Look at the face of evil

The French say, "By the time a man is 30 he has the face he deserves."

If you go here:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,412104,00.html

You'll see the face of one Joseph Edward Duncan, at the hearing where he was sentenced to death for the murder of 9-year-old Dylan Groene.

Dylan and his 8-year-old sister Shasta were kidnapped by Duncan.

Duncan murdered the two kids' family: 13-year-old Slade Groene; his mother, Brenda Groene; and her fiance, Mark McKenzie with a hammer to do it.

He sexually abused Dylan, shot him in the head and burned his body.

No doubt he had something similar in mind for Shasta, he has admitted other murders of children and is a suspect in more, but a customer in a restaurant recognized them and called the police, just in time.

This is a sample of the evil bastard's writing they reproduced in the article.

"I have once again become a medium of violence in the world."

(A "medium of violence"? Nothing like a perpetrator?)

"There is "love in my heart and yet at the same time there is a huge reservoir of hatred (evil). ... I am driven by my hatred for our society ('the system') while at the same time tortured by my own compassion. ... I don't know what God wants for me, I just don't know."

"God has shown me the face of evil.... Evil is real only because we make it real. ... Evil can live in a person and society as well. ... I have been inflicted by an evil 'demon' that is nurtured by our so-called Criminal Justice System .... But know I'm still fighting."

Is this just sheer incoherence, or is there some evil logic in it?

Evil exists. The denial of this elementary fact is one of the greatest illusions in this lucky civilization of ours - one that may yet lead to our undoing.

As far as I can tell, Duncan has no other motive than malice. His pleasure is to cause pain.

Look at the face. I think you can see the evil of it... but am I rationalizing after the fact? If I didn't know the story, would I see a wrongness in it?

We like to think we can see evil in the face of an evil man, at least when the mask is down. But then again, I don't think you could see it in Stalin's face, there's nothing really distinguishing about it. He could be somebody's grandfather from the pictures.

I wonder if the mask ever slipped in private?

There are pictures of Hitler making speeches when his eyes look like a madman's. But then, a whole lot of people at the time listening to those speeches evidently didn't see it.

Now look at Duncan's face again. The mask is down. The bastard is full to the brim with self-satisfaction, because he knows there is nothing we can do to him that could remotely equal the harm he has done.

There is no pain we can cause him to feel that would equal the pain he has caused, to the living and the dead.

Nonetheless, I find that I passionately want him dead. And I think it's the face, not the record of his terrible deeds. It's that look of smug self-satisfaction.

I am offended that I have to live in the same universe as this thing that looks like a man.

I want him to leave my reality.

I realize that there are people and organizations who will try to save this thing's life - pro bono.

I want someone to tell them to back off - or else.

And even more than that, I want him dead, and yes, I'd be willing to do it myself. And I'd like doing it. In the most dreadful way possible I'd like it.

And then he'd be inside my head forever.

So for God's sake, let it be done. But do it quickly, dispassionately, even mercifully, though he doesn't deserve it.

But let it be done.