Maj. Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people in his infamous shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, is facing the death penalty in a trial run by the military. I say this with a heavy heart because the man was motivated by a twisted religious ideology that celebrates martyrdom, this is a gross violation of justice to try this man in a military court and to seek the death penalty.
Trying him in a military court sends a very odd message to society. The regular civilian courts are not adequately equipped to try someone who is clearly guilty and get a conviction. Or perhaps the message is that it is not an actual trial at all, but a simple show trial, which would be a violation of Hasan's constitutional right to a fair trial by a jury of his peers.
The second injustice is the death penalty itself. It is never justified to kill when self-defense is not in play. And clearly it's not here. The man has already been stopped and detained. He could potentially be a valuable source of information, but instead the thirst for blood is winning the day.
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