Nicholas Von Hoffman
One vote for capital punishment
'This month the
lWASH Court is going to decide if it’s
F^itutionall} cruel and unusual
tc#nSl n. to Execute the 675 men and
gTjuler sentence of death and
^ With Blackmun, Burger, Powell
W'‘Iftnr.iist they’re not going to have to
^Knger This man thinks they’re
|S ”Slelik,ch,ckOT (nedS«.k.
K should too. All the arguments
12 capital punishment are wrong For
Kle the proponents of mercy say that
Un like Great Britain, West Germany,
^ all the Scandinavian countries,
fierland, etc , etc., have long, long
given up hanging, drying and
’line What they don’t say is that these
Second-rate powers. Russia, on the
hand has capital punishment. So
K/kiic rfnwn to is. are we
»r hand, has cap "
utthe question boils down to is, are we
1 to be humane or are we going to
ufnUe to lead the free world?
Not enough murderers
I ftese life-above-law types like to tell
‘ iu that in the nine states where capital
unishment is prohibited the murder rate
[lower than in the 41 where it’s allowed
iev think that proves the electric chair
^esn’t deter would-be murderers,
lalacious reasoning All it actually shows
(that in those nine states there aren’t
igh murderers to justify taking steps
pdeter them.
J As to the cruel and unusual line, well,
Levebeen executing people for centuries.
It’s only since 1968 that crook-loving
judges who sympathize with the throat
slitting rapists, have stayed all executions
until we now have this unbelievable
backlog These 675 plus are standing in the
way of prison reform They’re taking up
space in cells that we could use to
rehabilitate prisoners. Not only that but
they’re a drag on the taxpayers Rich
people never get sentenced to death; it’s
only the poor and the black—more than 50
per cent of the nogoodniks waiting to get
juiced are black—so you know if they’re
allowed to live they’ll be a drain on the
taxpayer.
But if Chief Justice Burger gives the
word it’s okay to zap em, how are we
going to do it? Let’s hope it’s not two or
three at a time President Nixon should set
aside a date and proclaim it as Lawnorder
Day. Give it the full treatment. Breakfast
prayers with Norman Vincent Peale
and Billy Graham Appoint a national
chairman. Bob Hope would be a good one
but he seems otherwise engaged and he
does lack the experience of Col. Sanders,
who’s got the know-how to fry them all at
once. The Colonel would probably be
adverse to the job and wish to stick to
chickens, but, if he could possibly be
persuaded, he would be a natural.
National fish fry
Everybody loves the Colonel. As the
master of ceremonies, he could turn
Lawnorder Day into a national family fish
fry. People would love it. We’re on a
nostalgia kick, and what could be more
reminiscent of the way America use to be?
Did you know that at the last public
execution in Kentucky back in 1936, 20,000
people turned out to watch?
It’s really sumpthin to watch, too. Real
box office. Better than Ali-Frazier or a
hockey game. Here’s a description of the
gassing of Luis Jose Monge, the last
person to be executed in the United States,
by the state of Colorado, in June, 1967:
“Even after unconsciousness is declared
officially, the prisoner’s body continues to
fight for life. He coughs and groans. The
lips make little pouting motions resem
bling the motions made by a goldfish in his
bowl. The head strains back and then
slowly sinks down to the chest. And in
Monge’s case, the arms, although tightly
bound to the chair, strained at the straps,
and the hands clawed torturously as if the
prisoner were struggling for air.”
Odor of burning flesh
Electrocutions are good show biz, too.
Former Warden Lawes of Sing Sing said
they generally go like this: “. , . The body
leaps as if to break the strong leather
straps that hold it. Sometimes a thin gray
wisp of smoke pushes itself out from under
the helmet that holds the head electrode,
followed by the faint odor of burning
flesh.” The eyes pop out of the sockets a
lot, and sometimes the condemned fight or
beg for mercy. You can’t beat it for
drama.
That’s why Lawnorder Day ought to be
televised. Col. Sanders could operate from
justice central. Assun.ing he isn’t a cry
baby, humanitarian crime-lover, he
might, for this occasion, wear his white
plantation suitor we could dress him up as
a chef with the toque blanche straight up
on top of his head.
Lawnorder Day should be handled like
pro football. Put the executions in the big
stadiums and charge admission. They
should be staggered by time zone, the way
they do on Sunday afternoon so if you’re
not lucky enough to buy a ticket you can
see it at home on TV all afternoon and half
the night. Sponsors’ll line up to put their
money on this one. Cars, feminine hygiene
sprays, insurance companies, toy
manufacturers, but we won’t allow the
razor blade people to advertise. Instead
we’ll give their spots over to public service
advertising . . . ecology, U.S. Savings
Bonds. Buy a hunk of America, and a
message reminding us not to forget our zip
codes.
The profits will be equally divided
between the wars on cancer, emphysema,
birth defects, nephritis and multiple
sclerosis. It’s not every day you can fight
crime and the dread cripplers and killers
of mankind at the same time.
Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News
Service
Letters
•e
m
For the cigarette Tax
| On January 18th, students on this
jampus will have an opportunity to
ctly affect their own education—by
tag for or against the cigarette tax. If
etax is voted down there could be, in the
rdsof that great American (who we all
now and love), Spiro T. Agnew,
atastrophic cataclysmic consequences
tie of the possible consequences that
kould affect students are: 1) a possible
Vrease in tuition. 2) a possible cutback in
hculty personel and a curtailment of new
pculty appointments, (which would serve
seriously restrict any “new” ideas
Ding into the school and into the
Ticulum» and 3) a possible reduction of
•udent services, (cutbacks in E.M.U.,
pork study, cultural issues, concerts etc.).
For my non-smokers, the only cost in
volved is taking the time to vote; and when
faced with the possible consequences, I
would hope that this would be an easy
decision For my fellow smokers, the
decision is a bit more complicated. But I
believe that if you asked yourselves which
would cost you more, and which is more
important, 5 cents a pack; or increased
tuition, decreased quality of education,
and decreased student services, then you
would come to the same conclusion that I
did—that the smoking tax must be sup
ported
So, smokers and non-smokers, the
cigarette tax is going to be affecting us
directly, and we here have the power for
the first time to at least partially control
our own education. I urge you all to turn
out on the 18th and support the cigarette
tax
A.S.U.O. Senate
Off Campus No. 4
Against cigarette tax
Emotional appeals on behalf of the sales
tax seem to be leading most students to the
conclusion that passage of the tax and
stability in tuition rates march hand in
hand down the rosy road of life.
Perhaps so But the fact remains the
cigarrette tax is the last attempt by the
Legislature and many Oregon voters to
maintain and support a dying tax system.
Passage cf the tax may keep tuition rates
down for the immediate future . . . but as
sure as the University needs money raises
will be forthcoming.
A negative vote in the coming election
will bring the entire state tax system down
and force the legislature to formulate a
new system which incorporates property
tax relief with solid statewide school
support and increased industrial and
corporate taxation.
There is absolutely no doubt that a new
tax structure will happen. The longer the
old system is patched together with thin
string and chewing gum, the harder the
transition will be in the future.
Steve Smith
Senior, Journalism
r 1972 t
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