Death penalty: I agree with it in principle, but have reservations based on practical issues. Like people being in prison for fifteen years before you find out that the police faked the evidence and that they are truly innocent. It does not happen often, but it does happen. Some of the anti-death penalty arguments are pretty good, like cost. Now I am inclined to err on the side of caution and say lock 'em up for life.
Saying that the death penalty is barbaric is bullshit. There are a few killers that I would volunteer to inject the needle into myself. Like Clifford Olsen who tortured 35 children to death and still writes letters to the victum's families bragging about it. Or Paul Bernardo and his wife Karla who tortured two teenagers to death one weekend. Karla also accidentally killed her sister while "preparing" her for Paul to rape...then complained that paying for the sister's funeral used money set aside for Karla's wedding!
Saudi oil: Norm, what is a good, practical solution that is implementable in the real world? I have dealt with many bastards in my life simply because the alternative was more horrible and that doing the noble thing would not change a damn thing anyway. It is one thing to bitch about a problem, it is another to implement a practical solution.
Richard, who agrees that there is too much America bashing on this board