Matthew on 2/7/2008 at 16:33
But just think, if we had kept it going your nation would never have been given the kickstart of emigration! :p
Starrfall on 2/7/2008 at 16:51
Quote Posted by Thirith
True, but the change in opinion in such cases is usually based more on emotions than on reason.
I don't think opinions reached with a blind eye to facts are based on reason.
I made a
statement of fact about the child's injuries and got an accusation of trying to enrage people. How is it rational to make a blanket statement of "all human life should be valued" without looking at what these particular humans actually did?
edit: Or maybe the real complaint is that I used the F word instead of saying "the manner in which the defendant repeatedly inserted his penis into the 8 year old's vagina was so violent that it resulted in resulted in internal damage severe enough to required emergency surgery."
Epos Nix on 2/7/2008 at 16:58
It's hard to punish a man for a crime when he's dead.
I say castrate the fucker.... with an ice cream scoop :mad:
Thirith on 2/7/2008 at 17:00
Because either the law holds itself to a higher standard or it doesn't. If punishment for crimes is based on "an eye for an eye", then every killer would have to be killed, every rapist would have to be raped. What about people who have killed more than one person? How do you kill them more than once? Do you take circumstances into consideration, and if so, to what extent?
Personally, I think it's more useful to do what you can to understand why someone has committed a heinous crime than to kill them. Sure, in most cases it may be impossible to understand, but you won't know unless you try. As I doubt that anyone who would fuck a child to death is deterred by the death penalty, I'd have to say that the only reason to put such a person to death is retribution. In which case, as I said, I'd prefer that person to spend the rest of their life in prison while doctors and psychiatrists try to find out what contributed to them committing these crimes.
SD on 2/7/2008 at 17:07
Quote Posted by WAREAGLE
Life sentences are economically infeasible. If the person is going to die in jail, just bump them off and save the money it would take keeping them alive.
Cost should not be an issue when you are determining what is just. So what if it's a little more expensive to keep someone alive than it is to kill them; if keeping them alive is the right thing to do, then the expense is an irrelevancy.
Quote Posted by Epos Nix
...and sometimes people sentenced to die are later found out to be innocent.
Obama himself got (
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/12/america/NA-POL-US-Obama-Death-Penalty.php) 13 innocent people freed in Illinois. Whatever his opinion these days, an act like that deserves much love.
Quote Posted by Starrfall
I made a
statement of fact about the child's injuries and got an accusation of trying to enrage people. How is it rational to make a blanket statement of "all human life should be valued" without looking at what these particular humans actually did?
I don't care whether a person anally raped the entire cast of
Annie then bludgeoned them all to death with Miss Hannigan's beer bottles - no person has the right to end his life. Period.
Starrfall on 2/7/2008 at 17:22
I disagree!
I think we're allowed to though, so it's ok.
Muzman on 2/7/2008 at 17:44
Magnanimity: much easier when your point of view is the one currently on the books.
;)
Stitch on 2/7/2008 at 18:08
Quote Posted by Starrfall
But I also think a large number of the people who are against it are people who have the luxury of a life of isolation from and desensitization to violent crime. And I think if they gave more thought to the actual ramifications of such crimes they would be more willing to accept the death penalty in serious cases. And I think that having a child is one of the things that often makes people give these things more thought.
what the fuck is this shit
Starrfall on 2/7/2008 at 18:37
A call for people who say the death penalty is never acceptable to actually think about what is being punished before they do so. It's really quite simple!
Stitch on 2/7/2008 at 19:04
Your argument is horrible and you should be ashamed.
