How appropriate for protesters to sing Kumbaya at serial killer Danny Rolling's execution. They did the verses where's someone's sleeping, crying, and praying, which makes sense because Rolling attacked his many victims in their sleep; but they left off the verses where someone's getting raped, decapitated, and having her head displayed on a bookcase.
I'm an environmentalist at heart, and consider my tears to be a precious natural resource. Don't expect me to waste them on guys like Rolling.
(Herald login/pswd=crockett@tubbs.com/miamivice.)
Posted by floridacracker at October 26, 2006 03:17 AMMMM. I wouldn't have wanted the man as a neighbour either.
But isn't it sad that we together create a world in which people that are full of fear, weakness and ignorance will succumb to temptations and insane ideas about what will make them happy ?
We are not individualy responsible for the man's choices and actions. But we are collectively responsible for the moral level of our society.
If one sheds tears over this man's sad life and death, I don't believe they'd be wasted.
There but for the grace of God go I.
Sorry for preaching. But then, I'm a preacher.
Posted by: Peter at October 26, 2006 04:45 AM"We are not individualy responsible for the man's choices and actions.
But we are collectively responsible for the moral level of our society."
Peter, what exactly does that mean? The word "but" ties the two sentences together, but I don't see how one follows the other.
Posted by: Donnah at October 26, 2006 04:53 AMWell, I am just guessing...but I am a pretty good guesser, so here goes...
Being responsible for the collective societal morality would mean that I, or the preacher, or you, Donnah, have an impact on whether or not people like
Danny Rollings exist. I am going to assume that means that if I acted differently, that Danny would not have killed..er ahh.. raped etc. helpless women.
I have to say, I agree with the preacher.
I watch the news. I read the paper. I tune in to Florida Cracker.
The best example of 'appropriate reaction' to the existence of 'Rolling types' might have been the recent 68 bullet holes Angilo Freeman rec'd for his actions.
I think when we as a society, or as individuals, don't immedialtely kill child molesters, cop-killers, rapists, etc. Then we have lost our moral compass.
I have an ex-brother-in-law who was a Lakeland cop. He had to arrest a guy once (he drank a lot of beer with me about this) who had bashed a kid's head in with a pipe. I asked him how he could arrest the guy..(no way I could be a cop, I would kill the bad guys) and to this day, he still doesn't know how the guy made it to the jail.
Now, Preacher, if your connection between the morals of society and human intervention are more obscure and ethereal, then I don't know if I *want* to hear about it, because scumbuckets like
Danny Rollings would have died much sooner during the time when our country had more 'moral backbone'.
My Grandaddy wore a pistol most of his life, even to church...and you can bet the world he lived in had less homosexuality, less killing, way less rape...etc.
Personally, I don't hold with those that believe in 'selective grace', else I would have to hate God some more for killing my little girl, since grace is His area. I also do not hold with those that believe that 'society's ills' created Danny.
If that were the case, then I would be a bad, bad, person.
I believe (not that anybody gives a rat's ass) in the 'fear factor'.
Recently, well last spring..I told my daughter that if she produced another report card with anything less than a B, she would not get the cell phone she has been craving for years on her 16th as planned...she would have to wait one grading period for the phone, and so on. She had not produced an Honor Roll report card since she was in Fifth grade.
Guess what ? She got Five A's and three B's..
So now she only has to wait until next card, and she gets he phone. Better than that, when she gets it..I'll give her phone number to you, and you can ask her what happens if she lies or takes something that belongs to someone else.
Danny's problem had nothing to do with societal impact. He was a worthless bag of shit that watched the same cartoons as me and you, and heard the same hymns. If he had even a semblance of reason about him, he would have acknowledged the family, his victims, and the suffering he put them through...no, instead, he continued to serve himself...singing little tunes...even up until death from this world. A true sinner.
btw, Preacher..some people KNOW they are going to hell, and they don't care. That is, unless you are one of those preachers that doesn't really believe in hell.
Posted by: csason at October 26, 2006 06:10 AMDonnah, one doesn't follow the other. We cannot say, if you or I had done this or that this man would have acted differently.
And yet (hence the 'but') we cannot say he is totally seperate from us. It is a fact that the universe is one big chunck, in which everything is connected with everything. It is a fact that the consciousnes of one human being is connected with those of everybody else. We do influence each other, by actions and even by thoughts. These things are not only written about in spiritual books but also scientifically proven.
Great men and women do uplift human consciousness. (I believe Duane Allman did) Evil people do drag it down. And also we (hey, you're great) put our thoughts and deeds on the scale.
No, csason, I'm not saying society created Rollings, because he could have made different choices. And yet... see above.
Some facts: the percentage of homosexuals has been more or less the same for thousands of years all over the world. It's a fact of life, whether one likes it or not.
The use of guns does not make society safer.
The church your grandfather went to. That wouldn't be one where they pray to Jesus, the one that said "Love thy enemies" and "Let him who is without sin throw the first stone " and "Judge not, ...." and "Forgive 7x77 times" ?
I do believe in hell, in the sense of suffering from not being aware of God. I don't believe that anything created can be forever seprate from it's creator. (Even the pope acknowledged that hell is not a place, but a condition of being without God).
I do share your concern about chidren's education and wish there was more of common sense guidance and discipline for them than there seems to be these days. I believe having the courage to go against children's desires does much more good for our society than guns and capital punishment.
Let me not make this into a book. All the best to all of you.
Posted by: Peter at October 26, 2006 08:53 AM
I live in north Florida and was digusted that both local news stations that had sent reporters to cover the Rollings extermination didn't show the entire news conference where the victims families spoke. Why even send anyone out there to cover it live if they're just going to give us a summary of what people said "later tonight at 11:00". The families had the right to speak and I wanted to hear what they had to say. While my sympathy is entirely with the victims families, I was puzzled why Rollings brother was not allowed to view the procedure. I always thought the prisoner's family was allowed to view if they wanted. As long as the brother was respectful of the victims families, seems like if it would have made him feel better for whatever reason to be there during the last minutes of his brother's life, he should have been permitted to. I hope the families have some sense of closure now and at least Rollings can't write anymore books in prison or give any more of his buddies "lessons". His so-called "art" I saw on TV is all about him stalking and murdering women.
Posted by: FloridaSuzie at October 26, 2006 05:52 PMShep Smith interviewed Steve Spurrier about Rollings the day of his execution. Spurrier said that they should have killed Danny as soon as he was convicted. I agree.
Now Peter, THAT's the wway collective consciousness really works- when most people agree he should have been executed right away. Unfortuantely, your version and mine are both ignored. Do you really believe your life has an impact on some kid that died in Darfur ? Danny Rollings life was not the result of 'our creation' through collective thoughtstream/world personality/collective cons/metaphysical/psycho-babble.. He was a frustrated, no dick piece of shit.. And had he confided in me about his issues over a couple of
beers...I would have thrown him under a bus.
csason,
While understanding your feelings:
Do you really believe that most Germans wanted all Jews, handicapped children, gypsies and homosexuals killed ?
The collectiveness of our consciousness and unity of the whole of creation is not psycho-babble but hard scientific fact.
Yes, I do believe one person can make a difference. History has shown this to be so.