Death Penalty

If we tell a killer they are wrong to kill people then we sentence them to death, what does that make us or the one who gives the lethal injection or the one who flips the switch for the electric chair. They would be killing a killer so they are both killers then.

Most religions say "thou shalt not kill" so some people are against abortions but they think nothing of war and killing lots of people including kids in other countries.

 

and some say an eye for an eye. But that is not my point.

I do not even care to judge whether it is wrong or right, all my goal is is to permanently remove an unacceptably behaving human. Double parking is wrong, but not worth permanent removal. Two first degree murder convictions, or even multiple child molestation convictions sound to me like grounds for removal.
It is not out of hate or revenge, but out of a sense of safety and protection of those of us who cannot accept such behavior in our neighborhoods.
Maybe there could be a way that donors could support some of them, so they do not have to be snuffed out right away.

 

I don't feel right about the state having the right to put a person to death. I am not comfortable with government having that power. At the same time, if someone murdered someone I love, I would certaintly want them dead.

On first instinct, it seems very clear cut that state sanctioned killing is wrong. It is the lack of rights for the victim that makes murder such a tragic crime. As for the idea of requiring two murder convictions before being put to death, I think it is a tragedy that we might allow a murderer who is incarcerated another chance to kill.

 

No Death Penalty-Period. How can the government or state have to right to determine someones fate. This sickens me!

 

Because those people decided to determine the fates of other people.

 

Hmmm, I think the government often determines or at least strongly influences a persons fate. Life imprisonment, IMO, is a determined fate. Alternately, many more people would suffer or go hungry if it were not for government programs, such as welfare and medicaid.

 

Yes, but they death penalty, of course, is permanent. Prisoners can appeal and get parolled and other such things. Even be set free far into their sentence after more investigation finds the guilty verdict was wrong.

Of course for rapists, murderers and the like, I always get the rush of wishing death on them, but it's too much...and for some, the truly guilty, I usually honestly feel it's too good.

I like to try and stick by my Christian views on this though...killing is just wrong. The death of anyone...that's in God's hands....That's my humble opinion.

 

Exactly, many serial killers and child molesters, or individuals with severe psychologial problems were abused as children or had some signifigant trauama early in life.

 

i don't know if someone's already pointed this out to you or not, but...


here in amerika we are innocent until proven guilty. not guilty until proven innocent. kay?

 

There are tens of thousands of violations of this commandment yearly in North America. Most are done by criminals who shoot people. A few dozen murders are committed by civil servants, who are employed by the state to kill inmates on death row with premeditation. Soldiers are often called upon to murder other humans, sometimes in self-defense, and other times in order to achieve a military objective. There are other biblical passages and a great deal of theological reasoning which have provided justification for the latter two actions.

Joshua and his army violated this commandment on numerous occasional as they marched through Canaan, apparently with God's approval. They were often ordered by God to commit genocide by killing every Pagan man, woman, youth, child, and newborn who lived in various cities of Canaan.

Some pacifist Christians take this commandment very seriously. They will not violate this commandment, even during times of war. Quakers, Mennonites and others are frequently able to volunteer for alternate service during wartime in order to conform to this commandment.

Historically, many Christian groups interpreted the Commandment as if it read "Thou shalt not murder people inside your group." The Christian Church has committed genocide many times in its history, exterminating such groups as the Cathars and Knights Templar. Starting in the late 15th century and continuing for 300 years, both Protestants and Roman Catholics rounded up heretics. "witches," and suspected Satan worshipers; the church executed many tens of thousands of them -- often by burning them alive. The Crusades against the Muslims are another indication of the misuse of this Commandment. Defenseless Jews and Muslims were massacred by the invading armies. In recent times, Serbian Orthodox Christians organized a major religiously-motivated genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina, largely against Muslims.

 

Life without parole is a suitable alternative. But Huck, why is life without parole not a suitable alternative to death, isn't life in prison proportionate to the crime and isn't it the exact opposite when those put on "death row" are forced to wait 2 or more years (they suffer more than the crime committed)? Honestly dude not only do I disagree with capital punishment in practice, but also in principle.

 

OK so you are saying that it is right.

 

Dubya murdered at least 100,000 innocent people in Iraq, and is still doing so.

I think the Death Penalty should be reserved for WAR CRIMINALS, torture murderers, serial killers, rapists, child molesters. I am usually pretty bleeding heart, but baby rapists cannot be rehabed and I DON'T WANT MY TAX MONEY keeping them alive. You get convicted of child molestation more than once, especially if there was murder or attempted murder involved, you get NO appeals, just the spike!

The main problem is that the poor and people of color are given the death penalty more often, for the same crimes that whites and the rich get life in prison.

We need to fix the system and then institute different Capital Crime laws.

NO ONE who tortures a child and then kills that child should get an other bite of food after sentencing, IMO.

 

I don't understand. Are you saying that sitting on Death Row for a few years is WORSE than being murdered? Please correct me if I misunderstood.

 

I do not oppose it in general, only how it is currently aqpplied. For most criminals that face death, life behind bars or rather death by the key is sufficent. This gives them all the time they need to appeal. Many of the people who got death sentances reduced as a result of Furman v. Georgia were eventually able to prove their innocence but would have been killed had they gone to their deaths.

There are some people though so dangerous that they can continue to be a threat to society, even behind bars. For persons that rape or murder other prisoners, terrorists and organized criminals who can net work with other fellons, and persons of such ability as to be able to overpower their captors and escape I have nothing against the death penalty for them. It's hard for authorities to catch the wrong people for doing those things anyway.

 

These numbers pale in comparison to the ~4000 unborn babies murdered every day.

Most religious and legal frameworks rightly distinguish between killing in self-defense (or defense of others) and murder.

Would you feel better if murder convicts were killed immediately upon sentencing, as Blackie has suggested?

 

I would feel better if they were not killed at all. What I'm saying is that the punishment becomes disproportionate when the criminal has to wait years before the sentence is carried out. Psychological torture to me is much like that of the physical kind, inhumane.

 

I wouldn't call it psychological torture. In fact, it's a grace to be given time to put one's affairs in order. Murder victims get no such warning.

 

That's exactly why I said after being convicted. Read much lately, becuase it is spoken plainly in the post you quoted me on.

Do you know how the legal system works? There is a trial to convict, then a seperate decision on sentancing.

 

How long does it for someone to get their affairs in order? I know murder victims get no warning Huck, I am saying that that is a more humane death than waiting for the state to murder the criminal. The 2 to 6 years spent on death row, by pre-meditated means, is nothing but torture. Surely, I mean what else would you do but think of that end which you know is coming, hoping that your appeal will work.