How about limiting the death penalty to only those who believe in it?

[Cyrano]

I believe the death penalty is legalized homicide. Life in prison without any chance of parole is sufficient punishment for even the most heinous serial murderer.

Like most, I'd like to see these monsters killed in the same way they murdered their victims. But in holding that wish, what would make me different from them? Yes, If someone close to me was murdered, I'd want to watch the murderer tortured to death. But a desire for revenge and being a member of a civilized society are incompatible.


I can't explain why more Republicans are in favor of the death penalty than Dems. Are they more blood thirsty than we are? I don't know. (But I doubt it's a coincidence that more black people are on death row than whites.)

And I do know that we are the last western democracy that still has the death penalty on the books. The others are content with a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole. So what does that say about us, a country in which far too many people insist on wearing their religion of their sleeves (not to mention their bumper stickers)?

[elehhhhna]

1. So simple. Sublime.

[elehhhhna]

2. dupe. Nom'd

[meganmonkey]

3. Very thought-provoking post, Cyrano

It shocks me how many people here at DU support the death penalty, even just for very specific things. It seems to me it should be an all-or-nothing thing. I am completely anti-death penalty. How can we possibly let our emotional reactions override our rational understanding for true justice? It is completely hypocritical, IMO.

And as for the country as a whole? In serious need of soul-searching. Out national psyche seems to get satisfaction from killing, we legitimize it and celebrate it.

And we call ourselves 'civilized'. :shrug:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

4. I will go as far as to say that I don't want the death penalty for them,

either.

I do not believe in it on any account.

The death penalty is state sactioned murder, and it places the notion into the collective conscience that murder on some level is ok, which it isn't. We have to stop this cycle of condoning death, in this most homicidal industrialized nation on this planet. We were founded on violence and that energy has continued throughout our history. Shouldn't we be more evolved by now?

[seabeyond]

5. or limiting abortion to only those that dont see it as sin

workin for me

[seabeyond]

6. they would have to live by honor system though.

and the good christian they are,..... i am sure we could trust them

:sarcasm:

[Yupster]

12. I wish they'd limit

no seatbelt tickets to only those who think seatbelts should be mandatory.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. Republicans are the Power Party, Democratics are the Truth Party

Why are Republicans more likely to favor the death penalty?

Republicans are ruthless about power. That breeds coldness. It also reduces interest in the truth.

Republicans are more reactionary. For all their protestations about "kneejerk liberals", they are more kneejerk than most people.

Republicans are less educated in general, statistically. Lots of Cargo Cult Republicans who vote against their own best interests.

Republicans are more bloodthirsty. They are more likely to like guns and violence.

Republicans are more likely to be or to consider themselves to be white and male. Thus they are less likely to have experienced prejudice. Thus they consider the legal system less flakey than non-Republicans.

Republicans are more likely to come from favored circumstances and thus have had more advantages and breaks in their education and careers. Thus they are less likely to consider family and class background as mitigating circumstances.

Republicans are more like to be fire-and-brimstone christians. Thus they are more likely to judge others harshly.

I could go on....

[TorchTheWitch]

8. I always found it bizarre

that it is ok to kill a person because that person killed a person.

[Cyrano]

9. Hi, TorchThe Witch: I just gotta love your analysis.

If it's okay to kill a person who killed a person, shouldn't we kill that person who killed the person who killed a person ... ad infinitum?

"A rose is a rose is a rose". And killing is killing is killing.

The term you used, "bizarre," is so, so appropriate.

I've always wondered if there are beings who live on planets where the inhabitants are sane.

[TorchTheWitch]

13. Exactly

It defies all logic. Apparently, killing a person is such a bad thing that there is no other appropriate punishment than for the person who killed a person to be killed. :crazy:

It's state sanctioned murder based on a gut-reaction law. Look, just like most people when I hear about a particularly heinous crime, my gut-reaction toward the criminal says, "hang 'em", "twist off their limbs and beat them to death with them", "off with their head", etc. But since I'm not a barbarian, I understand that this is a gut-reaction response, and that logical, intelligent, humane people do not do to someone the same thing that they are to be punished for and pretend that it's acceptable justice.

We have no other law that advocates doing to someone the same thing that they are to be punished for doing... we do not legally burglarize people as punishment for their crime of burglary, we do not legally rape people as punishment for their crime of rape, we do not legally assault people as punishment for their crime of assault... because we recognize that this would be unacceptable gut-reaction justice suitable only in a barbaric society. So why in the world do we legally kill people as punishment for the crime of killing someone?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Only as long as death row conversions are allowed.

Killing people for revenge (or, for almost any other reason other than immediate self-defense) is barbarism.

[Cyrano]

11. Agreed. And it may be a few hundred years before others recognize

that we were living in a dark age, while touting our greatness, purity, and devotion to " ... life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."