Anything to whip up the voters, it seems. WaPo reports on President Trump’s visit to Moon Township, PA, in support of Rick Saccone’s (R) special election run for the House of Representatives:
Trump said that allowing prosecutors to seek the death penalty for drug dealers — an idea he said he got from Chinese President Xi Jinping — is “a discussion we have to start thinking about. I don’t know if this country’s ready for it.”
“Do you think the drug dealers who kill thousands of people during their lifetime, do you think they care who’s on a blue-ribbon committee?” Trump asked. “The only way to solve the drug problem is through toughness. When you catch a drug dealer, you’ve got to put him away for a long time.”
It was not the first time Trump had suggested executing drug dealers. Earlier this month, he described it as a way to fight the opioid epidemic. And on Friday, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration was considering policy changes to allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty.
But on Saturday his call for executing drug dealers got some of the most enthusiastic cheers of the night. As Trump spoke about policies on the issue in China and Singapore, dozens of people nodded their heads in agreement. “We love Trump,” one man yelled. A woman shouted: “Pass it!”
If it were only that easy.
But, disregarding questions of whether a Christian would endorse this proposal and whether it would pass Constitutional muster, there are two problems with it.
First, treating drug dealers as deliberate murderers ignores the fact that, like President Trump, drug dealers are businessmen. And the first thing a businessman doesn’t want to do is kill off the customers. Thousands? Only by their own hands, in most cases.
Second, it trashes the traditional role of redemption in American society. While there are certain crimes, such as serial killing, which will draw death penalties or life in prison, generally Americans have always believed in punishment followed by a chance for redemption. This proposal trashes this tradition embraced by conservatives and liberals alike.
Third, unlike murder, which is a deliberate act inflicted on an innocent person, and sometimes even planned, drug dealing involves two willing parties (disregarding the addiction the buyer may suffer from). Kill a drug dealer and someone will take his or her place. You want to stop the overdoses? Stop the demand – or satisfy it legitimately.
Executing drug dealers will be ineffectual for the real problem – it’ll only be effective for satisfying the emotional desires of people frustrated with reality.
