April 29, 2008
Why Austria Should Have the Death Penalty
I know I have been remiss in my blogging, but I had to come out of my hole and comment on this news story. Why should Austria have the death penalty? Two words: Josef Fritzl.
The 73-year-old man kept his daughter Elisabeth locked up in the basement of their home for 24 years. Elisabeth, who is now 42, not only was kept in the basement all that time but bore her father's children -- seven of them. Six lived, one died several days after birth, and Elisabeth says her father burned the body in the incinerator. Three of those children were locked up in the basement with their mother while the other three were adopted by Fritzl and his wife. He claimed Elisabeth had run away with a religious cult and left the three children on the doorstep because she couldn't care for them. Fritzl's wife said she knew nothing, and neither did any of the tenants Fritzl rented rooms to.
The plot began to unravel when the 19-year-old daughter living downstairs became extremely ill and needed hospitalization. One wonders why he even bothered bringing her to the hospital. Maybe her body wouldn't fit in the incinerator. (Sorry, but the whole situation is simply repulsive.)
For news stories about this heinous crime, click here, here, here and here.
And here I thought that such horrors only happened in America. Nothing bad happens in Europe, right?
This miserable, revolting excuse for a human being faces a possible 15 years in prison for his crimes. Sure, at his age it's a death sentence, but why waste time and taxpayer dollars? He ruined the lives of eight people (I'm including the baby who died) forever. Elisabeth and the children who lived in the basement face years of psychiatric therapy with no guarantee that it will solve their problems. And the children who were raised by Fritzl and his wife now must deal with the knowledge of their parentage and what Daddy/Grandpa did to their mother and siblings. The whole affair is ghastly.
Sorry, Austria, I know you like to think that the death penalty is cruel and inhumane. I remember well your opposition to the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams, who was convicted of killing four people in cold blood. But when you think about what this man did to so many people and for how long, giving this guy the chop will give the victims some much needed closure and relief from some of the anguish they must feel.
Unfortunately, I don't believe in miracles.
Show Comments »
The "funny" thing about Europe, in my personal experience -- and I don't mean funny as in "ha ha," I mean funny as in "you people are flippin' blind!" is that it isn't only Americans who think nothing bad happens in Europe. When I was living over there, I was told time and time again that these things only happened in America. I was told America should give up gun ownership because at least then "it would be a show to the world that at least we wanted to deal with the problem." Somewhere out of my liberal, anti-gun, Massachusetts upbringing something revolted and I kept saying over and over again, "It ISNT the GUNS!" and told them that on the road they were on they were going to have more and more of the same problems whether personal firearms were legal or not. And lo, they have... right down to school shootings... and of course they blame America for setting the example. Yeah right.
And I'm with you... having been a victims' advocate, I have less patience for my tax dollars soothing someone else's conscience. Not that anyone thinks the man will be rehabilitated anyway... but nobody wants to send the message "We will not stand for this." You don't need guns to be a worthless, dangerous psycho or sociopath... and at some point when you take away the rights of others, it doesn't seem so inhumane to think that one would be sacrificing one's own by such actions.
Posted by: AlaskanWindSong at April 29, 2008 09:57 AMWhat the hell is happening to your comments section Pam?
Meanwhile, you did your usual brilliant dissection of a thoroughly disturbing story. This waste of human skin deserves to be tortured and in pain for the rest of his worthless existence - and yes, that existence should end promptly and finally at the hands of the authorities. He can then go burn in hell for all eternity.
Posted by: Gayle Miller at April 29, 2008 01:44 PMHelp, Gayle, I've been attacked by spammers! They have been going for the most recent stuff of late, rather than older posts. I'll have to clean it out again. grrr...
You and I may agree on what to do with this waste of oxygen, but you can be sure he'll get his due "respect" from the Austrians. They're so afraid of their Nazi past that they'll err on the side of coddling guys like this rather than giving them the punishment they deserve. It's too bad.
Posted by: Pam at April 29, 2008 01:48 PM
