via NPR.org
I almost never get political, or even touch on heated topics, but I’m interested to see where you guys stand on this one…
There hasn’t been a federal execution since the Bush Administration in 2003. According to NPR.org, there is a growing national trend to sentence convicted criminals to death less often, and of course, there is heated debate on both sides of the issue. Some have put the topic on hold for the high costs, some for 8th Amendment concerns, and still others because there is a national shortage of the drug necessary to complete the process.
I found “The Quiet Revolution” incredibly interesting and an example of America’s [slowly] shifting views on social and political topics. What are your thoughts, either in general or after reading this article?
Even when living in the US I never had to really give my input into the matter because MA had abolished the death penalty long before I moved. France used to have the death penalty but that was quite a long time ago and I’m quite happy that it’s no longer an issue. I find it rather amazing that there are still people out there who think they somehow are morally better than criminals when sending people the death row, they’re not in the end. Of course one could argue that every single thing we do in our lives somehow will have an impact on someone else and send them, eventually, to their death but at least it’s not a conscious thing. As I like to say, we’re not here to play gods, one cannot say that taking someone else’s life is right no matter what their past is.
Again it probably has a lot to do with upbringing. I cannot also understand why would anyone want to own a gun and why they would be sold almost freely. I find that the “safety” excuse is rather stupid because if you feel so unsafe as to own a gun then perhaps you should change your environment to feel safer.
I live in NZ – no death penality – we’ve had at least three people in my lifetime imprisoned for substantial crimes that later they were declared innocent of an released – if we had had the death penality…. Then there was the convicted rapist who was set free and went straight out and raped and killed a young woman – he confessed completely – no doubt about his guilt whatsoever – in fact WANTED to go back to jail. Why should the public be responsible for paying for a self confessed murderer to live out his life at an, albeit extremely low budget, holiday camp. – On the fence I guess!
Against. Two reasons: too much of a risk that an innocent person without legal and financial resources will be executed and (2) “you killed someone and that’s a bad thing so we’re going to kill you.” Doesn’t make sense to me.
the whole thing makes me feel so uncomfortable that i’ve always been against it. i guess at the end of the day i can’t see how you justify in lowering yourself to the same level as a person deemed worthy of this punishment. no one really has the right to make that decision, no matter how fitting it might seem.
I live in Illinois where the death penalty finally abolished recently, and I’m really glad about it. There are so many reasons I am against the death penalty, but at the top of the list is the fact that our justice system is imperfect. And the thought of executing even a single innocent person is horrifying to me.