Gasping for Breath
The judge who faced the murdering Norwegian - Anders Breivik - made the right call on behalf of the public by deciding that his hearing would take place in private.
Publicity is what this cold-blooded killer seeks - the opportunity to defend what cannot be defended.
So the authorities and the media should work together - and deny him what he wants most - a platform for his hateful views and prejudices.
Now maybe there's a smart lawyer out there who's prepared to argue - that Anders just loved his country too much - but I doubt it.
Breivik deserves a fair trial - like anyone else - but there's big difference between following procedures - and allowing the process to be hijacked and turned into a political circus.
The media and the newspapers can rise to the occasion - and it's in everyone's interests that they do so by reporting the facts and horror soberly - without all the homespun philosophy that Breivik wants the world to hear.
What's important are the lives and memories of all the people that died - not the vile ravings of a zealot.
And once Anders Breivik been required to listen to all the evidence - and from any relatives who want to have their say - he should be given time to make a short statement.
What Breivik seeks is the oxygen of publicity - but he deserves to go to jail for the rest of his life - gasping for breath.
Publicity is what this cold-blooded killer seeks - the opportunity to defend what cannot be defended.
So the authorities and the media should work together - and deny him what he wants most - a platform for his hateful views and prejudices.
Now maybe there's a smart lawyer out there who's prepared to argue - that Anders just loved his country too much - but I doubt it.
Breivik deserves a fair trial - like anyone else - but there's big difference between following procedures - and allowing the process to be hijacked and turned into a political circus.
The media and the newspapers can rise to the occasion - and it's in everyone's interests that they do so by reporting the facts and horror soberly - without all the homespun philosophy that Breivik wants the world to hear.
What's important are the lives and memories of all the people that died - not the vile ravings of a zealot.
And once Anders Breivik been required to listen to all the evidence - and from any relatives who want to have their say - he should be given time to make a short statement.
What Breivik seeks is the oxygen of publicity - but he deserves to go to jail for the rest of his life - gasping for breath.
