"David Kaczynski: Unabomber's Brother Campaigns Against Death Penalty," is the title of Craig Malisow's post at the Houston Press.
Once you become forever known as "The Unabomber's Brother," there are probably two ways you can go: you can do your best to hide (say, maybe move to a cozy, isolated cabin in Montana?) or you can use your position to further a cause close to your heart.
David Kaczynski chose the latter, and he spoke at the South Texas College of Law today as part of the anti-death penalty group Journey of Hope.
Comprising family members of killers, victims, and the exonerated, JOH questions both the moral and legal aspects of capital punishment. Although Ted Kaczynski ultimately pleaded guilty and avoided death row, he originally faced the death penalty, and brother David had to come to terms with the fact that he's the one who put Ted in that spot.Describing the moment in 1995 when his wife first broached the subject of turning in his "crazy brother Ted," Kaczynski said he quickly realized that "any choice we made could result in someone dying."
The deeper he got into the mechanics of the criminal justice system, Kaczynski said, the more he felt that what's legal and what's right don't always coincide. He is now the executive director of New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
And:
Following Kaczynski's speech was a presentation by JOH member Bess Klassen-Landis, who, in a quiet voice with an almost affectless tone, told about the unsolved, brutal rape and murder of her mother when Klassen-Landis was just 13. It's difficult to recount a journey from paralyzing fear and hatred to peace and closure without getting all sentimental and Lifetime-y, which made Klassen-Landis's account all the more powerful. It's the kind of speech you don't forget.
Related posts are in the victims' issues index.
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