My Take - Boston Bomber Sentencing

It happened as expected, yesterday. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving Boston bomber, was sentenced to death for the deaths and injuries he caused.

I'm not sure how I feel about the death penalty especially given the long process that will ensue before it is ever completed.

Maybe it would be better to leave the convicted in jail without the possibility of parole to consider the crimes they committed for as long as they live, rather than risk martyring them.

The news of brutal executions in the Middle East attributed to ISIL, the most recent coming just days ago as reported in the New York Times article about Grisly ISIS Video Seems aimed at Quashing Resistance,  has caused me to evaluate whether the legal system of the United States should continue to levy a penalty that is being ever more frequently and brutally imposed elsewhere in the world. 

I was encouraged to hear the condemned admit guilt and apologize for his crimes. I had been conflicted regarding his role and felt that perhaps he was heavily influenced by his brother. But in the end it was a fact that he committed the crimes.

Survivors

I pray that the survivors of the Boston bombing find peace, repair their lives and overcome what was violently taken from them on that day. Our focus should be on them, especially now that justice has spoken. We must assist them in rebuilding their lives and finding a way to live with the tragic events of that day and defeating the debilitating grief, injuries and losses they sustained.

The story should no longer be about the terrorist, it is about those who survived and remain and carry the emotional and physical scars of that day in and on themselves. Never forget, but overcome.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD