Are you for, or against the death penalty?

[FORD]

Two men were executed tonight. One in Texas, the other in Georgia.

pRick Perry enjoys killing people far too much, just like his predecessor, the Chimp did, but I'll give him this one. Lawrence Russell Brewer was one of the Ku Klux Klan fuckwits who chained up a black man named James Byrd to the back of their truck, and dragged him to death down a gravel road until his body literally fell apart. When somebody is clearly guilty, and commits such a horrible crime, obviously motivated by nothing more than hatred of a man for the amount of pigment in his skin, I say kill the piece of shit and let Satan have him.

The other death is far more troubling. Troy Davis was convicted of killing an off duty police officer. Seven of the nine witnesses whose testimony convicted him later recanted their testimony, and there was never a murder weapon found on Davis, nor any physical evidence tying him to the murder. I could bring up all sorts of obvious arguments about a black man accused of killing a white cop in a southern state being doomed from day one, and that's probably true enough. But that's not enough reason for the Supreme Court to refuse to hear the case, which is unfortunately what happened tonight. And now an innocent man may be dead.

So what are your feelings on capital punishment? Absolutely for? Absolutely against? or conditional on some sort of standards including guilt beyond all reasonable doubt?

[lesfunk]

As far as Brewer goes, A lethal injection was too good for him

[lesfunk]

Davis sounds like a bad mistake

[FORD]

BTW, Brewer got off far too easily with the needle. He deserved the same death sentence he imposed on James Byrd.

[knuckleboner]

opposed.

the state should not be in the business of vengence. as a deterent, the death penalty, vs. life without parole, isn't all that effective.

in which case, both punishment and society's safety can be accomplished by life without parole.

[lesfunk]

BTW, Brewer got off far too easily with the needle. He deserved the same death sentence he imposed on James Byrd.

Then jobs could be created for those to clean up the mess

[lesfunk]

opposed.

the state should not be in the business of vengence. as a deterent, the death penalty, vs. life without parole, isn't all that effective.

in which case, both punishment and society's safety can be accomplished by life without parole.

I'm not interested in punishing people like Brewer. I'm interested in Disposing of them.
If knowing that that the man who brutally killed their Father,Son, Daughter,whatever is fucking DEAD gives the victims family some closure, Then fucking kill them. And let the victims family decide how to do it.

[Nitro Express]

My great grandfather was the guy they would get ahold of if they needed a hangman's noose. The rope needs to be properly stretched out and the knot properly tied with enough knots and placed right to break the neck clean. each rope is adjusted to the weight of the person condemned. Too short of a fall you won't snap the neck and too far of a fall decapitation. I have a copy of his journal and the information of tying hangman's nooses and 19th century justice is interesting. You could get the death penalty for rustling cattle, stealing horses, and even water. Sometimes the rancher would just shoot you and nobody did or said a thing.

I have no problem with killing a cold blooded murderer. The only problem I have is accidently killing an innocent person. Court verdicts aren't 100% accurate. So it's one of those tough issues.


In these tough times states could make some money charging admission to the hanging.

[knuckleboner]

I'm not interested in punishing people like Brewer. I'm interested in Disposing of them.
If knowing that that the man who brutally killed their Father,Son, Daughter,whatever is fucking DEAD gives the victims family some closure, Then fucking kill them. And let the victims family decide how to do it.

dude, i totally understand the sentiment. i just don't think that the state (and that's who brings the case, not the victim's family/friends, whatever) should be in the business of vengance (disposal.)

after all, if you're going to sanction the death penalty because it gives the victim's family closure, then what about the killer of the homeless drifter who had no family or friends? the crime is no less worse. so the punishment should be the same. which means you either authorize the death penalty for any murder, regardless of how the family feels, or no death penalty.

[lesfunk]

dude, i totally understand the sentiment. i just don't think that the state (and that's who brings the case, not the victim's family/friends, whatever) should be in the business of vengance (disposal.)

after all, if you're going to sanction the death penalty because it gives the victim's family closure, then what about the killer of the homeless drifter who had no family or friends? the crime is no less worse. so the punishment should be the same. which means you either authorize the death penalty for any murder, regardless of how the family feels, or no death penalty.

Fair enough then, Kill 'em all. Or don't kill them as long as tax dollars are not used to keep the scum alive

[Nitro Express]

"Breaking with the wheel" was second only in popularity to hanging as a means of capital punishment, but it was decidedly more painful and brutal.

The condemned was usually staked out on the ground with wooden timbers placed strategically below the limbs. The executioner then repeatedly smashed the limbs using the iron edges of the wheel, careful not to deliver killing blows.

Once the victim's bones were thoroughly broken, his or her limbs were 'braided' into the spokes of the wheel, much like a pretzel. Then the wheel was erected horizontally on a pole, with the victim left to die a slow, agonizing death.

Before television or even radio, killing people in public was the entertainment.

[binnie]

Against. When the criminal justice system imposes the death penalty, it degrades all of us. How anyone can think that their society is 'civilized' when it expresses the basest of human emotions is beyond me.

[VAiN]

I'm totally for it. I feel we're way too soft on crime. The death penalty should be used for crimes other than murder as well.

[binnie]

I'm totally for it. I feel we're way too soft on crime. The death penalty should be used for crimes other than murder as well.

I'm intrigued to know what other crimes you think it should be used for.

Also, almost all of the evidence suggests that the death penalty does not deter people from committing crime - consequently, whilst it is certainly 'being hard on crime' it is doing so for the sake of it rather than in a useful manner.

[Seshmeister]

I'm totally for it. I feel we're way too soft on crime. The death penalty should be used for crimes other than murder as well.

How many innocent people are you willing to kill each year?

What would be an acceptable number for you?