#libbyglabe

It is incontrovertible that after a serious crime, a serious punishment must follow. The question that follows then is not regarding the magnitude of the repercussions but the form that these repercussions take. As high crimes like murder and treason make their way to courtrooms across America, there is a single debate that manages to gather these offenses under one umbrella: the death penalty. Many ask “Is death an ethically and constitutionally sound punishment for major offenses?” Not only does capital punishment explicitly violate the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments, it can cost innocent people their lives.

The Constitution states in the Fifth Amendment that convicted criminals do not have to testify without a Grand Jury, “nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” In cases where the death penalty is an option for punishment, the Fifth Amendment is often breached. The trials are lengthy, and evidence of innocence is often ignored or goes undetected too late for exoneration, as the offender has already been executed. This clearly violates the due process clause as the offender has been deprived of life.

The Eight Amendment forbids the use of cruel and unusual punishment. Death is the most final of all punishments, and in no way does it punish a criminal more than a life sentence would. Capital punishment carelessly disposes of human lives, portraying them as of little value, especially if it is the life of a felon.

Lastly, the Fourteenth Amendment states that all citizens are entitled to a fair trial and their rights of life, liberty, and property. In courtrooms, there often seems to be a racial bias that inhibits the jury’s ability to make impartial decisions. Since 1976, of the cases involving the murders of one or more people of one race, there were 286 that resulted in an execution. Of these executions, 266 were of African Americans who had murdered Caucasians, while only 20 were of Caucasians who had murdered African Americans.

Running long distances may not seem all that hard. There isn’t a need for huge amounts of coordination. There isn’t too much pressure brought on by spectators. And there aren’t various positions and skills that need to be mastered before competition.

However, in place of these obstacles that athletes in other sports must overcome, there is a challenge that is unique to distance runners. This challenge is to sustain the mental toughness necessary to compete, without a break, for anywhere from twenty minutes to hours. Running demands mental determination alongside physical tenacity.

Achieving and maintaining the mental strength that is vital to competing is a workout in itself. Runners utilize a variety of different thinking tactics in order to finish a race. Many runners keep their minds occupied. Nora Harris, a senior cross country runner, says that she “repeats a phrase over and over” or “spells the same word again and again” while competing. Though, distractions often make concentrating an issue. For this reason, Mikayla Kifer, a junior on the cross country team, tries not to focus on anything in particular while running a race. Ben Anderson, also a senior cross country runner, simply tries “not to die” while running in a race.

In addition, runners must constantly work to close the gap between themselves and their competition. Harris says that in races she tries “to focus on the next girl in front of [her].” Focusing on the competition can be a great way to stay alert in a race, while not actually thinking about the physical movement.

Running long distances may not seem all that hard. There isn’t a need for huge amounts of coordination. There isn’t too much pressure brought on by spectators. And there aren’t various positions and skills that need to be mastered before competition.

However, in place of these obstacles athletes in other sports must overcome, there is a challenge that is unique to distance runners. This challenge is to sustain the mental toughness necessary to compete, without a break, for anywhere from twenty minutes to hours. Running demands mental determination alongside physical tenacity.

Achieving and maintaining the mental strength that is vital to competing is a workout in itself. Runners utilize a variety of different thinking tactics in order to finish a race. Many runners keep their minds occupied. Nora Harris, a senior cross country runner, says that she “repeats a phrase over and over” or “spells the same word again and again” while competing. Though, distractions often make concentrating an issue. For this reason, Mikayla Kifer, a junior on the cross country team, tries not to focus on anything in particular while running a race. Ben Anderson, also a senior cross country runner, simply tries “not to die” while running in a race.

In addition, runners must constantly work to close the gap between themselves and their competition. Harris says that in races she tries “to focus on the next girl in front of [her].” Focusing on the competition can be a great way to stay focused on the race, while not actually thinking about the physical movement.