The Families Keep Capital Punishment Alive

I am 100% morally opposed to capital punishment and when I read stories like this, my blood boils.

25 years, that's as old as I am. Martin E. Grossman has been in jail my entire life. Obviously he is a different person today than when he was when he murdered Peggy. So executing him today would be like killing a harmless person. IMHO, the only time killing is justified is if that person is an immediate threat and I would rather take away their freedom instead of their life when they are in custody.

But the families don't see it that way and I hate them for it.

Her mother, also named Peggy, is 79 and has been told by a cardiologist not to travel from Ohio to Florida for the execution.

But she's coming. So are Park's brother and sister. They're grieving and want closure. But they also want something else in the week they are scheduled to watch Grossman die.

They want people to know the story of a daughter, sister, wildlife officer named Peggy Park.

"I don't want Peggy ever forgotten," her mother said.

There are so many things wrong with that I don't know where to start. First, the mother is stupid for risking her life over the objections of a cardiologist. Why are her children allowing this? Do they want to go to their mother's funeral after the execution? Second, closure is bullshit. How will killing Martin make things better? The dude is essentially dead, dead to society. Third, by focusing on the murder of Peggy, they are taking attention away from her life. As a nature enthusiast, I respect her work, but the execution is the only thing I think people will care about.

Now, after living with this winding, twisting criminal case for almost as long as they lived with Peggy, the Parks are preparing to witness the execution.

It's not about vengeance, they say.

"It's to see it finished," younger sister Betsy said. "It's for Peggy, it's for my dad and it's for us to know it's done."

"I take no pleasure in somebody being executed," she said. "But again, he had a chance to make choices. And he made the wrong ones."

It's bad enough capital punishment exists, why the fuck do we allow the families to view the execution? It's definitely about vengeance, stop lying. Why do these families sound like fucking cult members? It's because they are. Like cults, they are usually small and think that the world revolves around them. In a way it does cause the law is in their favor. As long as we suck up to these families, capital punishment will live on.

"But again, he had a chance to make choices. And he made the wrong ones."

There's a difference, Grossman had a few minutes to make his bad choice, you had 25 years to make your bad choice. You are worse than your sister's murderer.