For Those of You Who Don't Think Evil Exists...

We have yet another exhibit, Dennis Rader, the BTK killer. He pled guilty the other day. I listened to several minutes of his lengthy testimony on the nuts and bolts of his killing spree. It's one of the scariest things I have ever heard. This person (who lived a very public life insofar as he wasn't a recluse, he had family and friends, and held responsible jobs) was a monster inside.

Here's the way I describe my support for the use of the death penalty (and my non-contradictory opposition to abortion). I believe that as human beings we are both capable of and have an innate responsibility to live good lives, and that gives us all a right to life from the moment of conception. But every once in a while a human being knowingly commits an act (or acts) so heinous that he or she forfeits that right to life. (Just being conceived does not qualify as such an act). And in rare cases like that, the death penalty is appropriate. A perfect example is Dennis Rader.

R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. has an excellent piece on this posted at Townhall.com today. He writes from the perspective of someone who is opposed to the death penalty, at least until now. It's good reading.