Illustration by Cody Angell

Good old Sparky. He's always there when you need him. Sure, he's got some unpleasant characteristics. Sometimes he'll make a mess on the floor, or ÷ much to everyone's dismay ÷ eat the Thanksgiving turkey instead of his food. These instances are rare, though.

Sure, they happen, but its not enough to send him off to the pound. It's good to have old Sparky around because he makes everyone feel better when times are tough.

These are tough times; Thank heaven for that stinky old hound dog.

Ten people murdered in suburban Washington, D.C. A 13-year-old boy critically wounded for nothing more than going to school in hopes of making something of his life. An insidious predator paralyzes the community as he prepares to strike again.

Two people were killed near Red Rock, Arizona, while nine others were kidnapped ÷ never to be seen again. A Phoenix businessman was murdered for his jewelry in a hotel room.

In Oklahoma City, two were killed and six others wounded in a shooting spree Saturday. Two men blew up the federal building in April of 1995, killing 168 men, women and children.

Jason Baran

This is to say nothing of the millions murdered during World War II, the 116 civilians murdered over the weekend in Russia, and the victims of the Ted Bundys and John Wayne Gacys of the world.

Don't remember Gacy? Good, but it helps to remember. He was the guy in Chicago who dressed up as a clown in order to kidnap and murder over thirty young boys before burying them in the crawl space under his house.

These are just a few of the reasons why society needs to keep the death penalty. Not because of the nauseating stories about the victims, but because it is a way to deal collectively with unmanageable threats to society.

The demonic imps who prey on unsuspecting people are beyond rehabilitation and are clearly unfit for re-entry into the civil world.

Opponents of the death penalty say it should be abolished because it doesn't deter these heinous crimes. Fine. That's not the point.

That's actually not all that surprising given their irrational behavior. This makes the need for old Sparky even more palpable.

Cold-blooded murderers forgo their right to live when they unjustifiably take the life of another. They are threats not just to individuals, but also to the entire community. Remember Montgomery County?

But innocents are executed. It's possible. This is why there must be trials, independent judges, due process and appeals. But in the end, the reason vanishes from doubt and innocents aren't executed.

But Sparky gets a little vicious. Clinical injection is a Sunday stroll in the tulips. Ask Jeffery Dahmer's victims. There's no need to be brutal.

These aren't the Middle Ages, and quartering ÷ though seemingly fitting at times ÷ is inappropriate.

The death penalty is necessary and appropriate in a number of cases because it eliminates serious threats to civil society. These criminals have forgone the opportunity to be nice and act like grown ups. So, to give closure to the whole society, we end their evil, predatory existence.

Who didn't breathe a sigh of relief when Timothy McVeigh, Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy left this earth for good? That same relief could be heard after the Nuremberg trials, and probably will be after the Montgomery County trials.

The governor of Maryland ÷ who earlier this year imposed a moratorium on executions ÷ reportedly understands the need as well.

He's been reported as saying that the Sniper case is exactly the type of case for which the death penalty is intended.

He gets it. Punishment is only part of the death penalty. The perception of security that it provides to the public seems pretty important.

People don't like the idea that these killers are kept up by the state with the possibility they might someday escape and terrorize the community again.

Why should the victims, both the families of the direct victims and the community, pay for its assailant to eat, have shelter and a certain degree of protection, when all the while the uneasiness of the crime looms over the community? There is relief, as unpleasant as it may be.

Good boy, Sparky.