Lockerbie Bomber is free...

...and it makes me want to puke.

This guy killed 270 people, and because he has terminal cancer, he is set free. A life sentence should be just that, a life sentence. He should be rotting away in a rotten cell, left to die alone. He DOES NOT deserve the company of his family and friends. HE DOES NOT DESERVE a flight to his homeland. He deserves to die alone, with no one by his side to comfort him.

What a fucking travesty. Talk about pouring salt on the wounds of the families affected by Pan Am 103's bombing. How would you feel if your son/daughter/father/mother/etc... killer was set free because he had cancer?

I say that we arrange for a party, for whoever kills this fucker before cancer does him in. We'll greet them at the airport, and wave flags, and everything.

Lockerbie Bomber Freed Amidst Outrage | keyc.tv
Lockerbie Bomber Being Released On 'Compassionate' Grounds - The Two-Way - Breaking News, Analysis Blog : NPR

Additional Spam:
Why are the scots being "compassionate" toward him... he sure as fuck wasn't towards them.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Locke

Why are the scots being "compassionate" toward him... he sure as fuck wasn't towards them.

"Compassion" doesn't mean "an eye for an eye", chuckles. Some of us like to set our ethical baseline a little higher than that of a murderer.

"Somebody should murder that murderer" is the least rational idea in history, but it certainly crops up often enough.

How ya doing, buddy?

But letting him go because he is dying is just as irrational. Did he show as much compassion for those of which he killed?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Whether he is or is not personally a good person (and I'm not saying he is) it does not mitigate the responsibility of the rest of us to be good people. That was my point about "an eye for an eye". The function of criminal justice isn't revenge or vindictiveness: it's public safety and rehabilitation. Keeping a dying man locked in a cell when he can't possibly pose any more threat to anyone is, yes, petty and vengeful.

What use is a life sentence on a man that God himself has put on death row?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I see your point - but why does he deserve to be surrounded by his family and friends when he dies? His victims surely didn't get that.

If I kill hundreds of innocent people, do I get a bye if I get cancer? And what's to stop me from strapping TNT to my chest and going out in a blaze of glory if I do?

I was speaking idiomatically.

The reason we have a legal system is because it is meant to be unbiased and uninterested in things like revenge.

As a single person, you can stand there and say he hurt people, so we should hurt him back. But luckily there is a whole system in place that makes sure your petty bullshit stays within your own confines. You can hate him all you want, but the system doesn't. That's how it's meant to work.

Hammuravi is overrated, Locke. I'm with Pang, I think "better than a murderer" should be the lowest you set your bar. I'm more horrified by your fervor for this man who did nothing to you personally than I am by his being set free.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I'm sure the families feel the same way there Deni.

Let me know if your loved ones get murdered, and the killer is set free because he's sick. I'm sure you'll be fine with that too.

FELIPE NO

Locke's opinion isn't in the minority, fellas. You are. The great Obama himself says the release was a mistake.

Now, what would suck is if this man were to have a miraculous recovery. It's happened before - Nick Leeson, the trader dude who bankrupted Barings Bank, was released early from Singapore on compassionate grounds (colon cancer), but he survived.

Of course, I'm not saying that blowing 270 people up is the same as losing $1.4 billion. The vengeful part of me wishes the man WILL die of prostate cancer within three months.

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Originally Posted by Locke

I'm sure the families feel the same way there Deni.

Let me know if your loved ones get murdered, and the killer is set free because he's sick. I'm sure you'll be fine with that too.

Of course I'd be fucking pissed. I'd want him dead.

And that's why the system is there.

Thanks for proving my point while missing it entirely yourself.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Locke

Let me know if your loved ones get murdered, and the killer is set free because he's sick. I'm sure you'll be fine with that too.

If anybody out there feels that vengeful, truly, I imagine killing a sick old man will be rather easy. But that's their decision, not the court's, not the government's. Theirs.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Locke

I'm sure the families feel the same way there Deni.

Let me know if your loved ones get murdered, and the killer is set free because he's sick. I'm sure you'll be fine with that too.

Beware of the temptations of the evil Satan! The Bible tells us we must forgive the sins of our brothers.

Matthew 6:14-16
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Let us hold hands and pray

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

You'd be pissed exactly - so how is it fair - even unbiased fair that a murderer gets set free because he is sick and going to die. Why should he be allowed to die with his family around him, when those he killed were not. Why does he deserve anything better then to die in jail. Why does he get a get-out-of-jail-free card because he's sick? Would you feel the same way to the 9/11 hijackers?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Locke

You'd be pissed exactly - so how is it fair - even unbiased fair that a murderer gets set free because he is sick and going to die. Why should he be allowed to die with his family around him, when those he killed were not. Why does he deserve anything better then to die in jail. Why does he get a get-out-of-jail-free card because he's sick? Would you feel the same way to the 9/11 hijackers?

Yeah. Yeah I would.

And he doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve to die alone in a rotting cell, either. Because you or I aren't fit to make judgment calls like that. So in this case the government erred on the side of caring, forgiveness and being the better man.

Those bastards. Clearly he hates them for his freedom.

(keep proving my point for me, though. It's going great.)

I was speaking idiomatically.

The system is meant to punish, and reform people who have broken the law - Other then a few select circumstances, I do not see anyone in the system worse then this man. Do they get "compassionate" terms of release?

When was the last time the Scots released a muderer on "compassionate" terms? Why do they not level their justice evenly? Isn't that the point you were trying to make? That noone in the system is special?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Zergrinch

Locke's opinion isn't in the minority, fellas. You are.

LEGAL PRECEDENT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Locke

The system is meant to punish, and reform people who have broken the law - Other then a few select circumstances, I do not see anyone in the system worse then this man. Do they get "compassionate" terms of release?

When was the last time the Scots released a muderer on "compassionate" terms? Why do they not level their justice evenly? Isn't that the point you were trying to make? That noone in the system is special?

Um, people get released for compassionate terms all the time. Usually because the hospital has better care for them than the prison does.

So, uh, yeah.

Wanna swing again there, Angry Johnny?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

You can't punish or reform this man, because he's going to die, very likely before the year is out. There is literally no value to holding him except as a propaganda tool to assuage the vengeful spirits of —

well.

And, please: he's not going to make a miraculous recovery. He has prostate cancer. In LIBYA.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Be sure to show up at his funeral then, and celebrate his life. I'm sure the 270 families will be there as well cheering him on.

So deni - when did the scots do it last? When I watched the press conference, he skirted around that subject all the time - didn't give any firm answers. Only that "it's based on an individual basis." Should be a blanket though - don't you think? Nothing individual about it?

I understand there is no chance for reform - but why reward him with a free expenses paid trip back home to die around his family - what in his life did he ever do to deserve that?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Locke

Be sure to show up at his funeral then, and celebrate his life. I'm sure the 270 families will be there as well cheering him on.

So deni - when did the scots do it last? When I watched the press conference, he skirted around that subject all the time - didn't give any firm answers. Only that "it's based on an individual basis." Should be a blanket though - don't you think? Nothing individual about it?

I understand there is no chance for reform - but why reward him with a free expenses paid trip back home to die around his family - what in his life did he ever do to deserve that?

Because we're better than a man who kills hundreds of people for no really good reason. We show compassion, understanding and the will to forgive despite being provoked.

Because we aim to be better than his actions were.

But please, continue to spout hate and rage when it furthers nothing and accomplishes less.

His dying in prison of cancer points out how truly intolerant the West can be. Released, he's far less a martyr and less of a propaganda tool for those that would applaud his prior actions.

Even on a purely practical basis, Locke: U rong.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

You said it yourself, Locke.

We have to pay to send him back to Libya, because if we just opened the prison gates and let him wander around Glasgow you'll just be giving the police another murder to solve within the week.

And, let's face it— we think of prison as an awful place to be, but I have to imagine that the prisons in a country that would let you free out of compassion has to be a nicer place to stay than nearly anywhere in Libya. There's really no logic to assuming that he'll be better off in any concrete way.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Yes, you're right - his release was not a propaganda tool at all...



Additional Spam:
I'm pretty sure he's not in prison in Libya - far from it actually. He was welcomed as a hero.

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Originally Posted by Locke

Yes, you're right - his release was not a propaganda tool at all...

Um. We said it -was- a propaganda tool? Please learn logic, reason and politics before posting next.

I assume we'll see you in about six years.

It's cool.

I'll wait.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

If he died in his cell, I guarantee you there would be much less hoopla about it then him being released. And you'd be an idiot to deny that.

Look at when McVeigh died - any big deal about that? Not particularly - defiantly not something that world leaders condemned/applauded. Now if he had been released on compassionate charges?

Why is it that justice is never dispensed fairly?

FELIPE NO

Well, yes, but his "hero status" such as it is appears to be based on the notion that he's a scapegoat rather than any open declaration that killing Americans is totally rad.

So he's just their Mumia, really.

And, of course, like Mumia, he's probably guilty as sin, buuuuut you can kind of see their point. If you squint.

But yes. Even if we assume this is a move purely done as a propaganda move to improve British-Libyan relations, that's fine. The upside of making an entire nation slightly less irritated with you well outweighs the pouty indignation of people STILL CRYING over the dead of two decades ago.

No amount of imprisoning a dying man will bring their sons and daughters back, and if there's even a slim chance that freeing him will reduce the chance of future bombings, holy shit, jump on that goddamn train immediately.

How ya doing, buddy?

I don't care who he killed - Americans, Brits, Scots, whoever - it shouldn't make a hair of difference.

And what is releasing him going to do to stop future attacks? He was pretty much rewarded a flight home to be with his family as he died - Pretty decent reward for 270 murders.

Jam it back in, in the dark.