Flipping through the channels on Tuesday night, I stopped on ESPN, but unlike most times, it wasn’t to watch a baseball or football game. Instead what was airing was a special on the survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings ”“ and I didn’t turn the channel until it was over.
I have read plenty on the bombing over the past two years and even watched a documentary on the manhunt that took place after the tragedy.
This show was different though as it was all about the victims of the terrorist attack and their lives since the bombing.
It told the story of a young man from California, who was in town for the marathon and nearly lost a leg. He has recovered enough to play baseball and even hit a home run while at a tournament in Cooperstown.
It told the story of a woman, who did lose her leg, and her best friend, but has devoted her time since the bombing to helping other survivors.
Finally, it told the story of a young father, who lost his right leg and nearly his left, and is still going through surgery after surgery trying to stop the pain from his only remaining leg.
It was an inspiring and heartwrenching hour of television that had me on the verge of tears and also pissed off at the same time.
That ESPN special got me to take a second look at the recent stories from the trial and conviction of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Tsarnaev was found guilty of 30 counts, including 17 federal charges that put him up for the death penalty despite the fact that Massachusetts hasn’t executed anyone since 1947.
I have always been a proponent of the death penalty as long as one of two things were proven at the trial: He or she was convicted based on full-proof DNA evidence or the accused admitted to committing the act.
In this case, Tsarnaev admitted to being involved in the bombing that killed three, took limbs from 17 others and hurt 240 more spectators ”“ in addition to the killing of a police officer during the manhunt.
The defense is trying to say that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was only involved in this incident because he was influenced by his older brother, Tamerlan, who was killed during the manhunt.
I would almost buy that defense if Dzhokhar was 14 or 15 years old when this took place, but a 19-year-old college student should have the ability to tell his brother “no,” and just walk away ”“ or even call the police to stop the bombing from happening.
The death penalty has been losing support nationwide for years, but according to CBS News, 60 percent of Americans favor the death penalty for Tsarnaev.
That number is surprisingly low to me, but to tell you the truth, I don’t care if there was only 10-percent support for the death penalty in this case ”“ I would still be saying Tsarnaev deserves it.
I would almost think twice about giving Tsarnaev the death penalty if he had shown any kind of remorse during the trial. According to reports, he never once acted like someone with a soul. The New York Times reported, “(Tsarnaev) gave little indication in court (last) Wednesday that his life was on the line. As the verdicts were read, he stood without expression, his arms folded in front of him, flanked by his lawyers.”
If there was ever a case where the federal government should carry out the death penalty, it is this one. Tsarnaev does not deserve to live out his days in this beautiful country as American taxpayers foot the bill.
He deserves a one-way trip to join his brother way down south.
— Pat McDonald is the sports editor of the Journal Tribune. An avid follower of media and politics, he has worked in the newspaper industry for close to 15 years.
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