The Bright Side of Troy Davis

There's a lot of hand-wringing about the execution of Troy Davis, who was convicted of killing off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail in Georgia in 1989, but whose case garnered international attention because seven of the nine witnesses later recanted and there was no physical evidence. People are saying that the execution shows the moral failings of capital punishment and is a stain on the justice system of our great nation.

We at GefilteBacon could not disagree more. We believe this case shows the STRENGTH of our system. Just consider:

1. Troy Davis was at least 75 percent guilty of the murder. That's an extremely high number. If you're a major league baseball player and you get a hit 75 percent of the time, you're guaranteed to get into the Hall of Fame. Same goes for horseshoes.

2. The killing of Mark MacPhail was truly and genuinely an evil act. Someone had to pay. Why not the guy already on death row?

3. Mr. MacPhail's family has gone through terrible anguish the last 20 years. Now they have the closure of knowing that there is only a 25 percent chance that the scumbag who killed their loved one is still out there, on the loose.

4. Capital punishment is a strong deterrent. What this case tells young people is that, if you murder someone in cold blood, then you - or someone other than you - will pay the ultimate price.

5. Although opponents of the execution say it should have been delayed, remember: Troy Davis was 42. When one considers the average life expectancy of an African-American male in Georgia, any additional delays could have led to Davis' dying before he was executed. That would simply be unacceptable.

6. Look at this photo of Troy Davis. Something about him leaves little doubt he was guilty. Maybe it was the glasses. Maybe his short hair, or the mustache. Or something else about his physical appearance that would leave little doubt that he killed a man and deserved to die. Whatever it is about him, one can see why this was an open-and-shut case to the Georgia justice system.

7. Look, the system isn't perfect; we all can agree upon that. But humans make mistakes, and we have to live with that truth. Of course, in the case of Troy Davis, we mean "live with" in the purely metaphorical sense.

8. Even if the process used to execute Troy Davis was flawed, keep in mind there are thousands of other condemned inmates on death row. We will have plenty of chances to get it right the next time.