Be Glad and Rejoice

Psalms 32:11

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous:
and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

   You won't find me starting too many of my posts with a bible quote, but since Killen is an ordained minister, I think the above quote is just right for the latest chapter in this story.
   Yesterday, June 23, Circuit Court Judge Marcus Gordon sentenced Edgar Ray Killen to serve the maximum 60 years for the three counts of manslaughter in the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers in Neshoba County, Mississippi. Gordon acknowledged that Killen is 80 and that he is in a wheelchair because of an accident last March that broke both his legs.Then he sentenced Killen to the three consecutive 20-year prison terms, one for each of Killen's victims. The judge admitted in an interview that he had received death threats as the trial date drew near. They did not deter him. "It is my responsibility to make that decision, and I have done it," said Gordon.
   The lawyers for the defense will appeal, of course. At this point, since no death penalty is forthcoming, I would like to wish a long and healthy life, indeed, to Killen so that he may have many years of incarceration to look forward to; many years in which to think back on the actions that brought him to his cell. I am not so naive as to think he will ever regret them, however. Atty. Gen. Jim Hood, who prosecuted the Killen case, says that Killen has never exhibited anything but defiance to the state. I like Hood's comment: "At some point, there's got to be some remorse. You don't go to heaven unless you admit what you've done and ask for forgiveness." If you accept the idea of heaven and hell, this can create an interesting image. The state may not fry Killen, but perhaps the almighty will, and His "electric chair" will surely run the current for all eternity.