Millions were deeply moved when Erika Kirk forgave the assassin of her husband Charlie. Reflecting on the profound meanings of the Jewish Day of Atonement, Jeff Jacoby questions the phenomenon of instantly forgiving heinous crimes. While such acts appear selfless and healing, Jacoby notes in Jewish World Review, Jesus himself warned that “you have the right to pardon only the wrongs ‘your brother’ committed against you.” When the victim was someone else, forgiveness may not be yours to give.
Inhuman for Criminals, the Luck of the Draw for You and Me
The EU may have banished the “‘inhuman,’ ‘degrading,’ and ‘irreversible’” death penalty for criminals, writes Frank Haviland in The European Conservative – but its member states’ soft-on-crime, easy-on-illegal-immigrants policies are making violent death an increasingly common fate for innocent Europeans. In a world gripped by barbarian forces, writes Haviland, it’s time for Great Britain to hold a national referendum on restoring an older form of justice.
