Survivor, The Mole, Temptations Island, and . reality execution?!? This sounds stupid. As far as I’m concerned it is beyond stupid; it is the sickest thing I have heard of. There are two aspects to this story.

First of all, Timothy McVeigh has asked that his execution be televised. On the other hand, the moral stalwart himself, former Missouri Senator John Ashcroft, is deciding whether to let the families of victims of the Oklahoma City bombing watch the execution on close captioned TV.

I don’t even believe I have to write this column.

Let me deal with the lesser of the two crazies first. John Ashcroft simply can’t let this happen. Is he aware that the strongest argument that pro-lifers (anti-death penalty supporters) have is that only the most rogue and uncivilized nations still execute their criminals?

Making an already internationally defined barbaric practice a spectator sport would only make us look more out of touch with our own limit of cruel and unusual.

I acknowledge that the families are very angry, hurt and in search of justice. They should. I will also admit that I am unable to comprehend the levels of those emotions that they are feeling. I have never known a victim of murder, much less, terrorism. So please, spare me the, “You don’t know what it is like” letters. You’re right; I don’t know. But issues surrounding justice and punishment are not to be dealt with purely by the judgements of the victims.

The argument FOR capital punishment is that it isn’t about the revenge. It is for the justice of the crime. It is to prevent the criminal from ever harming another human being. Since death isn’t about the revenge, then why would it be important for the families to witness the death. After so much trauma and pain I am not sure why witnessing another human being’s death would be therapeutic.

But even if the families believe it would be therapeutic, the criminal justice department is not in the business of therapy. The case against McVeigh is between himself and the State.

He has the right to die without being made into a circus sideshow. No matter how much we despise this man, and the pure evil he committed, he has the human and American right to die with dignity. While I am certainly not confident that capital punishment is death with dignity, I am certain that letting the families watch the execution like a baseball game is not dignified.

Now, the second aspect of this issue. McVeigh wants to broadcast his execution. This is equally asinine. Let us certainly give McVeigh whatever he wants. Frankly, fulfilling his longing to be executed is questionable. He is perfectly happy to be a martyr, who fell at the hands of the great enemy he originally protested. He is content to be the idol of all the other crazies out there ready to single-handedly take out the world’s most powerful government.

McVeigh’s wish does not justify us making him the Hester Prynne of our generation. I think most would agree with me that inflicting that type of in-your-face reality violence would be a new low for our nation’s moral standards.

But his wish also doesn’t justify letting the victims watch the execution. John Ashcroft and the justice system has to acknowledge the limit of social decency that they would be pushing by bringing guillotine-style justice into our mainstream.

When the execution goes down, it should happen privately. If that is what the law decides is justice, then fulfill it. Leave the television scare tactics to COPS and the FBI Files.