by Country Girl 101 Replies latest jw friends
Personally I think it would be much better to kill the creep and ship the money that we would otherwise spend on him to some starving children.
I have heard that a death sentence is more costly that life prison. If thats true the economic argument falls.
Im am against.
This debate is a classic.
As people arriving at an answer typically do so from two different paradigms, very often agreement between the two schools of thought is impossible; it's like the abortion debate.
To some people an unborn baby is a soul and is sacrosanct. The arguments secular people use are irrelevant.
To secular people religious predicated arguments are irrelevant.
Likewise with the death penalty.
Some people believe if killing is wrong, then killing is wrong.
Others believe you can have a good excuse to kill someone (other than self defence in the heat of the moment).
It is an even more curious debate as it is not just a stereotype to say that many pro-lifers favour the death penalty, and many pro-choicers are against it. The image of someone going from an abortion clinic picket to a pro-death penalty vigil outside a prison on an execution night is a strange one, but it probably has happened.
From a European perspective it's an obvious cultural issue.
Grow up in a religiously active violent culture where the death penalty is enforced and you will feel it is right.
Grow up in a secular culture with lower levels of violence and no executions and it will appear barbaric.
This is probable historically; in Germany the new government (after the war) banned the death penalty at a time when most Germans were still in favour of it. Two generations later Germans were one of the countries MOST opposed to the death penalty.
What I find extraordinary is that some Americans do not connect the dots.
There they are, one of the most execution happy governments in the world alongside those bastions of human rights such as China, Saudi Arabia and Iran. And it never strikes them as inappropriate for a modern democracy and an indication their continuing enchantment with judicial killing is out-of-step with the rest of the civilised world.
Of course, those very people this is directed at come to their conclusions using a different paradigm to me, and will disagree with me.
Arguing with a fervent supporter of the death penalty is like convincing a supporter of Sharia Law it's not a good idea to execute people; your arguments are meaningless to them, just as theirs are meaningless to you.
I think we should do what the Washtowel Society does best: disfellowship those that commit and are found guilty of offenses that would deserve the death penalty. They would be ostracized by society, and would have to fend for themselves. They could (and likely would) form colonies that would be Ostracism Wastelands. There, they would have the chances to start creating value and redeem themselves. The ones that reformed and became value creators could ultimately be accepted back into society. The others would end up starving to death, without costing us a penny in tax dollars.
Mind you, only the very worst offenders would go there. That is, the leaders that create massive problems for society, killers, and those scumbags that make up the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger (which, to me, are the lowest scumbags on the planet).
It costs millions to execute someone. It costs thousands to house them in prison. PM me with "why's that so?" I expect that most people know why. Also, people change and can help others rehabilitate in prison. Innocent people are on death row. No on the death penalty.
Know why veternarians won't use the same cocktail on animals to put them to sleep? It's cruel and unusual punishment. The first drug paralyzes you and the other two stop your heart and is suppose to numb your brain. It's excrutiating pain for minutes. C&UP is unconstitutional so why does the Virginia (or WV) Supreme Court uphold it?
I don't know how this could be debated really, it seems to just be a personal decision. I'm not in favor of the death penalty because it seems to me alot like revenge. The criminal killed someone so justice is going to kill them back. I don't see the difference between sentencing someone to death and viginlante justice. It's a personal opinion though, could never vote for the death penalty, I can understand why some might be outraged enough from a crime that they would want to see it.
Obviously, nothing anyone says here is going to change anyone's mind, either pro or con.
I personally believe that except for the extremely few innocents who were convicted, these folks are very deserving of death. I have no pity for them. However, the fact that these individuals deserve execution does not make it right, and I think that with the exception of self defense, killing is wrong.
Executing an innocent man is state sanctioned murder. (manslaughter to be more exact) Therefore the state sanctioned execution should of got the needle a while back.
children RARELY lie in these cases.avishai, here is something for you to read.
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/mcmartin/mcmartinaccount.html
Philip
I have heard that a death sentence is more costly that life prison. If thats true the economic argument falls.
It seems this might be true! http://www.deathpenalty.org/article.php?id=42
The article ignores the fact that we don't just allow them "to die in prison of disease, injury, or old age" Since we give them medical assistance if they injure themselves or get ill. But the overall conclusion seems accurate, at least in Canada.
Obviously, nothing anyone says here is going to change anyone's mind, either pro or con.
Not true!
I just changed my mind thanks to a combination of Samuel's and PEC's posts.
