The jury in the Boston Marathon bombing trial has sentenced Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death, which doesn't make anyone killed in the attack come back to life, reattach any limbs, or take away any nightmares, but it does satisfy a primal need for vengeance, so there's that. The bombing was horrific, and reading over our liveblog of that afternoon just reminds us of how numb we all felt, but also of the basic decency and humanity of the people who rushed into the chaos to help.
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We're not especially surprised by the sentence, given that there was no doubt about the verdict, and given that the jury selection process insured a panel that was willing to return a death sentence. And god knows we're not about to write any maudlin poems about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; we just aren't in the mood to celebrate a death sentence, even for someone who did something horrific.
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We're with Bill and Denise Richards, the parents of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in the bombing. They wanted Tasrnaev to get life in prison without parole, to spare their family the endless reminders of Martin's death at every step of the appeals process.
Of course, there are some celebrations out there; the Drudge Report seems fairly pleased to stoke the bloodlust:
And Jim Hoft, formerly the Stupidest Man on the internet, isn't content with one execution; he'd like to remind us to keep hating, forever:
As for us, we're right back to numb, and to the photo of little Martin Richard, who made a sign to help remember the victims at Newtown. Maybe it's naïve, but we think he had the right idea:
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No more hurting people. Peace.
[ New York Times / Boston Globe ]
Boston Marathon Bomber Sentenced To Death, Terrorism Over Forever
Yes, that jury should be part of the injection committee or release the lever if hanging is the preferred method. I feel strongly if one condemns others to die, that person should be right in there with the dying. That is why I think every Congress person who votes for war should have a job on the front lines of that same war. Every single one should be there with the bombs and the drones and the bullets and the blood and the gore. Then, if they survive and aren't killed by enemy or friendly fire, they can come back and vote for more war.... Right.
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