Responding to Julie Zimmerman’s courageous letter (“Executing marathon bomber would perpetuate cycle of revenge,” April 14):

I would take issue with her description of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother as being “horribly misguided.” They were much more than “misguided.” They were truly evil, totally depraved and absolutely despicable.

That said, all the more reason for us, as a civilized and God-fearing nation, not to resort to the same kind of violence and barbarism displayed by these fanatics in taking human life – ideally defending any and all human life from conception to natural death.

And here, I fully agree with Julie Zimmerman that “revenge is an endless … cycle.” Violence, even “legal,” court-sanctioned violence, only promotes more violence. We need not stoop to the primitive morality of our aggressors.

On a practical note, I personally cannot imagine a more stringent penalty than life without parole for a young man in his early 20s. He will likely look forward to another 60 or 70 years to think about what he has done, in relative isolation and with no personal freedom. He will not be afforded the luxury of being remembered as a “martyr” by his fellow criminals for a fanatical cause.

And we, as a nation, will have preserved our identity, integrity and moral compass. And we will, in the process, help end the cycle of revenge.

The Rev. Louis J. Phillips

Gorham

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