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Not Innocent Enough: Here is a guy who probably deserved to die

Name: Yeshua ben Yosef, aka Isa, aka Yasū, aka Mari, aka Qui est

Crime: Terrorism: Leader of a terrorist cell who is accused of plotting to blow up a house of worship in a major city.

Evidence: Witnesses have confirmed that he boasted of the plot to members of his cell. Confirmation of these activities was obtained through intelligence sources by providing a cash bounty to one of his associates. This key witness’s body was later discovered in a garbage dump with ligature marks around his neck indicating a violent strangulation.  Given conflicting information, the cause of death must be labeled as suspicious.

Known Associates: Simon Cananeus, aka Simon Kananaios, aka Kananites, terrorist and father of Eleazar ben Simon, aka Eleasar ben Ya’ir, leader of insurgent troops; The Bnayrğešy brothers, known revolutionaries who plotted air strikes to level an entire city; and the names of several other radical associates have been withheld from public consumption to protect intelligence sources.

Character: While claiming to be a religious man, he was a renowned drunkard and glutton who frequented prostitutes and was known by local officials to have ties to criminal syndicates and gang associations. He also has been linked to corrupt government officials on the local level.

Misc. Information: Yeshua was raised in a city known for its criminal element and terrorist activity. The area has been linked to a series of religious and political murders throughout the region. It is highly unlikely that his family or father did not associate with the murderers and revolutionaries at the city of Sepphoris, less than two miles from Yeshua’s home. Hundreds needlessly died as a result of these terrorists. Most of the people in this poverty-ridden area either lost a family member to coalition forces or were sympathetic to these terrorists. His cousin and known associate was a self-proclaimed wild man, drunkard, and bon vivant, who was executed shortly before Yeshua.

Yeshua’s public speeches and intercepted communications to his followers are filled with coded references to the overthrow of the government.  It is beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was fomenting a revolt and threatening legitimately appointed authorities.

Arrest: For the certain safety of innocent bystanders, police and tactical units conducted an early morning raid at a location far from any population centers. They were met by violent resistance until the suspect, who claimed he was willing to go peaceably, realized he was facing overwhelming force.

Custody: trained professionals subjected him to enhanced interrogation. While there is some debate on the effectiveness of such techniques, he did confess to the highest-ranking civilian authority representing the coalition provisional authority that he saw himself as a political/religious leader and was stirring up the population to confront occupation forces.

Verdict:  Guilty.  The verdict was appealed to a higher court. His death penalty conviction was upheld.

Execution: Subject was humanely offered a drug to reduce the pain of the execution.  He died within seconds of the drug being introduced into his system.

Cause of Death: Suffocation/Cardiac arrest. The lungs ceased functioning correctly, shut down, and were unable to take in the necessary oxygen.  A lack of oxygen results in the body, shutting down major organs until unconsciousness results. While some would label his execution as “cruel and unusual,” it is actually painless in the last moments. The lack of oxygen causes the person to drift off as if someone is gently shutting off every light in the house. The body then convulses, which is only disturbing to witnesses, as the criminal is unconscious and not feeling any pain. At this point cardiac arrest often results. An examination of the contents of his abdomen indicates a possible rupture of one of the aortic valves of the heart. Officials present have stated that death occurred extremely quickly and that everything went according to plan.

As a Christian, who could not be for someone like this being executed in such a humane fashion?  Don’t you agree? Who is with me? Come on, people, if anyone deserved capital punishment it is him. What an awful person. Kill him! Kill him!

If you have not figured out by now, you might better know Yeshua ben Yosef as Jesus Christ, a victim of the death penalty.  I have always thought it ironic that most Christians, followers of a man who was legally executed, favor the death penalty and almost take glee in it. Like King David demanding justice be done for the poor peasant who had his one sheep taken by the rich man, 76 percent of Americans claim to be Christians and two-thirds of this nation supports the death penalty. (If you do not get the David reference, Google “King David,” “Nathan,” and “adultery.”)  This nation claims to be a Christian nation, and most Christians don’t get the irony that we are the only civilized, first world country that still kills people.

Where was the prophet Nathan when Governor Bill Clinton allowed Ricky Ray Rector, a man so mentally challenged that not only did he not understand the charges against him, but he tried to hide his dessert from his last meal so he could enjoy it later, to be executed? Not only did he allow it, but Clinton took time off the Presidential campaign trail to fly home to Arkansas to make sure the execution continued as scheduled, to show the American people he was tough on crime. Where was Nathan when Texas Governor George W. Bush showed his faith by allowing 152 individuals to follow Jesus’ walk down that last mile? In church, would George think it would be funny if someone got up and mocked Jesus, whining, “Please don’t kill me,” like he did Karla Faye Tucker? Where was Nathan when current Texas Governor, and possible Republican Presidential candidate, Rick Perry oversaw the execution of 230 human beings?  I wonder if he got the irony when he sat beneath an instrument of torture and execution on Sunday at his church or when he prayed to Jesus at his 2012 Prayerfest?

Now, if you are not a Christian and I am not saying I am or am not, then we can talk about whether the state has the right to take a man’s life, but if you are one, then you have some intellectual hoops to jump through, especially when it comes to innocent people put to death. It has been estimated that five to seven percent of people executed were innocent.  I’ll even play devil’s advocate and reduce that to one percent, a good percentage if you are selling condoms, but not if you are an innocent man walking that last mile.  Just ask Leo Jones, Carlos DeLuna, Leonel Herrera, Gary Graham, Reuben Cantu, Claude Jones, Joe Arridy, Larry Griffith, Cameron Todd Willingham, Joseph O’Dell, or David Spence… Wait, you can’t, they are already dead. The last thing you want to do as a Christian is to be in the shadow of the cross of an innocent man, chanting, “Kill him. Kill him.”

Most people on death row are not innocent. They are some of the most awful people in the world. Their crimes horrendous and unforgivable.  Still, I wonder if Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Rick Perry, countless governors and more importantly, YOU, if you are a Christian, ever ask yourself when it comes to capital punishment, “What Would Jesus Do?” I guess we are not innocent or Christian enough.