The Sacrifice...

By Sheik Sebir

There's been a large number of human sacrifices recently - but not by the usual suspects. When most people think about the subject, they always seem to think about barbarian Heathens appeasing their rude and insatiable bloodthirsty gods on blood soaked altars, or Wicked Black Hearted Satanist Death Cultists who skulk in graveyards and other unGodly places just waiting to pluck innocent but wayward Christian Virgin girls, who may just happen by, into a horrid life of Degradation and wickedness; or possibly a modern suicide cult on its way to a comet in the sky, and the space aliens allegedly awaiting them there...

Amnesty International

    No. These sacrifices are different, and they've become routine - because they are to the God of Justice, and his Son who died by State execution; and they're sanctioned, ordered, and performed with the full knowledge of and, indeed, by the State. The priests and ministers duly prepare the Sacrifice for {usually) his place of Honor by ritually reuniting him with the Community he is about to serve. He is given a list of things to remember to say to the God when he meets Him after his demise; then a prepared Plea of Mercy for the God to consider is pronounced upon his Soul; then he is, once again, turned over to the Secular Arm for execution, the Religious having washed their hands of the matter.

    Outside of the ritual space, a crowd of onlookers gather. Some wish to speed him on his way and heartily shout ritual phrases like; "Fry you Bastich !!"; others pray for the secular High Priests to show some passing interest and call for a series of delays called "stays" -- alas, their prayers usually go unanswered. In a recent sacrifice, the Anointed was taken to the Holy Chair and strapped thereunto. Under the Chair, an Earth Sword was suspended above a calderon of aqua regina. In this case, the Land was sorely in distress by drought, and the Higher Justices had no Mercy left to spare. The Princes were afraid that the populance, called the Masses behind their backs, would throw them out upon the next Althing if they lifted but a finger in Aid (they were turned out anyways), so they too closed their Eyes and shut their Ears, and said, "Nothing". So, the Sacrifice was brought into and out of the Sacred Area by stays granted by the Lower Annuki so that he wouldn't know whether they would kill him that time or not. The Higher Annuki finally said "No more Nonsense, Fry the Bastich !", and it was done swiftly.

    In other demenses they often perform the Ceremony differently: one may "fry" the victim with electricity, forboiling in oil is too expensive and is considered to be cruel. In more primitive Fundamentalist Proto-stant demenses, They have little use or tolerance for Grand Ritual, so they quickly strap the sacrifice to a medical gurney and put him to "sleep" like they do their dogs and cats. In other places, where the shedding of blood is essential to Salvation, they shoot the Sacrifice. Hanging, sacred to Odin and Esus, is only legal in one demense, and they rarely use it anymore.

    Since the News of the Sacrifice has to be carried throughout the Land, the reporters, anxiously await the chance to soothe the savage Xian Lust for 'Blood and Justice' by endessly explaining why the Common Murderer or other Felon deserved his Fate, and why he wasn't a Folk Hero after all. Others watch the Sacrifice very closely for throes of agony and twitches, or things like sounds that might later be interpreted as signs of repentance, or omens of the future - more grist for the Mill.

    The modern commentator rarely thinks to connect Human Sacrifice with the modern death penalty, but the only real difference is that the Druids and the Priests of Eld were Judge, Jury and Executioner, while the Xian clergy lets the State conduct their sacrifices, possibly because their alledged god died by execution. Besides, no Sane Society would allow the Xian clergy to direct the State in any legal matters; Ending that influence is what stopped the infamous Witch and Heresy Trials ! (and the fact that even the common people caught on and plead guilty to any charges rather than face torture, and started named Nobility and Clergy as Witches...)

    The fact is that all societies have had their scapegoats and have performed some sort of Human Sacrifice for one reason or another. But, one says, "many of the victims of the Heathen were 'innocent'". Well, our great {US] Supreme Court has said that if a person is convicted an sentenced to die, it really doesn't matter if the Defense lawyers find new evidence that he's actually innocent - the System found him Guilty. so They can fry or gas him anyway !

    The plain and bald fact is crime rates don't go down just because there's a death penalty. England once hanged young pickpockets, but there were other pickpockets at the execution sites of the condemned pickpockets calmly plying their trade. In fact many a young person dressed up for the occassion - especially if it was to be their hanging !! In that Society, only the Nobility could steal legally, and trespassers upon the Noble Rights of the Upper Class to steal Soiety blind were dealt with very harshly. Such punishments don't correct the underlying causes of crime - the social inequalities and inhuman conditions that compel it; and like the drug trade, there were plenty of willing people eager to take their places.

    Most of the people on death row are minorities or those that "couldn't afford an attorney". The latter means that they were "represented" by an overworked and underpaid public defender. Justice in the United States is only for those who can afford it. Meanwhile California is building a host of new prisons... Mebbe "We" should try something else instead -- Nah, prevention and rehabilitation is too costly, and probably unconstitution-a-babble... It's time to end the death penalty !!

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