The new sophistry of using the word murder instead of kill to ascribe the death penalty…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 1:03 PM Permalink

…most, if not all, of our astute readers have heard in the MSM of the home invasion killings in Connecticut that has just resulted in the conviction of one for the killing of three. Ordinarily such a matter would not concern me - that's life and it ain't always pretty - but the comments of an elderly family member (who's relationship or right to speak on this matter would never be infringed upon by me) made what to me was a jaw-dropping point without a distinction while falsely claiming that American Law is based upon the Ten Commandments.

Paraphrasing slightly, but very close to what the gentleman said, "It's time to prove now that our laws are based on the Ten Commandments. The first Commandment says, 'Thou shalt not kill…" but I have learned through my readings that the Jewish word for kill is exactly the same as the Jewish word for murder, so what the First Commandment is really saying is that, "Thou shalt not murder," and not that thou shalt not kill.

My first thought was, "Wow! What a way to weasel your way around being 'pro-life' never-abort-a-baby-for-any-reason-even-if-the-mother's-health-is-in-dire-straights-and-or-the-baby-is-the-result-of-rape-or-incest and yet still reconcile a belief that "murderers" should die, leaving the clear implication that not all 'killings' are murders.

I have long wondered how people could hold two completely opposite principles, claim to support them both, yet ignore the fact that it matters not who does the killing or the murdering, another member of society is dead at the hands of society's agent or an independently acting agent.

So, though it's not necessarily germane here, I can only suppose this is the new rationale of the right that all baby-murderers MUST be 'killed' (not 'murdered'); a point without a distinction if I ever heard one.

I know that I am mixing together two entirely different matters, murder vs. abortion, but it's interesting to me to witness the sophistry used by teabaggers, gop-ers, the conservative religious right, and people personally affected by atrocious events not of their doing.

NOTE: Please don't get me wrong. I personally believe in both the right of a woman to choose to do as she will with her body and the death penalty. My stance on the death penalty is shocking to some people as I not only believe in it's use I believe it should be expanded to cover many, many more crimes than it does now. To me any crime of moral turpitude against children and women should result in the offenders death simply to remove the offender from the gene pool if for no other reason. Why should they live, be allowed to procreate, and make more monsters?

Ciao, bella ámi.

Labels: death penalty, disclosure, discourse, disinformation, hypocrisy, mickey rourke, politics, religious stupidity, republican lies