They Murdered Che

I hate to sound as if I'm actually standing up for a commonly known murderer, especially one as brazen and psychotic as Che Guevara. But the latest article by anti-Che-cult activist Humberto Fontova compels me to open my mouth.

I could care less that this article uses more than a few recycled lines from a few of his previous articles written for this time of year. That doesn't aggravate me one bit. What really gets me is Fontova's last line in his latest article, referring to Che's execution without trial: "Justice has never been better served."

It is hardly within the spirit of "limited government" to defend summary executions. The whole point of procedural rights and duties is that to protect the innocent from wrongful punishment, you have to give the benefit of the doubt even to the most obviously guilty. "Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law for my own safety's sake."

By calling the murder of Che Guevara "just", Fontova poses himself as a defender of the very abuses that Che Guevara is apparently guilty of. This is reminding me of the War [of] Terror.

Fontova's jabbing rhetoric seems to be the delight of anti-commies, and his articles are unsurprisingly posted on both conservative and libertarian websites. If Fontova's latest article were posted on LRC, as are a few of his other October articles, I as an LRC reader would be embarassed. It would go beyond the typical coziness with deer hunters and caveman diet enthusiasts and enter the realm of neoconservative apologetics.

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Note: All my talk about presuming the innocence of the accused should not be construed as referencing grounds for a just execution. I think it's pretty obvious that the only way to ensure against unjust execution is to not have executions. I also personally believe that deadly force is only legitimate against people who are in the act of or just about to commit lethal force, and for that reason I believe that putting confined criminals to death is illegitimate.