Good riddance, Paul Hill. Having said that, I remain firmly anti-capital punishment even in a world where there are so many dirtbag lowlifes that seem to deserve it. When a situation like Hill arises (or others of similar ilk), I find myself thinking of good ol' Clarence Darrow and his observation that "I never wanted to see anybody die, but there are a few obituary notices I have read with pleasure."

So what to do with such unrepentant, unreformable human dregs (even those who think they were acting on orders from the Almighty)? At a campaign forum on crime issues some years ago, during one of his short-lived flirtations with running for President, New York Gov. Mario Cuomo (staunch anti-CP) caught the crowd by surprise when he said something like, "For some criminals, I favor death..." After the pregnant pause, he added, "...by long, slow, hard imprisonment." So, like Katlaughing said, put 'em away for good, deprived of human contact, with only their twisted minds for company. No messy executions, no martyrs. May not be perfect, may not be pretty, but it works for me.

Poobs