I know that a lot of liberals are very happy about today’s Supreme Court decision banning executions of under-18s.
Now, I am not a fan of the death penalty, for two simple reasons: first, I don’t think that it’s in any way deterring crime; second, I just don’t think that the government should be in the business of killing people — as a people, we should be above that kind of thing. We should be better than the criminal.
That said, I’m disturbed by the Court’s basic point, which is that anyone under 18 is not responsible for their actions, that they lack the judgment of an adult. Bull. (Whether or not adults have judgment is another argument. And I have no argument with their prohibition on death for mentally retarded criminals.)
Have these justices ever met a 17, 16, or even 15-year-old? They know exactly what they are doing. They are completely capable of making decisions, knowing right from wrong. They should be prepared to accept the consequences of their actions. When did we make the determination that 18 was a magical age where suddenly you become an adult, and your thinking process changes? It wasn’t that long ago when someone who was 18 was already into middle age, a complete adult.
Why are we allowing our kids to remain kids for so long? Grow up already.
