News
2006-04-08
Flight 93 hero's
mom opposes death penalty for Moussaoui
Gay
hero's mom opposes death for Moussaoui
Alice Hoagland,
the mother of gay rugb
Alice Hoagland,
the mother of Mark Bingham, who with fellow passengers
sacrificed his life preventing United Flight 93 from being
flown into the White House on September 11, 2001,
tells The Advocate she opposes the death
penalty for 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. "We
Americans have the opportunity to keep him from
becoming glorified as a martyr," Hoagland said during an
interview that will appear in an upcoming issue of the
magazine. "Al Qaida, other fundamentalist Muslim
groups—even mainstream Muslims—would be
tempted to view Moussaoui's death as a martyrdom. This man
does not deserve that honor."
Hoagland is a
former flight attendant and has been active in both
transportation security issues and the fight for LGBT
equality since the death of her son. Mark Bingham was
an openly gay entrepreneur and rugby enthusiast who is
believed to have been among the passengers of Flight 93
who fought hijackers for control of the San
Francisco–bound aircraft on September 11, 2001.
The plane crashed in Pennsylvania not long after other
airplanes had been flown into the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon.
Hoagland also
urged mercy toward Moussaoui. "We Americans have the
opportunity to demonstrate our compassion toward a man who
has shown no compassion for America. We are a nation
of laws, of justice, and of mercy," said Hoagland, who
has recently changed the spelling of her last name
from "Hoglan." "By sparing his life, we can
demonstrate our humanity by acknowledging the humanity of a
human being who badly needs compassion. By sparing his
life, we will have overcome the sort of hatred that he
displays toward us."
The exercise of
mercy for Moussaoui, Hoagland said, would honor a
"reverence for all life." "It is difficult to imagine a more
despicable human than Zacarias Moussaoui has shown himself
to be. But he, like all of us, is a bundle of traits
and attitudes. His lower self has dictated his present
low behavior. I hope we as a nation can demonstrate
our higher impulses by sparing his life—while keeping
him safely behind bars for the remainder of his life.
If we can do that, we will honor our own high standard
of reverence for all life, and we will model a better
standard of behavior for Zacarias Moussaoui to take to
heart."
The Hoagland
interview, which will appear in the May 9 print issue of
The Advocate, was conducted by Jon Barrett,
author of the Bingham biography Hero of Flight 93:
Mark Bingham. (The Advocate)
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