Oklahoma execution

At least you are consistent. I once was a big proponent of the death penalty, but not so much anymore. I think spending life in prison would be much worse than death. They should get an especially bad part of prison with no access to anything but bread and water. No outside contact with TV or visitors..

However, I will be extremely angered if we bow to UN pressure to ban what should be a states rights issue.
 
Not really because of one big difference. Abortion kills the innocent and the death penalty kills the guilty.
 
I think the point of chango's Jesus reference was to the effect that this is a largely christian country and he preached loving your fellow man and, most importantly, forgiveness. He also used a metaphor about turning your cheek to one who struck one side of your face. So if one is a follower of Jesus one would be more inclined to forgive the rapist murderer and if carried to its extreme in the teaching of Jesus, hand over some more victims.

I don't pretend to understand exactly what Jesus was trying to say and perhaps he was preaching a Ghandian ethics where you willingly die rather than retaliate.

I don't want to live in a society like that because it would be a purely big-ones-eat-the-little-ones world and the scum would always rise to the top.

I do respect the sentiment however. I just don't indulge it myself

Torturing people while executing them is pretty terrible and should not be condoned. But keep in mind that the purpose of lethal injection was to lessen the cruelty and chances of pain. I have yet to learn why the state, in its infinite wisdom, can't just inject the murderer with an overdose of morphine and make his last moment one of joy.

As for life imprisonment, I have no problem with it and would suggest that a cell with The Complete Montaigne and basic cable would be a good way to treat the condemned to life prisoner. No Longhorn Network.
 
Like most anti-Christian liberals, he is spouting off his left wing interpretation. Forgiveness does not mean he is not punished. To be true to that particular instruction, he should be forgiven for his act whether his punishment is life or death. Foregiveness and punishment are mutually exclusive.
 
Condemned convicted killers typically live another 12-15 years after they are sentenced. The trial and sentencing typically comes, I am guessing here, 3-5 years after the actual crime .
So by the time the actual execution date comes around the real victim has long since been forgotten and the convicted killer easily becomes the victim in many people's minds.
 
I think DNA evidence has come a long way to preventing this.

When there is overwhelming proof, do it as soon after the trial as possible.

If not overwhelming evidence, but still convicted by a jury of their peers, give them life in prison.
 
I'm not opposed to the death penalty on any moral grounds. I just think it's an easy out for the convicted compared to life in prison and it certainly doesn't seem to be a deterrent to most violent offenders.

I know overcrowding is an issue, but instead of building more prisons I would like to see the existing ones reserved for the violent offenders. Do away with the country club prisons and put the white collar criminals and non-violent offenders back into society in a monitored environment to repay their debt and contribute something, instead of being housed at the taxpayers expense.

Maybe that's being too idealistic, but what they have now isn't working very well.
 
You are correct, not exactly what I meant. There are cases where people are convicted based mostly on overwhelming circumstantial evidence, but no "eye witness, smoking gun." I know often suspects do not have adequate counsel or juries just get it wrong. There could be a secondary check on the jury's penalty, not verdict.

Then you have cases where the police have the suspect holding the weapon, covered in blood with witnesses present. Those are the ones I am speaking of. When there is no doubt what happened, get it over with quickly.
 

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