RE: Death Penalty

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Homi Ref 1 On this death all karma has settled into whatever eddy it was
going into. In a sense, even when the mind has no idea of impending death
and refutes it when it does
happen, the hirdaya-atma does and accepts it as requited. In this sense
everyone who dies thus kills themselves on time.

If Hridaya-atma accepts death as requited while mind doesn't, why won't the
same apply to death by penalty? Why do you imply that Hridaya-atma overrides
mind in accidental death while it doesn't in death by penalty?  

Homi Ref 2.:I think he is not performing his duty. ....... Even when the end
was a forgone conclusion, the right to an unbiased jury was not met, and
that is your right and mine. The key-words, due process, unbiased jury and
judge.

I thought we were discussing death by penalty in general and not McVeigh's
death in particular.  I agree that trial by Press do vitiate the judgment.
Are all death penalties influenced by trial by press? May be most. Surely
the sensational ones. But there are a few death penalties which went against
the Press opinion. If I remember correctly, Kehar Singh, Balbir Singh and
Satwant Singh were sentenced to death for Indira Gandhi Assassination. While
Satwant Singh's sentence  did not cause any stir, the sentence awarded to
Balbir Singh and Kehar Singh did cause quite a stir. The discussion in the
press tended to conclude that the involvement of these two were not deep
enough to warrant death penalty. Especially that of Kehar Singh. In the
ensuing appeal, Balbir Singh was acquitted but death of Kehar Singh was
confirmed. The press outcry was that evidence against Kehar was even weaker
than those against Balbir. Supreme Court thought otherwise. So Kehar's death
by penalty went against this theory of public campaign and it could be
surmised that it was based on hard appraisal of evidence.  Was Kehar's
punishment harsher than required even under a 'bad' law? It looks like that.
So, more than trial by press and its influence on the judge, what may
influence the 'suspended karma' is the actual guilt of the accused. McVeigh
admittedly killed all those people. While his conscious mind may not admit
guilt, his hridaya-atma is aware of the guilt and his mind is aware of the
impending death and therefore, there is no reason for his suspended Karma to
vitiate those responsible for his death.  On the other hand, atma of Kehar
Singh, who was put to death for his marginal involvement in the conspiracy
to murder - more or less on the same scale as the acquitted Balbir Singh -
may not accept guilt though his mind may have accepted the inevitability of
death by the might of the State. So his suspended Karma may inflict
'punishment' on the Judges' psyche by making them feel guilty of wrong
judgment. The guilt-feeling atma of McVeigh is in no position to do that
because the judge has a clear conscience of having acted as per law and
evidence.  The Atma of McVeigh may have to attack the conscience of the
society as a whole to make it feel guilty of having death penalty in the
statute books.  


Homi Ref 3 Of course he carries the penalty, but by such a vicarious death
we have
prevented him from rebirth.... 

It is news to me that man can prevent another man's rebirth! I thought if
there is rebirth, it must have been ordained by God. As per theories I know
of, rebirth ceases only when the soul becomes eligible to be absorbed in
Paramatma through its Karma. The basis for your postulation escapes me.

Homi Ref 4.  Not in so many words, especially rebirth, but their concept of
kartoot, kar
kardagi, jaisa kare aisa bhare, ending up in jannat or dosakh does skirt the
principles of karma.

As per my understanding, purists among Muslims will consider these as
unislamic. 


Homi Ref 5.  In this case the law was not only harsh but what is termed a
Bad Law. It was vitiated by prejudice, which is pre-judice, a pre-judgment. 

I agree with you that Death Penalty is bad law. May be, as I mentioned
above, McVeigh's suspended Karma will have to prevail over American States
to do away with it.  Having said that, I must add that even such
supernatural Karma will fail to move Politicians all over the world to
abolish death penalty - they get a lot of mileage from such sensational
cases. 

V.K.Venugopal







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