A Dual Standard ???

While the name Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43 year-old woman, may not be one many recognize the news generated by her mobilized governments and organizations around the world.

She was convicted of adultery and sentenced to be stoned to death but earlier this month Iran caved to international criticism and suspended her death sentence.

Now, in the State of Virginia, the first woman since 1912 is slated to be executed. Teresa Lewis, 41, is said to have an I.Q. of 70 which puts her in a category of "borderline deficient" or by some standards mentally retarded. She is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection in Virginia.

The United States Supreme Court refused to grant a last-minute reprieve and Virgina's governor said he will not intervene to stop the execution.

Personally I don't believe the death sentence is, as some claim, a deterrent. To me it is no more than vengeance. But, I too have a dual standard here. While opposed in principle, if someone committed a crime against a member of my family they better hope the system takes them in custody before I get to them and render my own justice.

By most accounts there are 195 countries in the world. Amnesty International reports 137 have abolished the death penalty. The leaves 58 nations that still condemn people to death. Fifteen of our 50 states have outlawed such punishment. 

With that being said, it seems our nation also has a double standard in many ways. While we condemn human rights violations around the world ranging from child labor to locking up dissidents, we lead the world in the number of people locked up.

The United States has less than five percent of the world's population but we have almost 25 percent of the world's prisoners, according to research done by the New York Times. Americans are locked up for crimes - from writing bad checks to using drugs - that would rarely produce prison sentences in other countries. And, in particular they are kept incarcerated far longer than prisoners in other nations.

The International Center for Prison Studies at Kings College in London, says America has 2.3 million criminals behind bars. China, which has four times our population, is a distant second with 1.6 million criminals in prison.

I do not consider myself either a liberal or a conservative. My thinking is more along the moderate lines. But I do consider myself a patriot. As such, I can't help but wonder what kind of message we send the world with such numbers.

In this One Person's Views, perhaps we should worry less about what other countries are doing and concentrate on our own problems and discrepancies and once again become the beacon the world has come to expect from leadership and example.