Author Topic: Here the death penalty would be good (Read 273 times)

StSanta · « **on:** January 06, 2003, 11:29:49 AM »

Little boy found starved to death stored in bin. His brothers found almost starved to death.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/01/05/children.found.ap/index.html

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #1 on:** January 06, 2003, 11:48:53 AM »

Something right out of "Flowers in the Attic".

BTW Santa... if this is an acceptable reason for the Death Penalty, at what point does it become inacceptable?

AKDejaVu

Ripsnort · « **Reply #2 on:** January 06, 2003, 11:56:43 AM »

Man...unbelieveable...

midnight Target · « **Reply #3 on:** January 06, 2003, 12:02:14 PM »

As long as we have a death penalty we perpetuate the notion that killing is OK, as long as you have a good reason.

While I have not fried enough brain cells in my life to think that the elimination of killing is practical (self defense for example), I think the elimination of the death penalty would be a good start.

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #4 on:** January 06, 2003, 12:06:17 PM »

MT, you actually represent the extreme position on that and its quite a minority position. Of course, all we really know about your view on it is what you tell us... so we have to take it with a grain of salt.

Most see it as some kind of meritocracy. Some actions will deserve the death penalty while others will not. The victim's age, the process, the number of victims all seem to drive the emotions behind it. Even in states with the death penalty, this is in effect written into law. Simply committing murder does not qualify you for the death penalty in Oregon... there has to be more to it than that.

AKDejaVu

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #5 on:** January 06, 2003, 12:10:17 PM »

BTW, my main beef with the death penalty is not wether or not the crime merrits it, but rather the fact that its being decided by people with purely political reasons (re-election) in mind. You should not be looking to use "I put so and so to death" as a campaign slogan. But that's a failing with a politacal system rather than an issue with morality.

AKDejaVu

midnight Target · « **Reply #6 on:** January 06, 2003, 12:14:23 PM »

Uh huh.

It may be a minority opinion in the USA, but I think that it may not be such a radical idea in the rest of the world.

What was done to these children is horrific. No argument.

But shouldn't the State, and the Judiciary act in a manner that is beyond or above emotion?

Look at it this way.....

"Stop the violence or I'll kick your ass!"

Kieran · « **Reply #7 on:** January 06, 2003, 12:16:44 PM »

I'm kinda looking at it like "Let's make sure this person doesn't do this again."

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #8 on:** January 06, 2003, 12:20:28 PM »

No MT.. I don't think its as "the rest of the world" as you think.

That is... what country has not gone to war? What country has not willingly taken the life of another individual?

It boils down to what people/government think deserves the sentance.

Fundamentally, at some point, every government has decided that it was an appropriate time to kill someone.

AKDejaVu

ra · « **Reply #9 on:** January 06, 2003, 12:27:36 PM »

Quote

"Stop the violence or I'll kick your ass!"

And this reflects human nature. If you can change human nature, you can eliminate violence. If not, you have to live with violence as a deterrence to violence.

Let us know how it goes.

ra

ra · « **Reply #10 on:** January 06, 2003, 12:30:59 PM »

BTW, for me the only compelling argument against the death penalty is the fallibility of justice. Once you execute someone, there's no recinding(sp?) the sentence. I don't trust government to do anything right, so the death penalty gives me great pause, even though all the people I've ever heard of who where sentenced to death were total garbage.

ra

GRUNHERZ · « **Reply #11 on:** January 06, 2003, 12:31:58 PM »

Screw the death penalty, that godawful squeak needs to be tortured....

miko2d · « **Reply #12 on:** January 06, 2003, 01:09:02 PM »

midnight Target: It may be a minority opinion in the USA, but I think that it may not be such a radical idea in the rest of the world.

I hope you are not trying to justify the virtues of an idea by majority voting...
Logical reasoning is fine (like ra's on fallibility of justice) but eventually it comes down to a good track record. Do the european crime rates drop steadily or do they rise? Does their population multiply and prosper or does it shrink and gets replaced by people from cultures not subscribing to "no death penalty view"?

we perpetuate the notion that killing is OK, as long as you have a good reason.

Western civilisation was able to developed all it's humanitarianm attributes with death pennalty and notions "that killing is OK, as long as you have a good reason".

But shouldn't the State, and the Judiciary act in a manner that is beyond or above emotion?

Why not? It worked for the last few thousand years and caused a lot of what we call "progress". Or at least not prevented it.

miko