Hassan Guility

[Scout26]

A not surprising decision.  Now comes the Sentencing phase.  Life or Death?  What do you think and why.

http://www.armytimes.com/article/20130823/NEWS06/308230019/Hasan-found-guilty-Ft-Hood-rampage-eligible-death-penalty


I voted for Life w/o parole.  No need to create a martyr.  He'll go to the USDB and be forgotten.  A fate worse than death.

[AZRedhawk44]

I don't believe in special sentences to differentiate one criminal from another.

If UCMJ allows for a death sentence for willful mass murder on a base by a treasonous turncoat, then Hassan fits that sentence.  Normally not a big proponent of a death sentence, but if the sentence exists then it should be delivered.

[Ryan in Maine]

Life without parole. 

[MillCreek]

If it was up to me, then both Major Hassan and Staff Sargeant Bales would stand side by side on a double gallows as the trap is dropped. I consider the Major to be a mass murderer and Sgt. Bales to be a war criminal.

[Ryan in Maine]

I feel like death would be his mission accomplished. That'd make us an accessory.

[charby]

Life without parole. 

In general population

[brimic]

Lifw without parole- in the rapiest prison they can find.

[Levant]

His death would make his mission accomplished in his mind.  But it is my belief that he will not find what he thinks in that instant between life and death.  I think he finds nothing or he finds an angry God.  I'm pretty sure there won't be virgins.  So I don't mind at all giving him what he thinks he wants and letting him discover he made a big mistake - or not discover anything at all in eternal nothingness.

I'm not a big death penalty proponent either but this is a special circumstance as is any mass murder.  The problem, I think and I'm no psychiatrist, with mass murderers, child pornographers, and religious or political terrorists is that their desire to do their evil is so deep in them that they just don't care; there's no conscious or empathy with their victims.  Therefore, there's very little punishment in prison other than physical constraints. 

What I like about life sentences is so convicts can live in their guilt and, at a bare minimum, the regret of having ruined their own life.  With some types, like those listed above, that guilt never exists.  They would spend their life in prison either daydreaming about what was or planning what will be again should they ever get released - sort of my obsessive daydreaming about winning millions in the lottery except that they actually commit their evil and I never remember to stop for a lottery ticket.

I'm not willing to pay for a life of pleasant day dreams of evil.  Put evil to death.  Save prison for those to whom it would be real self torture.

[roo_ster]

Death.

No question he did it.

[Levant]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/23/nidal-hasan-guilty-fort-hood-shooting-unanimous/2690899/

The U.S. military carried out its last execution on 1961, with the hanging of Army Pvt. John A. Bennett. He was convicted in 1955 of the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old Austrian girl.

That is what justice was and should be.  And hanging is much better deterrent than drug induced sleep.

[RoadKingLarry]

It's not like anyone thought he wasn't guilty.
Take him out in the desert, dig a big hole, push him in and fill in the hole, no intermediate steps needed.

Biggest after the fact problem I have is the whole "workplace violence" bull *expletive deleted*it.

[HankB]

Death.

There should be no bedwetting or hand wringing, no fanfare, no celebration. Just put him down in a businesslike manner the way you would put down a mad dog. Bury in an unmarked grave or dump the remains in the ocean.

That he seemingly was seeking death is irrelevant - our actions should not be guided by the wants of a murderous Moslem terrorist.

[Gowen]

I voted life w/o, but if we are going to kill him, lets do it the Black Jack Pershing method and send a message, "bad terrorist, no virgins for you!"

[Azrael256]

Death. Now. Wall, rifle, bang, thump.  I ain't payin' for any more of this.

[Fitz]

I voted other

If he goes on military death row, it'll be 20 years before he dies.


Give him life w/o parole (or with, won't matter... you'll see why in a min)


Then, deny him the protective custody that he will undoubtably seek.


There are some bad people in the USDB. There are also a whole lot of people who, as misguided as they are and as many mistakes as they made, love this country.

He wouldn't last a minute

[Tallpine]

I voted life w/o, but if we are going to kill him, lets do it the Black Jack Pershing method and send a message, "bad terrorist, no virgins for you!"

Give him a sex change and then shoot him     

[Levant]

I voted other

If he goes on military death row, it'll be 20 years before he dies.


Give him life w/o parole (or with, won't matter... you'll see why in a min)


Then, deny him the protective custody that he will undoubtably seek.


There are some bad people in the USDB. There are also a whole lot of people who, as misguided as they are and as many mistakes as they made, love this country.

He wouldn't last a minute

Sounds good on the surface but I have a problem with using the government to feed criminal activity.  If he's killed in custody then we have to charge whoever killed him.  We don't turn a blind eye to murder.  Then there's that whole thing of the government violating the law by taking actions to execute someone (well-deserved) beyond what was sentenced.

Let's just stand up and do what's right.  We don't have to cover it up, sneak around, trick someone else to do what the government should do on its own.  A firing squad at sunrise on Monday morning is the right answer.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I voted other

If he goes on military death row, it'll be 20 years before he dies.


Give him life w/o parole (or with, won't matter... you'll see why in a min)


Then, deny him the protective custody that he will undoubtably seek.


There are some bad people in the USDB. There are also a whole lot of people who, as misguided as they are and as many mistakes as they made, love this country.

He wouldn't last a minute

there are a lotta guys in there who would view hurting him as redemption. atonement

[Fitz]

Sounds good on the surface but I have a problem with using the government to feed criminal activity.  If he's killed in custody then we have to charge whoever killed him.  We don't turn a blind eye to murder.  Then there's that whole thing of the government violating the law by taking actions to execute someone (well-deserved) beyond what was sentenced.

Let's just stand up and do what's right.  We don't have to cover it up, sneak around, trick someone else to do what the government should do on its own.  A firing squad at sunrise on Monday morning is the right answer.

But we know that wont happen. Hence my solution instead of letting him live and breathe for 20 more years

[Hutch]

Death by firing squad, followed by interment in a pig carcass.  Or go all Bowman on him and feed him to pigs.

[Levant]

But we know that wont happen. Hence my solution instead of letting him live and breathe for 20 more years

I get it that you want the guy appropriately killed and punished.  That's the same logic that says ban guns because the government won't keep bad people in prison - it's all doing something wrong to make up for another thing they refuse to do right.  Just because the government won't do the right thing we should go along with them violating the Constitution to get what we want?

We need to hold government accountable for doing the right thing, not excuse more wrongs to get around existing wrongs.

[Hawkmoon]

I voted for Life w/o parole.  No need to create a martyr.  He'll go to the USDB and be forgotten.  A fate worse than death.

Exactly. Hasan wants to be put to death, and has written that if he is executed he will still get to be a martyr. I don't think we should accommodate him in that. Far better to let him rot in prison, as a paraplegic, and contemplate his failure to achieve martyrdom every time he wants to stand up ... and can't.

Normally, I am not against the death penalty. In fact, I am never against the death penalty where it is appropriate. I don't get warm and fuzzy feelings knowing that my tax dollars are providing free room and board to house truly evil people. This case represents, to me, an extenuating circumstance. This piece of excrement views himself as an Islamic jihadist spiritual warrior. If being put to death would allow him or any other Muslim would-be jihadist to think of Hasan as a martyr ... then I don't want to make him a martyr. I'd rather see him be a symbol of abject failure than as a symbol of martyrdom.

[agricola]

If you arent going to execute criminals like Boles and Hasan, then there really isnt any justification for having the death penalty.

[French G.]

If you arent going to execute criminals like Boles and Hasan, then there really isnt any justification for having the death penalty.

Pretty much. I don't like the civilian death penalty, military is a bit different. Tired of news trials trying to turn these into civilian affairs too.

[SADShooter]

I understand the argument for not giving Hassan the martyrdom he seeks. However, I think it more important that we demonstrate our system and values operate consistently, especially in the face of challenges from outside. If the judgment is for death, so be it.