Death Penalty Controversy--Cruel Punishment or Justice?

This takes the cake! I read the article “Little Is Heard but a Frustrated Cry for Finality” (Op-Ed Page, March 25), figuring this was the usual Times ultra-liberal Pablum dose of the day. Then find the author, Joseph M. Giarratano, is presently on death row having been tried, convicted and sentenced for murder. Come on now Times, you can do better than that for your readers!

If you’ll print the words of a man convicted and sentenced for murdering folks, how about a little information on his victim(s)? This yahoo has the unmitigated gall to speak out against the unfairness of the death penalty while he himself has murdered innocent people in cold blood!

Here’s the bottom line. If it could be guaranteed that these murderers would really be locked up for the rest of their lives, then few of us would be for capital punishment. Seeing as how that is not the case, all we have--really--to go on is the word of these murderers that they won’t do it again when released. I’ll agree that not all murders are alike, but there are many individuals on death row who have committed unspeakably obscene, almost unimaginably evil acts against innocent humanity. I would deal with these “people” as I would with a black widow under my bedsheets! We Californians are awaiting the execution of a man convicted of murdering two young boys, a man who casually ate these kids’ still warm hamburgers while their life drained out into the dirt they lay on.

If The Times offers sympathy and support to human animals such as this, then it might as well salute the Prince of Darkness and demons from the putrid bowels of Hell!

FRED J. HERMON

Santa Ana