compassionate conservatism?

I've heard the term "compassionate conversatism" or variations thereof so many times I could puke. Not once have I encountered a single example of a conservative showing anything remotely demonstrative of compassion. No, the majority of conservatives are shameless, insolent hypocrites (whose so-called "pro-life" views apply only to fetuses in utero) who would rather inflict grievous bodily harm on suspected enemies of the state and legally sanction the deaths of their own citizens than to uphold the sanctity of life as they claim. Conservatives who profess to be "pro-life" speak one way but act another. They contradict their own views with such appalling audacity: they say life is precious when the life in question is an unborn fetus, yet they ferociously defend their right to legitimately annihilate perceived enemies on foreign soil and routinely execute American citizens who have been found guilty of committing crimes.

Let me get this straight: if you're a "pro-life compassionate conservative", the only thing deserving of your compassion is a woman's unborn child? What about that same woman's child when it turns 18 and it is forced to fight an unjust war while wearing the uniform of the country you command? What about that same woman's child when it is an adult who has committed a crime and now wears the uniform of the prisons your country runs? That woman's child is only deserving of your "compassionate conservatism" when its umbilical cord is still attached? Apparently, once the child matures and reaches adulthood, the value of their life plummets to zero in your eyes.

And where exactly does our Commander in Chief stand on this issue? Our esteemed "Hypocrite in Chief" is the worst offender of all: He has now authorized the execution of a United States Army private who has been on death row at Ft. Leavenworth since 1988. What is compassionate about this executive order? Where is this so-called Christian's adherence to the biblical commandment, "Thou shalt not kill?" Will someone please explain to me how these right-wing nutjobs can justify killing when the Bible they claim to follow and vow to uphold clearly commands otherwise? And don't quote me the Old Testament retribution philosophy of "an eye for an eye." That's bullshit, and anyone who spews such unorthodox pabulum needs to have their head examined - assuming, of course, that they are willing to remove it from the sand wherein it is so firmly lodged. Once removed, they should reference their beloved Bible and look up the verse (Romans 12:19, to be precise) where God says, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." Seriously, a blindfolded Stevie Wonder can see the meaning there: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Period. End of discussion. This isn't rocket science, people.

White House spokesmodel Dana Perino, commenting on Bush's decision, said:

"While approving a sentence of death for a member of our armed services is a serious and difficult decision for a commander in chief, the president believes the facts of this case leave no doubt that the sentence is just and warranted."
- quoted by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press Writer

Just? Warranted? Gandhi once said something along the lines of, "I like your Christ, but I do not like your christians; they are so unlike your Christ." Truer words were never spoken. Yes, I imagine the families of the victims who were brutally raped, beaten, robbed, and murdered by the Army private have grieved daily for 20 years. They stand united in their heartbroken desire to see justice meted out to the perpetrator of such heinous acts. I cannot and will not condone the violent, unjustifiably horrible acts committed by such a calloused soul. But for a president to use his sword of power (tainted though it may be with the innocent blood of more than 4,000 uniformed souls and counting) to end the life of such a felon is nothing less than criminal. But hey, when you have already broken the hearts of a few thousand families, what's one more? May God have mercy on your hardened, hypocritical soul.