The WMD in my kitchen

The WMD in my kitchen

by digby

I'm against the death penalty in all circumstances. I think it is a barbaric, backwards concept that has no place among civilized people. I would be against it for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev no matter what, even acknowledging that the crimes he is alleged to have committed are heinous. If found guilty he could be locked up for life and never harm another soul, at which point the state's obligation to protect the people from criminals is fulfilled and justice is served to the best extent decent human beings can deliver it.

But that's not the law of the land. And the Justice Department today decided to charge the Boston Bomber with crimes that carry the death penalty. This is not surprising. But look at some of these absurd charges:
[T]he United States will seek the sentence of death for these offenses: Conspiracy to Use A Weapon of Mass Destruction Resulting in Death; Use of A Weapon of Mass Destruction Resulting in Death; Possession and Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence Resulting in Death; Conspiracy to Bomb a Place of Public Use Resulting in Death; Bombing of a Place of Public Use Resulting in Death; and Malicious Destruction of Property Resulting in Personal Injury and Death, all of which carry a possible sentence of death.
A pressure cooker bomb is a "weapon of mass destruction?" It's as if the Department of Justice is trying to make a mockery of the law. I guess it must make it easier to convict and kill him. But really, the other charges should have been enough. Adding this to the mix is ridiculous.

I guess I shouldn't reveal here that I used a weapon of mass destruction just last night to make pot roast. Shhh.

For a deeper think piece on Tsarnaev and the death penalty, read this piece by Zack Beauchamp and Ian Millhiser.

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