Our BetterMost Community > The Polling Place
Do You Support The Death Penalty?
Shasta542:
What would you have done with Tim? I'm really asking because I don't know what I'd have done if it had been up to me. Didn't he ask for the death penalty?
And then---maybe whatever you or I would have done would be entirely different if we'd had a child in the daycare that day. Sometmes it's a matter of perspective.
David In Indy:
--- Quote from: Shasta542 on October 01, 2007, 11:00:11 pm ---What would you have done with Tim? I'm really asking because I don't know what I'd have done if it had been up to me. Didn't he ask for the death penalty?
And then---maybe whatever you or I would have done would be entirely different if we'd had a child in the daycare that day. Sometmes it's a matter of perspective.
--- End quote ---
I'm not sure how I feel about giving the Death Penalty to someone who asks for it Shasta. Does this suddenly make KILLING someone okay because they asked for it? I don't think so. Killing is killing. I am against the death penalty period. And would I feel differently about it had one of my family members or my child been killed in that awful and dreadful bombing? Maybe. I don't know. I am radically against the death penalty. I've always been against it and I would imagine I will probably always be like this. Timothy McVeigh was an evil man. But what did we accomplish by killing him? It didn't bring back any of those people who died that day. The only thing it accomplished really was to make some people feel better. It satisfied their sense of revenge. I know some people will disagree with me about this, but like I said, I have always felt like this.
Shasta542:
I guess my point is---if it hasn't happened to us, we may not know how we'd react.
I have heard of people asking for the life (to be spared) of someone who killed one of their loved ones, though. Those people are very forgiving. I'd like to think I would be, but I can't say I would. And I kinda doubt it--it would be according to circumstances.
A drunk guy killed my mother (in a car wreck). Today we got in a discussion about forgiveness (some people did; I just listened) at work. I thought about the drunk guy. I can't say that I forgive him; I have NO feeling whatsoever about him. I don't know him, but I don't feel hate or love or any feeling toward him. I wish he hadn't made that bad choice to drive and take a life.
Maybe it's because I don't know him. Don't even know if he's still alive. He got a couple years in prison, tho, and that was a long time ago. I've never felt that he deserved to die, but I think he's a killer just the same. Sometimes I think it's better that I never knew this person.
If someone had -- say -- broken into our house and killed my grandparents --like just for the hell of it--I'm pretty sure I would want that person to get the death penalty.
So, I don't know. I hope none of us ever have to find out how we'd feel in that case.
Shasta542:
--- Quote ---I'm not sure how I feel about giving the Death Penalty to someone who asks for it Shasta. Does this suddenly make KILLING someone okay because they asked for it? I don't think so. Killing is killing.
--- End quote ---
(OT)
So---am I correct in assuming that you'd be against euthanasia for someone who asks for it?
And abortion of a viable fetus?
serious crayons:
Oh Shasta, that's horrible. I'm so sorry to hear that.
I would like to think that if someone killed a loved one -- a thought so awful I can barely type it -- I wouldn't change my principles. It's true that you never know until you're in that situation, but I have seen parents ask courts not to impose the death penalty on the murderers of their children, and I admired them a lot and hoped I could do the same in their place.
Forgiveness is another matter entirely. I'd have a lot of trouble with that.
On other issues:
-- I would not impose the death penalty on someone who asked for it. The government is not obliged to honor murderers' requests.
-- Child rapists, I'm not sure how I'd handle. Maybe put them away for life. I wouldn't kill them.
-- Euthanasia and abortion are entirely different issues. I don't think I oppose euthanasia for someone who is near the end of life anyway with a fatal disease -- though I'd have to be sure sure sure sure there was no hope of a cure. As for abortion, the question there is not whether one is for or against killing, it's whether one believes the fetus is a full human being. I think I'd be against it for a fully viable fetus.
David, thanks for posting those maps and other info. Shocking how few states oppose it. Did you know that most of the Democratic candidates for president support the death penalty? I think Chris Dodds is the only one who doesn't! :o :( :-\
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version