TALES FROM THE BARSTOOL
By: Clint Lien

"Whatever the cost may be."

Well, that guy who blew up the federal building got his comeuppance. We won't have to worry about his nefarious scheming any longer. He was put down like an unwanted dog. They filmed it so a larger crowd could be accommodated to witness the event. Survivors of his heinous crime needed closure. This wasn't revenge, the president said, it was justice. Hogwash. It was revenge, pure and simple. If I had lost someone in that blast I would want to see the bastard die and I would not candy coat my feelings with pretty words like justice and closure. The whole circus was really quite sickening. The nation wanted this thing to happen but nobody wanted to hold the smoking gun.

I say executions should still be a public affair. Throw the condemned in a cart and pull them ten blocks through town. We could line the streets and toss rotting vegetables and blow huge gobs of spit at them if we're lucky enough to get so close a spot.

Get rid of the needle. It's way too kind. I heard many a supporter echo the same thought. It's not revenge, it's justice, but wouldn't justice be better served if the bomber were dipped in boiling oil or drawn and quartered in the old fashion way? An ax and a block should suffice, I figure. People can see the spray of blood and know that death has come. After all, how can one have true closure if all they see is the monster go quietly into that good night?

The parents of the condemned should be set upon as well. They are as much to blame as the deviant in the cage. "Give me the boy 'til seven, and I'll give you the man." Isn't that how the saying goes? What about the school teachers? Shouldn't they have to take some responsibility? Let's not forget the courts. There aren't many condemned men who aren't well acquainted with the courts, the reformatories and the prisons. Of course this will never come to pass because it's no one's fault. Kill 'em and the problem is solved. It is a scar of shame that we bear in the United States of America, as one of the few remaining "civilized" nations on the earth that has state sanctioned killings.

If it is true, as I believe it is, that a society's worth is based on its treatment of the old, the sick, the weak and the deviant - then we are in pretty poor shape, my friends.

It boils down to responsibility - and our unwillingness to accept any. Everyday I see someone on the tube waxing eloquently on his right to bear arms. I see that it is accepted by society that if a man should go to prison he can expect to be brutalized in ways that would have made the Romans blush. Four police officers can beat a man damn near to death, joke about his ethnicity afterwards and receive no punishment. We insist upon total freedom for the press and for Hollywood. We will read whatever we want to read and we will watch whatever we want to watch. Whatever we desire will be provided for us. There are no boundaries. Anyone trying to impose them will be crucified forthwith. Just ask Tipper Gore. She tried to have certain music banned and was met with such venomous opposition she had to back down and settle for a warning label. I was one of the guys opposing her and will never forget that she wanted to curtail my rights, but I've got to be willing to pay the price, and sometimes the price can be dear.

What's the alternative though? The alternative is more rules, less freedom, fewer rights. It's a slippery slope that leads to the Pinochets. I think handguns are insane. They are designed for killing people, and don't tell me they're also good for target practice - that's just so you can kill people more efficiently. I don't think anyone should be allowed to have them - including the police, but I'm more afraid to take them away. My whole life my father has emphasized the singular universal law of the world - "Things aren't fair." Poor people go to prison and death row - rich people do not. Bad things happen to good people and bolts of lightening do not strike down people who drive slowly in the fast lane. He's right; the world is not fair.

But it does not mean we have to stop trying. First let us start owning up. Let us take responsibility for the creatures created by a society that allows everything. If we want total freedom then we should be prepared to accept the cost of that freedom. Sometimes it will mean we have to bury our young and other times it will mean we have to remove from society those who transgress in unforgivable fashion. We should keep them behind walls and be reminded constantly what it means to be free.

Except, of course, for those who insist on driving slowly in the fast lane - for them it's the boiling oil.

A note of apology to my readers who have sent me email in the last three weeks. My system was down and all mail was lost. This was a personal situation and had nothing to do with the fine folks at Netlistings. Please resend your thoughts as they are greatly appreciated.

Reactions? Comments? Write me at barfly@netlistings.com