There is no doubt that death is about the effect on the loved ones. Whether it’s the most touching, extravagant funeral in the world (Kennedy comes to mind) or the pine box or the electric chair, in the end it’s the same. It’s excrutiating pain for the bereaved that no mortal can eliminate. We must all grieve alone as the deceased dies alone.

I have watched someone die. It isn’t then, at the point of death, that grieving almost knocks you out. It’s after at some point, different for everyone, when your heart searches for peace but it never seems to be forthcoming. It’s no longer about the person who died, but rather about you, who is in so much pain that you just want to strike out at something, anything (you don’t even know what it is) to rid yourself of that horrible feeling.

I begged God for comfort. I mean I fell down on my knees I was so distraught. As I look back, I know what I was begging for was for me.

We will all go through this at some point. It’s not an easy time. I am currently trying to comfort a friend who lost her son suddenly. I can only tell her that I understand the depth of her pain and offer her to talk to me about it. I also know that I will probably again experience that familiar pain and I don’t wantt it, but the next time I will hopefully understand it a little better.

I am not ever going to tell someone that they are wrong in how they feel in times like this. I am simply going to try to understand how they feel and try to help them get through it.

I think I got off track. Back to your post, Robbie, I do believe that peace is what we all search for after the death of a loved one. We need peace in our soul, our very gut. It’s not revenge. Revenge still does not give us peace. The death penalty may right wrongs and it may end the life of a person who does not deserve to live, but it doesn’t give the kind of peace that we, the bereaved, need to continue to live.

The arguement that lwop is worse than the death penalty is the most ridiculous argument the antis have in their arsenal of lame arugemnts. Massachusetts is a great state to murder and molest children. The penalties are jokes.

Funny how Massachusetts has one of the lowest murder rates, and Texas has one of the highest.

With his good looks, he’ll make someone a nice bitch for the rest of his natural life. That narcissistic maggot will be praying for death once the prison’s general population gets ‘hold of his ass.

No pun intended.

Dan — our higher murder rate has more to do with our proximity to Mexico and New Orleans than it does the tired argument that the death penalty is a deterrance.

(Yes, I am saying that illegal aliens from Mexico and Katrina refugees from New Orleans are committing a shit-load of murders — these same degenerates couldn’t afford to live in MA).

Katrina hit in ‘95? Because Texas has been way up there at least that long.

I truly don’t think the death penalty has much to do with deterrence – which is what you said in your original post. I was just correcting the misimpression left by the anonymous commenter above me.

I understand and can argue both sides on this issue – it’s a tough one. Ultimately, as a lawyer, I just don’t have enough faith in the courts to have them doling out death penalties.

Dan you ignorant slut: What misimpression? There is no dp in Mass. Lwop is not worse than death. Even a pos like Lang is smarter than you. The laws and social services have been woefully negligent in predicting children from known sexual predators.

I cannot speak intelligently on Dan’s sexual habits, but I’d be hard pressed to call him “ignorant” — a lot of our opinions and beliefs are opposed, but I’ve never thought him to be un-informed about the views he expresses.

1. Ignorant? Absolutely.

2. Slut? Not so much.

3. Did I say that LWOP is worse than death? I don’t think I did. If so, I’ll apologize and withdraw the comment as soon as you show it to me.

4. Lang might be smarter than me, he might not be. I doubt I’ll ever have the opportunity to take him on in Jeopardy, and I’m not sure why it would matter.

5. Yes, the laws and social services in all states have failed to fully protect children from known and unknown sexual predators. As far as I know, though (remembering the admission of ignorance above), relatively few people in jail with a LWOP sentence have harmed children.

6. LWOP works well in preventing child abuse.

7. LWOP is not a “joke” of a sentence.

8. Texas appears to be a more popular state in which to commit murder than Massachusetts, though I am sure there are many reasons for that (perhaps more Texans deserve it, but that’s only speculation).

Dan, dont forget that one reason that Texas has a high murder rate is mainly due to its close proximity to the border, so you are dealing with a high amount of drug trafficking. do you see this is little MA? i doubt it. i dont think you have to worry about many Canadians sneaking across the border trying to import drugs. maybe you should read a newspaper from Houston every once in a while. you will see for yourself how drug trafficking takes alot of the headlines.

Chris – seriously, there are a whole lot of reasons that murder rates vary state to state, even more than the idea that Texans deserve it more often. Drug trafficking is a huge factor. The presence of a death penalty isn’t.

but I’ve never thought him to be un-informed about the views he expresses.

Okay, he just can’t read. Where in my original post did I mention detererence?

Anonymous – perhaps I misunderstood your point. Why would you describe Massachusetts as a great place to murder and molest children, and follow that description by mentioning that the penalties there “are a joke”, if not to make a connection that joke penalties mean that it is a better place to engage in such behavior than elsewhere? To me, that sounds like a deterrence argument, but perhaps I misinterpreted.

But I might be logically wrong there, and I’ll admit it. Logically, your statement is equivalent to saying that Massachusetts is a great state to have a stroke; their hospitals are the best in the world for stroke treatment (this is a hypothetical – I have no idea who’s really best). That doesn’t mean that the hospitals have anything to do with the disincentive to have a stroke . . .

Regardless, I’m glad we all agree that deterrence is not a good argument in favor of the death penalty.

Regardless, I’m glad we all agree that deterrence is not a good argument in favor of the death penalty.

Except for the person who is executed, in which case the death penatly is the ultimate deterrent.

Yeah, it’s pretty effective as a deterrent for that person.

There’s something to be said for revenge. Nor do I agree that life in prison is better than death. To me, life in prison without the possibility of parole, is definitely a fate worse than death. Still, I support the death penalty. The way I look at it, you can make the case that life in prison without parole is definitely cruel and unusual punishment. Death is not. We are all going to die sometime. That is natural. Being incarcerated for the entirety of your natural life, subjected to all kinds of degradations, dependent on the mercy of guards and other prison personnel-many of whom might be as sadistic or more so than the average prison lifer-is the utmost in an unnaturral existence.

Far better to let them make their way through the appellate process, give them enough time to make whatever inner peace they can find, then send them on their way.

The purpose of the death penalty is not to deter any future crime, so there is no reason in comparing the two. Men should be punished for their own crimes and not merely to deter others. That said, the death penalty undoubtedly does deter in some cases. For starters, those executed will no longer be around to commit any more crimes

The way I look at it, you can make the case that life in prison without parole is definitely cruel and unusual punishment.

I wish people would stop substituting their own lay definitions for legal ones.

Under the federal Constitution, a cruel and unusual punishment is a sentence “grossly disproportionate” to the crime. LWOP is not a cruel and unusual sentence because it is not disproportionate to the crime of first degree murder with aggravating circumstances.

Anonymous -

The constitution does not define cruel and unusual. It has been interpreted different ways by the courts, and your “grossly disproportionate” definition is not the only definition. As a matter of fact, it is a clearly insufficient, as no court would allow the state to torture a prisoner to death, even if it were exactly proportionate to the murder he committed.

I wish people would stop acting like they know what something means, when they don’t.

I wish people would stop acting like they know what something means, when they don’t.
Then that would be you.

The only court that counts is the USSC who defines cruel and unusual as a sentence that is “grossly disproportionate” and as to capital cases one that is imposed without an individualized determination that that punishment is ‘appropriate’.

As a matter of fact, it is a clearly insufficient, as no court would allow the state to torture a prisoner to death, even if it were exactly proportionate to the murder he committed.

Once again, all logic flies over your head. A capital sentence is not disproportinate for aggravated murder. It is disproportionate for stealing a loaf of bread.

Anonymous –

You haven’t read enough cases. “Grossly disproportionate” is only one of the tests that the Court has used. And, as I pointed out, the Court would not rely on that single definition.

I think you missed my point. True, a capital sentence would not be disproportionate for aggravated murder. And, if some evil person were to kill someone by slow, excruciating, sadistic torture, it would not be disproportionate to do the same thing to that person, would it? BUT, no court in the United States would allow such an execution to go forward, because, although it would be proportionate, it would still be cruel and unusual.

Follow?

Lang never had a chance because of his criminal history he was presumed guilty. Because of that and that alone he got life in prison. He was not the aggressor in the fight he was actually trying to leave when 4 guys attacked him. He told the bartender to call the cops which he never did. You people who want death for people when you have no idea what actually happened are the “maggots”. Our criminal justice system doesn’t work and saying we should put people to death is absolutely ridiculous. If you have had any experience in this system you would surely change your opinion.

Oh, give me a break! He got life in prison for murdering an off duty officer who was escorting Lang out of a bar when he refused to leave after creating a disturbance.

actually the off duty prison guard and four of his friends were kicking the shit out of lang.

I can’t even believe some of the prior comments that someone(s) left on this site. It’s appalling the way people will defend a monster like “Kicka” Lang.

First, although I do believe in the death penalty, it is not an appropriate punishment for this case. Life in prison is fair. Lang won’t last long in prison with his social skills.

Second, Lang’s criminal history was never brought up during his trial. The jury convicted him solely on the facts presented relevant to this case. Shekatoff is a great defense attorney and was able to block Lang’s past from ever being discussed in this trial.

Third, Lang was convicted of first degree murder based on the extreme atrocity and cruelty of his malicious act. The law defines this by 7 distinct characteristics including taking pleasure in the suffering of the victim, the number of blows to the victim, and the manner in which they were delivered. Based on the facts, Lang is guilty. Lang taunted the victim as he stabbed brutally 7 times. If Ricky had 4 friends standing by his side beating up Lang (the way previous commentators described this), do you think Lang would have been able to walk (drive) away without a bruise or scratch on him? Hell no.

Lastly, Lang’s comments during sentencing reassured everyone that the juors made the right decision.

Boston is better off with Lang behind bars for life.

Lang’s a maggot who killed a great guy. It’s nice to know that he will rot in a shitty place like Ceder Junction. I wish there was a webcam in his cell that we could pull up on the internet. A few gang rapes, maybe Lang attempting to kill himself, anything to watch that little punk suffer for the rest of his miserable life. After 30 years or so, hopefully someone will smash his head in with a mop ringer.