Saddam executed; Your thoughts?

[Wayne]

What do you suggest we do?  Invade?

We invaded Iraq for less!   

[delalluvia]

We invaded Iraq for less!   

 

OK, wdj, I just spat out my drink LMAO over this, hand me a napkin.

[injest]

Yes, too bad few Christians ever followed these words.

Per the Christian story, Jesus was executed anyway.  His attitude and teachings changed nothing.  All it did was put a Christian veneer on the same people and instead of being open and honest about their warring actions, they turned to hypocrisy.

See Dubya "I'm a Christian but believe in starting wars for no reason" Bush for an example.

If no one wanted to exert their power over others, were enlightened, respected the rights of others, etc. then wars and executions would indeed be unnecessary to protect those who follow this idea. Unfortunately, the world has people who have absolutely no respect for others and think nothing of abusing or killing them. Self defense or defense of a society from these sorts is not unreasonable - indeed, not defending yourself and society from such people is what is unreasonable.

Someone posted earlier that killing was bad, period.

I believe in self-defense.  If you killed someone defending yourself or your family, is it still a bad thing for you to have done?  Should you have turned the other cheek and let your abusers do whatever they want?

but the Republicans held the majority...that makes it the right decision!

unfortunately, the world has people that feel if something does not affect them directly then it is not a problem...

[Wayne]

OK, wdj, I just spat out my drink LMAO over this, hand me a napkin.

We are one, regardless!     

[Lynne]

I oppose capital punishment just because I don't like to think of one person killing another person in cold blood. Let's face it, that's what it is. And if society pays them to do it that makes it worse. We PAY somebody to kill somebody? Yuck!

Can you even imagine the emotional cost it must entail for those charged with carrying out the execution, the prison guards, doctor, etc?

Someone posted earlier that killing was bad, period.

I believe in self-defense.  If you killed someone defending yourself or your family, is it still a bad thing for you to have done?  Should you have turned the other cheek and let your abusers do whatever they want?

Not sure if it was me, del, but in my first post in this thread I said that self-defense is the only situation when taking another life is acceptable IMO.

[delalluvia]

but the Republicans held the majority...that makes it the right decision!

That's how our government is run.

unfortunately, the world has people that feel if something does not affect them directly then it is not a problem...

Of course.  That's how people get through their day.  How many people right now, in the US, are thinking about the plight of the Native Americans?

They were lied to, victimized, conquered, the US tried to exterminate some of them, rounded them up, sent them to reservations.

Is ANYone - besides them of course - thinking that in all fairness, to do the right and honorable thing, we should give them the land that we cheated them out of?

Doubtful.

Is anyone tempted to pack up and leave this country so that they can?

Doubtful.

However, there are some tribes right now, in litigation, trying to win back huge tracts of land where the city of Phoenix now stands.  If they won, they probably wouldn't evict everyone, though they had the right to.

Some things don't affect others.  That's why they don't think about them.  Perhaps they should. [shrug]

[injest]

the sky is blue

[Wayne]

That's how our government is run.

I think there's more to it than that though. We don't just do what the majority say. One of the responsibilities of government is to protect minorities against the majority.

[delalluvia]

Can you even imagine the emotional cost it must entail for those charged with carrying out the execution, the prison guards, doctor, etc?

I've read that it's pretty stressful and the prison system has problems finding people who will do it.

[snort]  Then you read interviews with the victims families who are present at the execution and invariably one or more will offer to do it themselves.

I read an interview with the actor Scott Glenn once.  He finished filming 'Silence of the Lambs' and he was asked how his FBI 'training' had gone, playing as he did, Jodie Foster's character's boss at the FBI.

He said as part of the training, he was allowed to listen to a tape of some guys while they tortured this girl to death.

Scott Glenn has daughters.

His reply was, "I was against the death penalty until I listened to that tape."

[Wayne]

the sky is blue

Is not!