Letters, Jul. 31, 1972

Cruel and Unusual—to Whom?

Sir / Thanks to the Supreme Court decision on capital punishment [July 10], we the people must provide free food, clothes, housing and medical care for creatures that have wriggled up out of earth's primal slime. Unless, as is likely, the parole boards turn them loose once again upon society.

Now that the perpetrators of these atrocities are to be pampered wards of the taxpayers, "cruel" and "unusual" are meaningless words.

JOHN E. VETTER McLean, Va.

Sir / So our Supreme Court rules capital punishment "cruel and unusual" for the murderer. I wonder how they view the murderer's victim. It's...