Do you oppose the death penalty?

[Lefty48197]

I do. I always have.
My main argument against it is that you can't correct your mistake, after you've put somebody to death. It's final, and if you make a mistake, and put an innocent person to death, then you too are guilty of murder. Right?
There is no doubt that innocent people have been put to death in this country, and I have no reason to believe that our justice system can prevent such an occurrence in the future.
In spite of that, there are times when I temporarily become a death penalty supporter. Well not a "death penalty supporter", but I sure as hell support putting certain people to death. People like Tim McVeigh, or Osama Bomb Laden. David Berkowitz and Mark David Chapman.
Gacy, Dahmer, Ng, Williams. We seem to average about one per year.
Every once in awhile, one of those freaks comes along and does something that makes me want them dead. Period.
No thoughts of Liberalism. No thoughts of un-correctable mistakes. I just want them dead.
Such is the case with the guy who murdered that young girl in Florida this week.
Oh, I'll go back to being a death penalty opponent soon enough, but first...

[movonne]

1. I oppose the death penalty because it is unfair..if you are rich

you will never get the death penalty...ergo O.J.

[MrSlayer]

2. No, I support it.

Said why 8 billion times on here already.

[RoeBear]

3. I gotta say that I'm with you on this one...

...justice is supposed to be blind but she sure seems to kill alot of black men. Regardless of the fact that I am against the death penalty I wouldn't lift a finger to stop it from being applied to that monster in Florida.

[Mattforclark]

4. Yes, and there is no reason to even have to resort to any principles

The burden of "proof" lies squarely on the pro-DP side, and there is simply nothing, other than revenge.

Besides anything else, the DP punishes INNOCENT family members/friends of the executee. Psychological torture.

[Coventina]

5. My philosophy on the death penalty

Short version: I am against it.

Longer explanation: Some people deserve to die for what they have done. In a "perfect" world, people would always get what they deserve. BUT since this is NOT a perfect world, mistakes are made, people are mis-identified, some people are framed, some people commit atrocities for which there are extenuating circumstances (mental illness, brain damage, abusive situations). The list of "gray areas" is a mile long.

As a society, it is BETTER to err on the side of caution and mercy.

I understand that on a PERSONAL level, if one of my loved ones was murdered, you bet I would want vengeance. I would want them to be put to death in the most cruel way possible. But this is precisely WHY we have a justice system, to take crime and justice out of the "personal" arena. It is not always fair. I know that I would yell and scream for blood.

Civilization needs to guard against personal vengeance, because that would tear society apart. And it would be hoped, that if we can choose mercy and forbearance collectively, that it will help to build those traits individually.

As Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye leaves the world blind."

[DrWeird]

6. I'm against the death penalty. Except for famous cases.

Yes, if it's on TV then I say we should pull out all the stops for sweeps weeks and apply the death penalty to everybody accused in the court of public opinion.

Because they didn't have TV when the founding fathers wrote the constitution. But every clear thinking person would know that they'd be in favor of lynching that guy who killed that florida girl right this instant.

And then there's Jesus, who was clearly against the death penalty in his day. But he didn't have Court TV to tell him who was with or without sin.

So I say kill them all. The courts need more phony rage nowadays.

[iamjoy]

11. Death Penalty

I'm not opposed to the death penalty in theory, but in practice, it just doesn't work.

I heard that in Texas (TEXAS) if you are accused of a crime and can not afford legal counsel the state provides $1,000 for your defense. No, I didn't leave off a few zeros - one-thousand dollars (U.S.)

It horrifies me that we have likely executed innocent people. I even question whether it was necessary to execute some body like Karla Faye Tucker who had obviously reformed.

But there are some criminals who are so dangerous, prison isn't enough to contain them. These are the ones we should execute.

[brainwashed_youth]

7. against it

but it is not the biggest issue to me. I have no desire to stand up for monsters like that one who killed that girl in Sarasota or Timothy McVeigh

[Cleita]

8. I do think people like the man who murdered that eleven

year old girl in Florida should get the death penalty. But then like you say, unless you are a hundred percent sure, he did it you shouldn't, and there is no way for anyone to know unless there were witnesses who saw the killing who all agree on what they saw.

Also, the poor and disadvantaged get executed, not the rich or powerful. So, until justice becomes fair and equal, I don't think we should exercise the death penalty.

Guys like this should get life without parole or any other possibilities of freedom in the future other than finding out that they really weren't the killer.

Also, why aren't we putting these predators away somewhere where they can't hurt innocent children? This guy had priors and should have been locked up in a mental facility for life long before this happened.

[bigwillq]

9. I believe in the death penalty

in most cases. I think malicious murder that included rape or sexual assault as well as murder of anyone under 17 which was malicious and or sexual in nature should automatically get the DP. I feel there should be a 2 year waiting period for an appeal (just in case the person was wrongly convicted) and then the killer should be killed.


I don't believe in the DP for accidential murder or when some one kills someone in a car accident.



edit: Changed a word in the first paragaraph. Added the second graph.

[Exgeneral]

10. My main argument: it didn't stop any murders today

That little girl in Florida, where they light up murderers regularly.
Is she any less dead because of capital punishment?

[Cleita]

16. If he gets the death penalty, and I'm not sure he should,

he would certainly never be able to repeat the offence if he were allowed to go free again. This is about the only positive thing I can say about the death penalty.

[ohiosmith]

12. For it. Should be the only punishment for any/all crimes. The only

difference would be the application. Less serious crimes such as jay walking or swearing in a public place would allow for a quick painless death. Heinous crimes like armed robbery, murder, and stealing cable TV would call for slow painful demise.

The equal application of justice is the essence of civilized society.

[smirkymonkey]

15. LOL...

What do you suggest for something REALLY heinous, like say, protesting the war or speaking out against the government???

Some crimes are so vile, that the death penalty is too good for those who commit them. ;)

[Native]

13. Yes, vehemently

because
1) it has been proven that it is NOT a deterrent (hundreds of studies have been done);
2) innocent people have been put to death (100 people on death row in this country have been found to be innocent, twenty-two in the last three years);
3) it costs more to execute someone than to incarcerate them for life (there have been hundreds of studies done concerning the cost of the death penalty - and not one of them proves that the death sentence saves money);
4) free representation SUCKS (capital defendants are given attorneys who fail to investigate, who fall asleep during trial or come into court drunk, attorneys barely out of law school, or attorneys who say nothing when their client's life is on the line. Too many states encourage this malpractice by offering totally inadequate pay and resources for death penalty defense. States allow elected judges to pick attorneys not on the basis of experience or merit but because they will cause the least "trouble" in trying the case); and, finally, but not least,
5) racial disparities in federal death penalty prosecutions are rife.

I ASK YOU, CAN THE SYSTEM BE TRUSTED?

[RoeBear]

19. I feel exactly the same as you, and yet...

..this guy in Florida could hang by his balls til he dies and I wouldn't pick up a phone to help him.

[if it comes from the whitehouse it must be true]

14. Needs of the many, out weigh the needs of the few

Have mistakes been made, sure.

You people who believe that "only in certain cases" are hypocrites.

[TexasMexican]

17. I support the death penalty

but I think more white and female murderers need to be put to death aswell.

[Straight Shooter]

18. I have worked within the criminal "justice" system and I oppose it

I have my reasons, but basically it can be summed up as poor vs. rich and black vs. white on the scales of justice.

May those who support the death penalty never find themselves in the position of being a poor, black defendant on the stand who is facing judgment by a panel of mostly white, educated jurors, the so-called "jury of your peers."

The system is so flawed it's almost laughable.

[stilpist]

20. Yes. Even for Bush* n/t

[Bluerthanblue]

21. isn't it a little hypocritical

to KILL someone as punishment for them killing???

There is a big difference between killing another person while fighting to save your life, and premeditated murder, by lethal injection, hanging, electric chair- or what have you.

Kind of like slapping your kids around while shouting "I TOLD YOU NOT TO HIT!!!"

While ending someones life may be much more 'humane' for some folks- (living with your guilt, every day of your life, which DOES happen to some,) is often far more painful than having your life ended.



"Live Free Or Die; Death Is Not The Worst Of Evils."

[Native]

23. Thanks for this...

I was going to add this argument to my list, but then I figured I'd have to segue into the whole morality issue of it all, and I just didn't have the strength to go there. Thanks for putting my thoughts to words.

[arewethereyet]

28. criminal justice punishment phase is about depriving rights

could be the right to have that money that represents a fine, could be the right to be free for those 30 days or thirty years. could be the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Its the only just punishment for some crimes.

[maggrwaggr]

22. I'm with you. I want this guy dead.

Other than that I'm against the death penalty. But child killers who are red-handed, well, they just don't deserve to live.

[LeahMira]

24. Absolutely... for what it does to us

In spite of that, there are times when I temporarily become a death penalty supporter. Well not a "death penalty supporter", but I sure as hell support putting certain people to death.

Well, I think we all have times when it's really hard to stand behind our principles. That's kind of human nature, don't you think?

At the same time, if we can't manage to grit our teeth, hold our noses, close our eyes, and just follow our principles no matter how hard it is this time, are those statements we make really our principles?

I oppose the death penalty for a lot of the same reasons that others have mentioned, but also I oppose it for what it does to us. I wonder if we would be such a violent society in general if we weren't able to somehow convince ourselves that some people "deserve" to be executed.

[patriotvoice]

25. Yes, I oppose capital punishment

From a legal standpoint
We agree to live in (and reap the benefits of) Society in exchange for adhering to a Society-wide code of conduct. Our American code of conduct (starting with Constitution and evolving through the process of stare decisis) specifically grants equal application of the law, and as such, ensures that for the same violation the same penalty results. We call this "social justice."

Now, Justice may be blind, but it is certainly not infallible. There is an expectation (and indeed "law") that if Justice makes a mistake, Justice remunerates the punished. It follows then that all punishments must be reversible, which is not the case for capital punishment.


From a spiritual and moral standpoint
I harmonize with Jefferson when, in the Declaration of Independence, he stated that "... (all men) are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life...."

I also believe that what is given by one cannot morally be taken by another, and consequently, that which the Creator gave can only morally be taken by the Creator.

Loosely, "God" created me and only "God" may destroy me. Strictly, my parents created me and only my parents may destroy me. In either case, the State did not create me and cannot, therefore, destroy me.


"Punishment is the word that breaks the hearts of little girls;
tied up with these strings, no more time for innocent dreams." - Endanger

[beanball]

26. Man can't create life ,who gave him the right to take it away?

"Thou shall not kill(murder) saith the Lord",thats good enough for me.

[arewethereyet]

27. thou shalt do no murder, not thou shalt not kill

there is a difference. murder is the taking of innocent life. Like murdering that child that was captured on the video. killing encompasses self defense, war and capital punishment.

if you want an effective quote use 'let he who is without sin cast the first stone'.