My main problem with the death penalty is this exactly:
> Imagine two criminals, one from the 1850's and one from now: > "You steal that horse and you'll be hanged by dinner time!" Well, I'll overlook the fact that you're comparing lynch mobs to a criminal court system, but okay... With our present system, as in the 1850s, many many many death penalty cases have been circumstantial or at best based on evidence that was not unimpeachable. "I" said you stole my horse. If I find enough people to agree with me (my posse) I can execute you for a crime you did not commit. Same thing today. How many cases in just the last two years, nationwide, have been thrown out because of new evidence techniques? DNA samples proving conclusively that the man convicted of the crime was not in fact the man that committed the crime. Home many have been found posthumously? > "You kill that guy and you'll spend two years in prison awaiting trial, 3 > years in appeals process before conviction, then another 10 on death row > then get a new trial based on missed DNA evidence." I would much rather have the retrials and make sure the DNA evidence is correct. If new evidence is found or a new way to decipher it is created, then by all means, re-analyze. > Just doesn't have the same stopping power. > > second, is "an eye for an eye". Leaves everyone blind and toothless... > The problem with this is that it's never equal. The death of a murderer > doesn't equate to the death of a family, for example. True > Personally, for the real monsters amongst us, I don't see anything wrong > with a little cruel and unusual punishment. Doesn't meting out "punishment" in this way debase society as a whole? > But I simply don't see a > relatively peaceful death as a very harsh punishment. It's particulary harsh to the "criminal" railroaded into a conviction... -- will "If my life weren't funny, it would just be true; and that would just be unacceptable." - Carrie Fisher ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Sams Teach Yourself Regular Expressions in 10 Minutes by Ben Forta http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=40 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:148972 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
