From: Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: EU Warns Iraq It Faces 'Last Chance' Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 15:57:49 -0800 (PST)
--- "John D. Giorgis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: John D. Giorgis wrote: > >John D. "Kill Iraqis, Not Babies" Giorgis :) > > Legal Notice: The above signature file which some > people may find highly > offensive is to be interpreted solely in the > nonoffensive manner intended > by the author - i.e. a statement in support of > government policies to carry > out the death penalty for brutal repressive > dictators and the ending of > government funding for abortions.
What is your position on the death penalty - i.e., is it morally justifiable or not? (I'm asking because no-one responded to my much-earlier question on this topic.)
My personal opinion is that it is justifiable for the state to execute persons who have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt to have committed heinous crimes; the (past?) problem with the death penalty is that it has fallen disproportionately on the poor/non-white, with less-than-reasonable evidence.
Debbi who still wants to be a charter member of CQBHRA ;)
I didn't see your original question, but I'll answer this one. :)
(Don't be offended... I sometimes skip threads if I don't think I'm going to be interested or have anything meaningful to contribute.) :)
I'm of two minds on the subject.
My predominant opinion matches something I once heard Dennis MIller say, which is that the Death Penalty is society's way of telling someone that the crime they have committed is so awful, so terrible and so horrific that the rest of us have decided it's time for them to go. 'Sorry, we just can't share the same planet. That's the way it's gotta be.'
However, my conscience has forced me to vote against pro-death penalty candidates in the past. I do honestly believe that in some rare cases capital punishment is appropriate. But an impartial jury needs to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that your defendant committed the crime s/he was accused of and that s/he can't be rehabilitated. Is the defendent still a clear threat to people? It seems these questions are rarely considered these days and therein lies my personal concern about the system. I know that life is messy. Sometimes you can't be certain. But I do believe that often, we could try harder to track down the truth.
Texas was barbecuing their criminals (okay, okay... it's an awful choice of words) on a regular basis while GWB was governor. I can't imagine that all those people really deserved to be put to death for their crimes. And, as you said, the disproportionate numbers of nonwhite poor who are given the death penalty is also a concern.
And then you have OJ, who's scouring golf courses all over the South looking for the 'real killers'.
Jon
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