On the heels of the Rahm Emanuel/Sarah Palin uproar over the “r-word”, I’ve been left with something that illustrates in a heart-breaking manner exactly why it is wrong to use that term in a derogatory way. While it may be tempting to say that the whole situation was blown out of proportion, with Palin screaming foul in a selective way, this case in Pennsylvania sadly shows how trivializing a word can lead to the worst sort of behavior.
Residents of Westmoreland County – just east of Pittsburgh – are still reeling over the brutal murder of a mentally disabled woman. I’ve intentionally linked to the story about her, as opposed to the crime – those who are interested can find more links in the right column of that page.
Jennifer Lee Daugherty is remembered by all who knew her as a kind and loving person. She innocently believed that the people that killed her were her “new friends.” There is no excuse for those six people – no explanation is acceptable for what they did to Jennifer Lee Daugherty. It is a symptom of the disease that allows people to trivialize that “r-word”, but is by no means a defense for their actions.
Some may be tempted to say that Sarah Palin was out of line for saying that it was inappropriate for Rahm Emanuel to use the “r-word” – she wasn’t out of line. The only thing that she did wrong was to fail in stating her contempt for the use of the word in all cases. Using the “r-word” allows people like the six in Westmoreland County to consider those who are mentally disabled as something less than human. Jennifer Lee Daugherty wasn’t less than human – the six that tortured and killed her are. Individuals on death row in Pennsylvania sit and wait many years to face their sentences – many residents here are of the opinion that it’s more likely that they’ll die of natural causes waiting to be executed. That is too good for this group.
Westmoreland County is now going to have to find a place to try this group or import jurors, since there is little chance that there will be enough impartial persons locally to hear this case from the jury box. If only we could get away with a change of venue to somewhere like Texas – for that matter move them there, since there would be a much better chance that they’d actually end up being executed. Regardless, there is no penalty that would honestly fit what they did to Jennifer Lee Daugherty – our society in general is too humane.
Tags: Death penalty, Jennifer Lee Daugherty, r-word, Sarah Palin
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