For the most part I liked it. Mr. Grisham does his usual excellent job of describing the complex mechanations of the law and lawyers in layman’s terms, as well as skillfully blending a number of subplots. It is a good book and I recommend it.

Like all good books, it also makes you think a bit. In this case, about the death penalty. And, in my particular case, about religion as well.

I have very mixed feelings about the death penalty. There is one class of criminal I feel should be put to death. Immediately and without any pleadings or reconsideration of their rights. That group is child molesters. If there is no doubt that a person has actually molested one child then let’s just kill him or her.

Why? Because child molestors don’t believe they are doing anything wrong. They have no regrets. They have no desire at all to be “cured”. They enjoy having sex with children and see no reason to stop. Why is it, we believe that you cannot cure a drug or alcohol addict until and unless they admit they have a problem – but we somehow believe we can cure child molestors in the absence of any form of guilt or regret?. Child molestors cannot be cured. All we do with a brief jail sentence is teach them that they ought to kill their victims so they can’t talk. Why should I pay for them to live – keep a roof over their head, food on their plate, a library and gym and everything else at their disposal for the rest of their miserable lives, while the rest of us have to work for a living and live in fear of being homeless?

I digress.

I have read enough books about Death Row to realize that the death penalty is not fairly administered in the United States. I think killing people is wrong. I think the person who murders is wrong. But I also feel it is wrong for the state to kill people. Mr. Grisham focuses on the unusual side issue of the unpleasantness of having to actually carry out the death penalty for the people involved – the lawyer, the family of the convicted, the guards at the jail, the doctor who has to pronounce death, and so on.

I can see that it would be horrible to have to be involved in carrying the penalty out. Not that it would seem comparable to most people, but I did work at an animal shelter where we killed upwards of 100 unclaimed or dangerous animals per day. Because it was such a distasteful task for most of us – who were involved with the animal shelter because we loved animals after all – it was rotated through out the staff. Everyone had to do it at least once in a while. It was horrible. And these were animals, not people. They didn’t have the torment of knowing they were doomed for a month ahead of time and having to make arrangements for their property (what little there could be) or burial, etc.

I do feel for anyone who finds that “just doing their job” includes walking a condemned man to the gas chamber and strapping him down to the chair. There are a lot of distasteful jobs in the world, but that’s really got to be one of the worst. I am sure it takes a toll on a person, whatever their feelings might be about the convicted, the crime, or the penalty.

Due to the fact that our justice system sometimes seems to work on pure whim or political maneuvering that has nothing to do with the humans involved, I don’t trust “those people” with the death penalty.

So – I am for it, and against it, all at the same time. I told you to begin with that I don’t have all the answers, didn’t I?

At the end of this book, when the convicted man is down to the wire, he gives several letters to his laywer to be delivered after his death. They are apologies to the families of his victims.

Several friends and acquaintances of mine have been murdered. I couldn’t possibly care less if the criminals who killed them regret it and are sorry now. That doesn’t bring them back, nor does it undo the damage done to the lives of their loved ones. I’m sorry, but apologies not accepted. And I’m not impressed that someone is sorry they killed a human being. Maybe the apology make the criminal feel better – well I don’t really give a shit if he feels better. If anything, the contrary. Let him suffer.

Of all the multitudes of humans in the world, by far the vast majority of us have never taken another human life – despite temptation or even justification. So why should this person not only feel themselves so special that they can kill another person, and then think they are so special that we giving a flying fuck if they are sorry later? No. Not acceptable. I don’t care if they are sorry.

Now we get to the part that will probably start a real shit storm.

Religion.

In the last few days of his life, the convict didn’t “get God” but he did begin talking with the prison minister and expressing his regrets for all the lives he had affected negatively. He wanted forgiveness. He wanted to go to heaven. His Christian minister counseled him that if he begged Gods forgiveness with sincere regret for his sins, he would be forgiven. He’d get to go to heaven.

Fuck that shit.

I am Pagan. I do not believe in heaven or hell, as a literal reality. I do believe in reincarnation, and in karma. I do believe that everything you do comes back to you. If not in this life, in the next. If you spend your life doing evil things and causing harm to all those around you – you are going to pay for it. Maybe not with hellfire and brimstone – but with a life that is very likely miserable right here on earth and then with karmic debts to all those you harmed. You’ll be recycling here for quite a few more lives to make up for what you’ve done. Get that through your head.

Both Edgar Cayce and Sylvia Brown, as well as many others, have described what occurs after death. Sure, your loved ones appear and lead you to the white light. Then God (or the Goddess, or simply Infinate Love) sits you down and you look at the book, or the movie, of your life on this earth. The two of you have a nice conversation that goes something like;

“Boy, I sure fucked up there.”

“Yes, you sure did. What do you think you should do about it?”

“I’m not sure”

“Well, how about you incarnate with that soul again and next time provide them nuture and life and hope rather than misery and torture and death?”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll try that.”

Some of us will have more karmic debt than others…but I don’t think you get off scot free just because you say “gosh, God, I’m real sorry about that.”

There was a survey done of all the jails in the world – all the jails in the world, mind you. And the result showed there were more Christians in jail than any other religion. Of course, a lot of the criminals here in the U.S. are as Christian as it takes to impress their parole board, but this was a world wide survey so even that imbalance should be evened out. I am very tempted to say that is because almost every other religion believes that karma will get you right now, in this life, bite you right in the ass – but Christianity says that you can do anything you want, long as before you die you say “oh, sorry about that, God.”

I kid a lot about Christians aren’t different, they’re just forgiven. About Baptists don’t recognize each other at the strip bar or the liquor store. But in fact, I’m serious. I think Christianity is a nice religion for those who want to give just lip service to religion and morality, then do whatever they feel like doing – however evil it may be, because hey – in the end all they have to do is beg forgiveness and whammo you got it.

That said – yes, I know and I believe there are good Christians who live their religion, who do unto others as they would have done unto them, who are charitable, loving and wonderful people. In fact, I know there are far more good Christians than those who do evil and then figure they’ll just beg forgiveness at the Pearly Gates. Just like there are far more of us who never kill another human being. I am just not impressed with people who get Christian an hour before their execution.

I told you, I do not have all the answers.

Good book.

Blessedbe