Very well put!

And quite funny if your remember the character Zippy and the catch phrase "Zippy is god on Tuesdays"!

 

It depends on how you look at it...Eye for an eye...It's always easy to play saint but would you feel the same way if it happens to you? Hmmmm!!!I think not!!!

 

Bit hard to look at it anyway if you have no eyes .

Eye for an eye, turn the other cheek, two wrongs don't make a right, pick your quote, pick your quote......

I don't think anyones playing saint here. And no one is denying that we'd want to rip the assailants heart out with our bare hands if it happened to someone close to us. But most of us are currently fortunate that we can examine events like this and evaluate them rationally and impartially.

What I'm saying is that the emotional gut reaction that someone who is personally involved experiences is not balanced, and does very little good for anyone. We are all also aware of the argument that capitol punishment will discourage the rational from killing, but it's not the rational that we're worried about is it. And the proof is that it's not really working is it!

So I for one can't support capitol punishment when it's ineffective and morally questionable. And in many ways destroys the very thing that may help us cure these disorders once and for all.

 

A couple of random points to be thrown in here.

A 17 year old student was stabbed inside the school grounds of Blackburn High School yesterday (that's 2 suburbs away from where I live in Melbourne). Note: 1 person only stabbed.

The only benefits of capital punishment are that it 100% reduces the risk of recidivism and saves the state the cost of incarceration. As a deterrent it has minimal effect.

Violence is not new - I have had knives pulled on me twice - once in the early 60s and once in the mid 70s.

Just have a look at some of the stuff on places like rotten.com and then tell me the next generation is going to be better than us.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 2kturkey
[B]A couple of random points to be thrown in here.

 

If you speed (well let's say 'drive recklessly') and hit someone, then someones dies. The fact that it isn't you shouldn't be any less of a discouragement.

Once again, we are talking about rational cause and effect. When one of these emotionally disturbed individuals goes on the rampage rational thinking is not a high priority.

 

Agree on the part of the disturb individuals.

I was just talking about other crimes in general and pertaining to the public with a sane(which is really relative, otherwise we wouldn't want to own an impractical sports car as an only car) mentality. So I am agreeing that capital have its deterrant effect in other situations.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by nwk00
[B]
Agree on the part of the disturb individuals.

 

When an innocent person is convicted, that is the fault of the court itself. Is executing an innocent person wrong? Yes, but so is putting an innocent person in prison...does that mean we should eliminate prison? Of course not. Capital punishment isn't really to blame for the execution of innocent people; that problem lies with the court system itself. Hypothetical situation...if no innocent person were ever convicted, then would CP be ok?

 

Yes, when they are put into certain situations. Not a doctor so I can't tell but I know some people that are not themselves when they get really angry.

That is also part of the reason why it takes some time to get a liscense to buy a gun, so that you don't go out immediately to get a gun and shoot somebody just because you are pissed off.(I learned this from a class I took 2 years ago when I was in university). It takes law to control sane people too when they get out of control.

[Edited by nwk00 on 03-07-2001 at 07:57 AM]