered swords and knives, mines, pipe bombs, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar tubes and rounds and 130 pounds of homemade explosives. There was evidence of murder, torture, and intimidation against local villagers found throughout the area. Eventually, 26 unidentified bodies were dug up from a mass graveyard next to what seemed to be an execution site since some bodies had their hands tied behind their backs. The identification of the victims is virtually impossible since their bodies were mutilated and advanced in the stages of natural decomposition. The finding of a bullet-riddled police car nearby does imply that some of the victims could have been Iraqi police. The area had been known to occupy Al Qaeda groups.

http://cnn.site.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Torture+house,+mass+graves+discovered+in+Iraq+-+CNN.com&expire=-1&urlID=25500083&fb=Y&url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/12/19/iraq.torture.complex/index.html?iref=topnews&partnerID=21191

After stripping certain individuals of numerous rights, the CIA has detained many people without due process at Guantanamo Bay. One of the detainees claims that the CIA tortured him severely after he was taken into custody in 2003. Since the court did not require the preservation of evidence, “there is substantial risk that the torture evidence will disappear”, thus affecting the detainee’s challenge to his detention. Already the CIA claims that it had stopped videotaping by 2002, which means videotapes of the detainee’s torture could not have existed. The CIA also claims that it does not torture detainees because “ the United States does not conduct or condone torture”. Did the torture ever actually take place? Perhaps the detainee made up the whole story as delusional as he was since he mysteriously suffers from “severe physical and psychological trauma” after stepping out of the CIA prisons. He also seems to think that he “admitted anything his interrogators demanded of him, regardless of truth, in order to end his suffering”.
http://cnn.site.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Guantanamo+detainee+says+CIA+tortured+him+-+CNN.com&expire=-1&urlID=25324963&fb=Y&url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/08/detainee.cia/index.html?iref=newssearch&partnerID=211911

Abolishment of Death Penalty

New Jersey lawmakers intend on signing into law the abolishment of the capitol punishment in New Jersey. It was decided that the possibility of killing someone innocent and the pain of the victim's family is too great a cost for capitol punishment. The current worst sentence in New Jersey will now be life in prison. New Jersey is the first state in 44 years to abolish the use of the death penalty since it was reinstated in 1976. Capitol punishment is still currently being used in 37 states with over 1100 prisoners executed since 1976. Some radical republicans still argue that the death penalty should still be allowed in cases of terrorism or police killing.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/13/nj.death.penalty/index.html

People living in York gathered to march and request more severe penalties for child murderers. They believe the current punishment is far too lenient and not tough enough to deterr criminals. They're marching to reinstill capitol punishment for child murderers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/news/2002/09/14/march.shtml

my personal opinions on the death penalty side with the first article's opinon. I don't believe in the death penalty because there's always just that possibility that an innocent can be put down. After DNA testing was accessible, people on death row were pronounced innocent because of new evidence! I think the chance of putting an innocent down is too big of a risk to take. Life in prison is enough in its own sense a punishment for convicted villains.

Unstable Teens and Shootings

Recently, an unstable 19-year-old gunman later identified as Robert Hawkins opened fire at the Westroads Mall of Omaha Nebraska, then later took his own life. There were 6 fatalities and a couple critically wounded, with victims ranging from customers to employees. The evidence suggests that he had chosen his victims randomly. Hawkins had apparently visited a friend near the Westroads Mall and then proceeded to the mall afterwards. Police are still baffled at why he choose that particular mall or the Von Maur department store in particular. The attack seemed premeditated because Hawkins left a suicide note and another correspondence. His suicide note, found by Debora Maruca-Kovac, a friend of the Hawkin's family who was allowing him to stay in her home, pretty much described how he was sorry for everything, how he didn't want to be a burden to people anymore and how he was useless all his life and how he was going to be famous. The gun, an AK-47, has still not been traced yet, but police believe Hawkins stole it from his stepfather's house. Hawkin's presence was flagged as suspicious when he entered the mall. It doesn't seem that this incident could've been prevented. Hawkins had been in state's custody for the last 4 years, and broke up with his girlfriend 2 weeks ago. His friends are shocked that he is capable of this amount of violence and describe him usually playing a mediator role during arguments.



http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/06/mall.shooting/index.html#cnnSTCText



Also recently, 16 year old Eric Hainstock was convicted and found guilty of first degree murder when he went to school on September 26,2006 with two fully loaded guns- a 20-gauge shotgun and .22-caliber revolver- and ended up shooting and killing his principal, Mr. Klang. Hainstock originally plead not-guilty and provided an abundance of material about his physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse by his father, his step brother, and class mates. He says that he was driven to the edge of their bullying and only intended to use the guns to scare them into submission and allow him to talk to the principal. According to him, the second gun had gone off accidentally as Mr. Klang grabbed his arm. Hainstock appeared stoic and unremorseful during his court appearance. School reports also identify him as the instigator of fights and brutality. His intentions of shooting were also incredibly questionable because the gun "accidentally" went off 6 times, the first time hitting Mr. Klang in a critical zone which cost him his life.



http://www.courttv.com/trials/hainstock/080107_ctv.html





Both of these shooters were both clearly mentally unstable teens who needed counseling and therapy. Although the question of culpability comes into question, I do not believe that anyone is ever justified in taking another's life. I think these cases should be looked upon as lessons for other schools and institutions where students who seem disturbed are offered help in better fashion. I am also a huge advocate for gun-safety. Guns shouldn't be made so readily for purchasing, and those parents with guns should take better precaution in storing those guns.