High Court Ends Death Penalty for Youths

[Harlock]

Actually, Happychem, I don't feel I am living in a world of fear at all. In fact, I am quite hopeful. I believe in life after death. I believe in the benevolence of God. I also believe in justice. I also know locks mean nothing to a determined evil.

I also agree with you on the point of bullying. It's evil. I actually feel our school systems are a little too much like our penal systems in some ways, mostly because of people caring more about their careers than their kids.

I have to ask this though; are you married and do you have children? I think these two things can totally color how you look at the world for the rest of your life. I am responsible for my family. I know how innocent a five year old is. I truly believe anyone who harms a child is evil. I don't mean Lord of the Rings Sauron evil, or wicked witch of the west fairy tale evil. I mean evil to their core. Tainted. Not reformable, not like "normal" people, but irrevocably dangerous in the extreme. Also, as a survivor of childhood incest, I am quite aware of how it can happen to anyone. So, while you may think I live in fear, I find that I live in precaution. You think the things I mentioned are necessary, and I gave you that, I said they are necesary evils. I also happen to think exterminating sick, twisted, evil people happens to be necessary too.

 

[slipknottin]

IMO, apparently our courts and goverment have no idea when people should be responsible, 16 to drive (well 16 1/2) 18 to vote and join the military, 21 to drink and gamble.

Just seems that they dont agree on anything....

 

[aquariumfishguy]

As I already stated, who cares about the effectiveness of the death penalty?
And don't petend that you didn't expect this kind of reaction especially when you called those of us who support it as "close to being apes".

I called apes to those who enacted the death penalty in the first place. The “average citizen” who support it matters ZIP, ZERO, … you get the point. I could care less how you feel about the death penalty, just as you could care less how I feel. And why? Because it doesn’t matter what we think, we have no say in the system at this point.

Yes, I find the death penalty barbaric. It is considered “wrong” in about every conceivable way to go and shoot the man, who kills your daughter, but the government has the right to take his life, and it is supposed to then be “ethical”? HELLO – let’s think for ourselves people.

If you don’t have the heart to kill the b@stard who kills your family member, why should the government? What makes it right? If you want to live with the fact that you killed someone in the name of "an eye for an eye", that’s your business. But please, lets reconsider the government’s involvement in this, since after all... thousands are killed via a death sentence when they are in fact innocent.

PS: sarcasm should have been detected in this. I do not support killing someone who wrongs you, and am glad the government enforces our rights and personal protection. I just find the death penalty a mockery of our “American justice”. That’s all!

 

[reiverix]

I believe some crimes are so terrible that they should 'do away with' the perpetrator. But...you can't justify executing one innocent because you executed a million guilty persons. So that's why I'd rather just have them locked up for life with no parole.

I think they just passed that law in New Mexico yesterday.

 

[FL Knifemaker]

I wish I didn't have so much work to get done. If you read about some guy that exploded in Lakeland Fl, it was me trying to contain my thoughts!! LOL!!!

 

[Harlock]

I called apes to those who enacted the death penalty in the first place. The “average citizen” who support it matters ZIP, ZERO, … you get the point. I could care less how you feel about the death penalty, just as you could care less how I feel. And why? Because it doesn’t matter what we think, we have no say in the system at this point.

Still, I would never have responded to the news article. I only chose to respond because of the "ape" comment.

Yes, I find the death penalty barbaric. It is considered “wrong” in about every conceivable way to go and shoot the man, who kills your daughter, but the government has the right to take his life, and it is supposed to then be “ethical”? HELLO – let’s think for ourselves people.

The reason it is wrong for me to go shoot someone that killed my daughter is because he has the right to a trial. I won't deny any man that. That's why we have investigations and trials, to help ensure that what the government does to him is justified.

If you don’t have the heart to kill the b@stard who kills your family member, why should the government? What makes it right? If you want to live with the fact that you killed someone in the name of "an eye for an eye", that’s your business. But please, lets reconsider the government’s involvement in this, since after all... thousands are killed via a death sentence when they are in fact innocent.

Oh, if I ever caught someone in the act of hurting any member of my family, I would kill that person in a heartbeat. I am not a violent person. I don' even watch R-rated movies because I find the violence (among other things, to be fair) appalling. But trust me, if I was 100% certain someone had done something to a family member, and there were no laws to land me in prison for taking their life (which would take me away from my other family, so you can see it's not a good thing) would have no compunction what so ever in snuffing that life and sending that person on to their maker. Barbarism? No. Justice.

PS: sarcasm should have been detected in this. I do not support killing someone who wrongs you, and am glad the government enforces our rights and personal protection. I just find the death penalty a mockery of our “American justice”. That’s all!

Sarcasm never does well over the internet. It's a bit too subtle and no one really knows you well enough to decipher it over such an anonymous medium. I am also glad the government does what it can to protect us. I happen to think the elimination of molesters, rapists and murderers is a better use of my taxes than keeping such people alive for three hots and a cot. Also, don't hide ebhind the "what we think doesn' matter" argument. We vote. Thousands of brave men died for us to have that right. If you really feel our opinion doesn't matter, why continue to argue?

 

[aquariumfishguy]

Still, I would never have responded to the news article. I only chose to respond because of the "ape" comment.

I'm glad I was able to clear things up for you. I shared my opinion, I layed out how I feel, and that is all that this post is worth. It isn't worth restating how we feel, or why.

 

[happychem]

Harlock, I think that our views may not be so far apart after all. I didn't mean to say that I think that you personally live in a world of fear, just that it's something that I see infecting our societies. It's my own "fear" I suppose that fear infects us all to the point that people are constantly suspicious of the person next to them.

I also agree that some people "deserve" death, perhaps there are even situations where I think I could even be the one to carry out the sentence, but I agree with reiverix, I'm not willing to sacrifice even one innocent person. I also think that often the debate around the issue is far too emotional, and that never leads to a good debate, usually just to hurt feelings and busy moderators.

I don't like the word evil though, nor the extent to which it's used. I do believe that evil exists in man, and there are some truly evil people, you named a perfect example of one, but I think that it's used too often to encite peoples' passions. It's too easy to fall into the "black and white" world when we know deep down that it's shades of gray.

 

[greeneyedlady]

Personally I think we should bring back public hangings, some of those barbarians on death row have no remorse for the heinous crimes they committed and they should limit how many times they can appeal their sentence, like 3 times and you are out

 

[tomm10]

I don't consider myself a deeply religious person. I was raised Catholic and have my set of religious beliefs but you're wasting your time saving my a seat next to you in church on Sunday. I do still have some very fundamental, very deep beliefs. One of them is a cornerstone Christian belief that the only being who may judge any soul is God. Another is that this 200lb human suit I'm wearing is a loaner. It doesn't belong to me and I have no right to do anything destructive to it or anyone elses.

Based on those two beliefs alone I cannot possibly support any form of the death penalty. Obviously for the sake of a society we must have a trial system and determine guilt or innocence over criminal acts but I think you have to stop short of a value judgement which is what the death penalty is. When you sentence a person to death you deem them unsaveable, worthless to humanity. Accepting the facts that the death penalty is not a deterent, you are also committing an act of vengence, pure and simple. More critically the death penalty extinguishes a life that you hold no authority over.

Now, if you're an atheist or your beliefs are different and allow for this I guess its back to those debatable arguments over the deterent factor/innocents executed/expense, etc. of the death penalty versus life in prison. If you're a Christian though I just don't understand how you can support the death penalty and still be a Christian.