Some People Deserve to Die
Not long ago, I posted on Atlanta Metblogs about my feelings on the death penalty. As expected, I was pretty much ripped to shreds for my belief that people should pay with their life for certain violent crimes. One commenter made a point that our justice system shouldn't be in the business of vengeance. At the time, I thought he was crazy, that it wasn't about vengeance, that it was about putting out of commission a threat to society, much like we put down a rabid dog that has bitten someone.
After the events of this morning, with the shooting in the Amish school, I really think that maybe the guy is partially right. Maybe the death penalty is also about vengeance. And you know what? I am okay with that.
I am really glad that the gunman took his own life. Good riddance. But I sympathize with anyone who loses a loved one in the manner that people lost loved ones today, precious innocent children like the ones sleeping upstairs in my house this minute, and who is denied the satisfaction of seeing the perpetrator die a horrible, slow painful-beyond-belief death.
Call me vengeful. Call me whatever you want. The world is better off without people like that man, and I don't think it is wrong to want him wiped off the face of the earth like the worthless waste of oxygen he is.
posted by Dogwood Girl @ 2:36 PM
11 comments
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11 Comments:
I don't think it is wrong either -
especially when life without parole doesn't mean life without parole.
Very good point. Also, is it really so bad to have a cot to sleep on, three meals a day, an hour to work out, and the ability to talk to their family members on the phone.
I say fry 'em. I'm so sick of this shit. You can't even send your kids to school anymore. Home school is lookin' up.
I just finished reading the article about the shooting, and it it made me sick to my stomach. Growing up in NJ, we visited Amish country many times on Scout or school field trips. It seems even more heinous that it happened in such a peaceful place.
I agree. Not that I would wish it on anyone, but for some reason it seems much more horrific to happen to a people who have gone out of their way to shield their families from violence.
I'm with you. Otherwise ostensibly "liberal," I say put em down like a dangerous dog. And watching monsters twitch a little doesn't bother me one bit.
You could knock me over with a feather, jason. I never would have guessed that about you. Anyway, if we ever start airing executions, we'll pop some popcorn and get together to watch the twitching festivities.
Why? Why why why why why- entrust a state bureaucracy to decide who lives or dies when the government cannot even build roads properly? Talk about rewarding incompetence.
1. the death penalty is far more costly to the taxpayer than life without parole
2. they often kill the wrong person (!)
3. it doesn't deter crime (uh, isn't this the point?)
4. for the love of god lets get some work out of these bastards! in to the mines with them! and whatever "accicents" happen down there, who really cares.
This issue is always thought of emotionally rather than logically. Ah, the retort goes, what if it were your family??? Dude, if it were my family I'd retaliate myself, immediately and effectively, bypassing any slumbering, inept federal bureaucracy in the process. But then of course I'd be on death row myself.
Then again sports on TV bore the crap out of me so a Rollerball style deathmatch with convicted murderers does sound entertaining.
Interesting comments, MUS. I see your point, in a way - I also agree that the government is completely inept, and that is why i would rather put them down, than leave it up to the government to keep them safely locked away.
I am not saying we fry all of them, just the ones for which we have incontrovertible evidence, as in DNA.
Concerning the old "doesn't deter crime" and "it costs more" arguments. I really don't care about the cost, as that is not the point for me. The point for me is public safety, rather than emotional revenge. Put them down, rather than let them act again. I am not talking about deterrance or punishment; I am talking about someone taking someone else's life, becoming a detriment to society, and then removing that element from said society. Dead men don't commit repeat crimes. If it happens to deter would-be criminals, great. But that is not the point for me.
I am all about some chain gang activity for non-violent crimes. And of course, i would be fine with foregoing the electric chair or lethal injection in favor of gladiator cage matches. Proceeds from the tickets could go to support death penalty costs.
Gladiator matches and the proceeds go to the victims families. Everybody wins. ESPN has a new channel, and sports on TV are suddenly interesting to me again.
Seriously though, the fact that innocent people are still being put to death invalidates the entire discussion in my opinion. If the whole point is to put murderers "down," yet innocent people are getting murdered in the process, we are not accomplishing much as a civilization.
There are also kids on death row who were "present" when atrocious crimes were committed but didn't actually "do" anything. I saw some show about 17yr olds that were "at the scene" when some bad bad stuff went down. They are waiting to die. Is this right?
I still say chain gang, and lets make some money off these bastards while they are alive. The vengence is fleeting and ultimately my guess is people don't get much from it.
I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I am not talking about putting to death everyone convicted of a murder, but there are plenty of cases with irrefutable evidence, and with circumstances that point to the fact that the perpetrator shows no remorse and is not going to mend their ways. Luckily, these are the folks who often off themselves.
And again, I am SO FOR the chain gang.
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