Bush, Gore and the Bible
by Mischa Gelman
(published 4/18/00)

  Given my earlier column on the hypocrciy and lies of Al Gore, I figured
it was only fair to point out some blatant hypocricy on the part of
George Bush. You see, Bush claims to be a religious Christian. He claims
he is in favor of compassionate politics. Then he turns around and,
somehow keeping a straight face, becomes one of the staunchest defenders
of the death penalty.
   I guess being a 3rd-generation career politician (unlike Gore, a
2nd-generation career politician) allows one to ignore contradictory views
and follow a path of logical inconsistency, as any one who really follows
the bible should have a hard time backing the death penalty. For
instance, Pope John Paul II, a much more rigorous biblical scholar than
Bush, has realized that capital punishment is morally wrong and has
campaigned for its abolishment. 
   A simple example can be found in the first chapters of the first book
of the Old Testament, something you figure Mr. Bush should have read by
now. Here we see the first case of homicide in the history of the world,
conducted by Cain. What is G-d's response? Despite the lack of remorse
shown by Cain, G-d not only spares his life but also grants him a mark of
protection. No jail time, no parole. If even cold-blooded killers can be
let free (especially when it could have served as an example for the rest
of human history) why does Bush insist on not only backing the death
penalty, but executing it more than any other governor?
   G-d is obviously the only judge who knows guilt or innocence with no
chance of error. The recent examples of lots of death row inmates being
found innocent shows the flaw in the human ability to assess truth. Isn't
it conceivable that there were some innocent individuals among the
hundred-plus killed by the state of Texas under the reign of Mr. Bush?
Given the fallability of our human race, one would think we'd be much less
ready to punish an offender than the omniscient Eternal.
   The Bible does support the death penalty, but with the greatest
reservations. The law of an "eye for an eye" and a "tooth for a tooth"
refers to civil law and compensation, certainly not to a life for a life,
as some have falsely opined. The person must have been duly warned about
the punishment for the deed, must acknowledge the warning and the crime
must be done only briefly after the warning. The crime must have been
witnessed by two unrelated eyewitnesses. Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 (part of
the Oral Tradition of Judaic law) includes a comment that if the Sanhedrin
(the highest court in Judaism) executed one person every seven years, it
was tyrannical. Another scholar, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah, said one every
seventy years. Yet Governor Bush, acting under less guidance than a court
of 70, has drastically surpassed both rates, as 55 were executed in Texas
in 1998 and 1999. And that's without even getting into the New Testament,
which preaches even a more thorough pacifism.
   Mr. Bush, like Mr. Gore, seems to ignore other principles of biblical
living, such as the notion that one cannot serve both G-d and Mammon -
both have pledged their service to the rich and to corporations, ignoring
"the least of these" that Jesus advocated for. They also show an utter
lack of comprehension about the command to love thy neighbor as thyself.
Both preach personal responsibility, the exact opposite of the dictate
that we are equally responsible for our neighbors and ourselves. The Bible
tells us to be stewards over the planet but both (especially Mr. Bush)
have bad track records on the environment, again showing a lack of love
for our neighbors and for TRUE responsibility.
   The response of these presidential candidates, in veering away from any
responsibility to society as a whole, seem to echo the voice of Cain, when
questioned about his heinous deed. Said Cain, in his famous line, "Am I my
brother's keeper?" This seems to be the response of Governor Bush when
questioned about rampant hunger in his state or Vice President Gore inthe
Clinton goal of welfare slashing. Both desire to abdicate the
responsibility that belongs to all people, leaving each man as an island,
responsible only unto himself. The lesson of Cain and Abel is that, yes,
we are our brother's keeper. Sadly, our self-proclaimed Christian
candidates ignore the lessons as easily as any atheistic libertarian
ranting about personal responsibility (as if anyone denies its existance -
the problem is that those who preach it ignore other responsibility).
    If a politician claims to be religious, we must hold or her true to
the tenets of his faith. Hopefully, Mr. Bush and Mr. Gore can reread the
earliest part of their bibles and learn that the death penalty is almost
always the wrong punishment and that they are indeed their brother's
keeper. Until then, they merely show their hypocricy and encourage us to
vote for "third" party candidates, be they from the Green, Labor,
Constitutionalist, Socialist, Libertarian (at least they're honest about
their dislike for morality), Reform or Natural Law parties.

  Mischa Gelman has sinned far too often, but has not signed off on an
execution. He can breached at megst19+@pitt.edu