The U.S. Army sergeant accused of murdering 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, could face the death penalty if convicted, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who arrived in Afghanistan Wednesday for a two-day visit. As anti-American anger continues to boil, many Afghans say execution is the only appropriate punishment. President Obama has promised justice, saying Americans are as "heartbroken" over the killings as they would be if the victims were their own countrymen. In this case, is execution the right punishment?
No. Executing a deranged soldier is wrong: "This guy sounds like he absolutely lost it," says John Aravosis at America Blog. The suspected killer was apparently stressed out by the war zone's round-the-clock pressures, and just snapped. It would be one thing if we were talking about "some jerk taking out his frustrations" on innocent people, but we shouldn't be "killing a guy who literally lost his mind," especially if we'd be doing so just to "please the locals."
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