Re: 'Tookie' Williams

Rita wrote: 
On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 19:09:25 -0600, William Boyd
<williamboyd@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


Rita wrote:



If you don't support the death penalty, then any execution is one too
many. If you do support the death penalty, then picking and choosing
which, if any, to give clemency to is a fool's game. Most death row
inmates express remorse. Many "get" religion. Seems those who have
a cheerleading section going for them outside the prison gates have
a one up on those who don't. But technically what is being punished
is the crime the person was convicted of -- under present rules it has
to be particularly heinous to qualify, doesn't it? 

I oppose the death penalty and would not want to pick and choose
which of those on death row to spare.  All of them did something very
grievous and so did many who never received the death penalty as well
but were able to afford talented lawyers.  Life in prison wtihout
parole takes care of grievous crimes nicely in my opinion and spares
us these drama filled clemency calls.


Each state has their own set of rules and guidelines as to what constitutes a heinous crime worthy of the death penalty.
I will make a contradictory comment here. I do not believe in the death penalty. I do believe in an eye for an eye concept of punishment. The problem is the ability to assign a guilty verdict with a one hundred percent certainty. As proven in the past we cannot do that. To execute *ONE* innocent person is a big a crime if not the most heinous crime that we could commit. Because it has been proven that we are wrong from time to time. So we *KNOW* that the possibility exists that we *WILL* murder an innocent person with our judicial system. I think a voluntary execution program would be a more fitting way to accomplish what might be wanted. At least a person that knows that they are guilty and does not stand a chance of getting out of prison would have a way to repent for his crime.
Of course that brings in other aspects of prison that I disagree with. They should be just one notch less than what our troops have to endure at their worst. No air conditioning, no Regular programed TV, only one hot meal per day, work their asses off like I had to do in Vietnam and our troops in AFGan and Iraq.


No, there is no way to guarantee an innocent person will not be
executed. One can see how uneven the chances are -- the state
one lives in, the money one has to hire a good lawyer or be forced
to use a public defender, the fact that from time to time witnesses
and law enforcement personnel do lie -- all these conditions have
been found to have existed when death row inmates have been
exonerated by DNA. 

But I do not favor draconian punishments -- to me, loss of one's
freedom is punishment enough and indeed there have been a few
who asked to be executed rather than to endure it.  I think more
people would be willing to give up capital punishment if they could
be assured that the murderers had no chance of ever getting freedom.
It is the repeat offenders --rapists and murderers -- that leads
people to favor capital punishment which is a sure thing.

So you do not favor Exceedingly harsh/draconian punishment. But you voiced no objection of our troops having to face those conditions.
As has been already mentioned, our prisons are providing rather comfortable accommodations with three square meals a day. They also have state of the art medical and dental support at no additional cost. I do not have these things free of charge, some things they get such as library, movies and free clothing and laundry that is beyond what some of our veterans can afford.
Prison should be punishment, not alternative living accommodations
at no cost to the criminal but plenty of expense to the taxpayer.

--
BILL P.
Just Dog
  &
 ME
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: These Five Bastards Give Liberals A Bad Name.
    ... She got life in prison. ... While child rape is pretty cruel, ... From an economic point of view the appeals of a death penalty costs more ... The fact that the SCOTUS got it wrong is not based on whether or not I agree with capital punishment - it is based on the 10th Amendment. ...
    (rec.outdoors.rv-travel)
  • Re: ? crim and math
    ... >>> more fun for the prison population, ... >> severity of the punishment. ... >> I just dont see the death penalty as being a very effective deterrent. ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: RITA-California executes oldest condemned inmate
    ... absolutely guilty of a crime that carrys the death penalty. ... If we execute only one innocent individual in one trillion, we have committed as heinous a crime as all those guilty put together. ... Is it primarily as a punishment for what society thinks is a crime that justifies the death penalty, or is it primarily to make sure that guy never commits another crime like he is accused of, or is it an attempt to make sure the guy can never again can commit another crime that the death penalty was designed to punish? ... It may also be punishment for a crime committed but when you say punishment, what is the harshest punishment, death or life under total restraint. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: RITA-California executes oldest condemned inmate
    ... > absolutely guilty of a crime that carrys the death penalty. ... I question the fact that death is the appropriate punishment. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: Billboards That Look Back
    ... aggression of Iraq, a crime against peace. ... aggression and that law is exactly the one invoked. ... considers the barbarian custom of "death penalty" but that is no ...
    (alt.usage.english)
Loading