Last Thursday Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, aka the Lockerbie Bomber, was released from a Scottish prison allegedly on the grounds of compassion. I say allegedly because there have been accusations that he was released to remove roadblocks hindering Britain’s leading oil companies from seeking multibillion-dollar oil deals with Libya. Since these are currently only allegations let's just focus on the premise that he was let out of prison on compassionate grounds. Scottish justice secretary, Kenny MacAskill, "said that the 'humanity' that prompted his decision was 'a defining characteristic of Scotland and the Scottish people.'”
Comments have been made that the Lockerbie Bomber showed no compassion for the innocents he murdered so why should compassion be extended to him. I commend those who feel that is the wrong yardstick to go by, but instead take the higher ground. But does the higher ground mean that compassion should trump justice?
Mr. Megrahi served only eight years of a life sentence imposed by a specially convened Scottish court in the Netherlands, which declared he serve a minimum of 27 years. If Scotland defines itself as being humane by releasing a convicted mass murderer after serving less than 1/3 of his minimum sentence, shouldn't they release everyone in their prisons who have served only 1/3 of their minimum sentence? Oh, that's right, Mr. Megrahi is supposed to be dying (aren't we all?). Hmm, I thought that's what a life sentence was about: that you die in prison.
Make no mistakes about it, compassion must never overrule the dictates of justice. If justice is met, then let us be as compassionate as we humanly can. If justice has not been met, then let us be compassionate within the bounds of not breaking or bending the rules or slapping justice in the face. Otherwise why don't we just decide to be super compassionate and let everyone out of prison? If terrorists decide to take over our country, let's just be compassionate and not fight them so they can mercilessly carry out genocide? How compassionate would that be to our citizens? It turns out it wouldn't be compassionate at all. You see, showing misguided compassion towards one can turn out to be cruelty to many others.
Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi was flown home in a V.I.P. jetliner to scenes of a hero's welcome in Tripoli, Libya. (BTW mainstream media, thanks for eating out of terrorists' hands and prominently displaying such propaganda.) The son of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi (Libyan leader), Saif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, held up the hand of the Lockerbie Bomber upon his return to Tripoli as if in triumph. Sounds to me like slapping justice in the face.
Which is more compassionate? To "locker" up a convicted mass murderer or to "locker" up Lady Justice? Good thing Lady Justice is blind, otherwise she just might see that slap in the face coming.
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1 comment:
LaVar you should be a columnist for a large newspaper. You have a way with words!
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