Opinions on the death penalty?

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Permalink Reply by Chris G on December 8, 2010 at 3:37am

The originator of wikileaks has been called a terrorist.

Since killing terrorists is legal should Julian Assange the originator of wikileaks be assassinated?

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Permalink Reply by Louis on December 8, 2010 at 3:42am

I'm against killing defenseless people. Even if that person is objectively evil, once they are defenseless killing them is either murder or revenge; I'm comfortable with neither.

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Permalink Reply by TK on December 7, 2010 at 9:06pm

There are very real and serious flaws with the death penalty and the justice system as a whole. Given that, there have been innocent people put to death at the hands of the state, and there will continue to be. Given that, I can not support the death penalty. No government should be entrusted with the power to decide whether their citizens live or die. Also, our rights to life, liberty, and property are not granted to us by our government. They are inherent.

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Permalink Reply by Louis on December 7, 2010 at 9:25pm

Innocents being murdered by the state is enough for me for oppose it. The thought is obscene.

Whenever an innocent is murdered by the state the executing judge and jury should be tried for manslaughter.

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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on December 7, 2010 at 9:33pm

By the wonders of focused google ads.... relevant to this topic.

Oppose the Death Penalty for Troy Davis

Troy Davis has faced execution three times for a crime he may not have committed. In an unprecedented evidentiary hearing held in a federal district court in Savannah, Georgia in June, 2010, he was able to present evidence supporting his innocence claim. However, the standard for proving his innocence was “extraordinarily high”, especially given the lack of physical and scientific evidence in his case. The federal judge ruled that he did not meet the high standard, despite the fact that doubts about his guilt remain unresolved. While this ruling may be appealed, it is more important than ever that we continue to let Georgia authorities know that we oppose any effort to execute Troy Davis. Sign the petition today!

Petition is on the web link. I don't know if petitions are paid attention to or matter. We can opine, but taking action is more... something.

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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on December 9, 2010 at 10:10pm

By the way, I signed the petition here.  It would be ironic (and I maybe untrue) if one of the few in this discussion, who isn't fully anti-death penalty, is the only one who has done a tiny bit to prevent an execution....  

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Permalink Reply by Joe Eversole on December 7, 2010 at 9:28pm

While there is alot if evidence of wrongfully convicted people getting released from prison from DNA evidence, I am not convinced that doing away with capital punishment is the way to go. I'm very afraid that if the death penalty is taken away that people will become even bolder in crimes knowing that the only thing that could happen is life in prison 

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Permalink Reply by TK on December 7, 2010 at 11:25pm

I highly doubt that the death penalty is the real deterrent. More then likely the deterrent is in the risk of death while committing the crime. The rationale probably doesn't go, "I shouldn't do that because they will execute me if I get caught." It's probably more like, "there isn't a real risk of me dying while I shoot this person" ,or "I know they have a gun, so I'm not going to rob them."

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Permalink Reply by Michael Black on December 7, 2010 at 11:45pm

Prison sucks! I had the wonderful opportunity of working as a corrections officer for a year. I can guarantee you that no one wants to spend their life in prison, with the exception of those that have been in there so long that they become afraid of trying to survive in the outside world. I think a POW concentration camp is the only alternative lousier than prison.

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Permalink Reply by Louis on December 8, 2010 at 3:33am

Demonstrably untrue. If the death penalty was a deterrent, Texas would have the lowest violent crime rate in the country. Incidentally, it does not.

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Permalink Reply by Chris G on December 8, 2010 at 3:48am

HOUSTON — The death penalty went on trial Monday in Texas, a state where more prisoners are executed every year than in any other and where exonerations of people on death row occur with surprising regularity.


"the Supreme Court had already ruled that the risk of an innocent person might be executed did not make the death penalty unconstitutional. He also said Mr. Green had no standing to challenge the law, since he had yet to be convicted."

Repeat:
"The Supreme Court had already ruled that the risk of an innocent person might be executed did not make the death penalty unconstitutional."


Mr. Green had no standing to challenge the law, since he had yet to be convicted.

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Permalink Reply by Chris G on December 8, 2010 at 3:10am

Atheists should understand Pascals wager yet still bet against it.
Your chances of being convicted of murder and sentenced to death is higher than Pascals wager.

For information about wrongful convictions see the Innocence Project.

It's estimated that 8% of people on death row are innocent.

The governor of Illinois, George Ryan commuted all death sentences and placed a moratorium on execution until the judicial system is reviewed.

Why do Conservatives think government doesn't work, but know the judicial system is the best thing in the world?

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