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Treason is a hangin' offense.

Treason has the potential to get people killed. By definition, it includes acts that will help a foreign government achieve some sort of military success against the traitor's home nation. In this war, a turncoat can cause the deaths of innocent United States Soldiers, Airmen and Marines. He professes allegiance to this country and slithers over to the enemy, giving up sensitive information that will deliver a sucker-punch to innocent, unsuspecting military members.

Would you forgive the Judas responsible for your Soldier's death? What if the dead Soldier were your brother, son, or husband? What if she was your mother, granddaughter, or wife?

I wouldn't.

I consider every member of this military a part of my family, whether I know them personally or not. If you are responsible for the death of my family member, you deserve no aid, no comfort, and no mercy - even if you were once considered my brother or sister in arms.

Our great nation is a merciful one, though, filled with people who feel empathy toward the perpetrator of a heinous crime. We no longer believe in "an eye for an eye" - instead, we believe in "a slap on the wrist for an eye, and a light one at that." In some cases, that's fine; if someone robs a bank and no one is hurt, throw them in jail and let them stew over it for a while. However, when someone deliberately causes harm or death to others by being the slimiest of all creatures (a treasonous snake) a slap on the wrist is far too slight a punishment.

What would a turncoat do if he were simply imprisoned for life? He'd read, work out at the institution's gym, and write letters to other slimy conspirators. He'd be fed, clothed, and sheltered by the dollars that I pay in taxes that are taken from my hard-earned military paycheck. He may hatch new treasonous schemes that can be acted upon from either the inside of the prison walls or outside of its' confines.

Worse yet, his very incarceration could fuel the fires of the people he was working for by giving them more reason to act against us.

If the United States acted swiftly and meted out severe punishment to the lowest of the low, the fear of justice would help deter any future treasonous activity. When there's a traitor in the midst of honest, hard-working Soldiers, perhaps the fear of retribution would curb his treacherous bent.

There is absolutely nothing worse in this world than someone who would sell his soul - and the souls of innocent people - to the devil for a few brief moments of glory or a personal gain. That's why treason, in my book, is a hangin' offense.

Learn more about this author, Angie Papple.
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