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The death penalty serves no purpose other than blood lust.
Absolutely right. Society, by and large, is vengeful, and the death penalty exists as a means to make your average Joe feel like real justice has been delivered because anything less just won't do. Of course, in reality, the death penalty is not a deterrent to crime - it will certainly stop that person from doing whatever they did again, but it does nothing to prevent others from doing it.
It's about time the prison systems of certain countries stopped turning people into hardened criminals, and started making criminals productive members of society, as they do in more civilised places that bid farewell to the death penalty many years ago. Will that happen? Not likely - as I'd expect the gun-touting Republicans in Texas to kick up a right fuss.
Post WW2 The Allies (including the US) had the Nuremberg trials and multiple persons were executed as a result of convictions. The anti-death penalty folks seem to have no problem with this and one poster said that it is about "who WE are". But it boils down to this ... are you for or against the death penalty period. The tired old, but...but...but doesn't work. The tired old apples and oranges comparison of situations doesn't work either. You either are for or against the death penalty. The analogy of being half-pregnant works here. You either be or don't be pregnant. Ain't no half-way. Well, Adolph, Benito, Pol Pot, Joe, Idi et al killed a lot of folks and they deserve/d it. Now we are back to the "who WE are".
I know that I have wasted my time writing this because folks will rationalize their opinions one way or the other. Notice that I didn't even mention how folks change their minds when someone near and dear to them is a victim. Anyone remember a guy named Dukakis and his wife Kitty and how he waffled? But that is probably too far in the past for most of the kids here.
I am FOR the death penalty ... ALL THE TIME.
El Nox
Having made this an all or nothing decision Nox, will your stands remain the same if someone dear to you (spouse, son ...ect) were wrongly convicted and facing the death penalty?
I'm with the half pregnant crew. I used to be entirely against the death penalty, until I read about two particular incidents. One involving the brutal rape and murder of a mother/baby if I recall correctly who was 5 at the time by a militia group that thought she was a undercover agent. The second was of a Dr. in Connecticut whose home was invaded by criminals. They also raped his wife, children with him tied down to watch, eventually shot him and set the house on fire. He miraculously survived, called the authorities and identified the animals.
If there is total proof and not some c.o.c.k and bull statement from people, especially lying LEOs, then I have no qualms with it. There's no rehabilitating the two sets of rabid animals in the examples I listed. Those are the type of people "you put down" not bubble gum thieves and stupid teenagers.
The whole purpose of a government of the lawyers, by the lawyers, for the lawyers, is to provide income for lawyers. Capital punishment provides a lot of income for lawyers. Therefore it makes perfect sense. Even if we sometimes execute the wrong person, how much does it matter, compared to the income of lawyers?
IF it could be applied fairly, I'm all for the death penalty for:
people who are crazy, ADMITTED killers who will kill again
Child molesters who can't be helped and will molest again
Dangerous criminally insane people who can't be helped
But the problem is....the authorities keep killing innocent people. If there is a chance you will kill someone who did not commit a crime at ALL, then DONT KILL ANYONE. That is scary.
We as a society adore life and do everything to protect it including the lives of criminals, murderers, terrorists and all sorts of deviants that the world would actually be a better place if they were gone from it. WHY ?
We believe that people have rights, all people but consider how half the countries of the world would have treated this sociopath. In America the accused gets a fair trial even though he said he was guilty.
The world is a better place without this sort of filth.
The debate over the death penalty will go on and on in the courts, universities and here on City Data but we all need to remember that the poor kid who was murdered had no trial, no debate and no one to plead his case for life.
We cannot forget the victims who had their rights taken away from them.
Killing someone whether done privately or by the state is simply a bad idea. Total confinement for life is better...take the murderous person out of social circulation forever. They just can not be trusted. Murder is murder...what is the point of adding another death after a death?
Whether the horrific murder of an innocent child...or the murder of a full grown nasty adult - both are horrendous. This threat is about firing up the emotions. Emotions cloud judgement - Either you treat all murders the same or you don't ...if you kill and have shown you as a human animal are predisposed to murder- You must be confined...Killing bad people does not get rid of all the bad people. Evil will always exist...if you react to evil in an evil manner then your are just feeding evil...capital punishment generates more evil...not less.
what is the point of adding another death after a death?
So they never have the chance to murder again? You do realize sentences are commuted, prisoners escape, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by O.A.Bachlow
Killing bad people does not get rid of all the bad people.
Sadly, no. BUT, getting rid of as many bad people as we can? YES.
Quote:
Originally Posted by O.A.Bachlow
capital punishment generates more evil...not less.
Really? I don't remember the murder done to protest capital punishment...
Okay, here's something to chew on. Whenever some murderer kills innocent people with a firearm, there are those who decry their use of such a weapon, and call for it to be banned. They use the mantra, "if it saves just one life." Okay, executing these killers will save their future victims.
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