Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections - Chapter 3
I, too, am against the death penalty. The reasons Kalalau states are valid, and the "mistake" rate can be high. Perhaps the accusers should be made subject to the same rules such that they are certain not to lie in the courtroom.
But my main argument against the death penalty goes something like this. Death is a punishment only to those with some sense of religion. Death certainly removes the problem from society, but it cannot possibly be perceived as a punishment by the living, because we really don't have enough information to actually know what happens on the other side. Therefore, death as a crime deterrent is ethereal, or even theoretic, at best. Perhaps nothing happens, and you don't remember it.
A small hammer, large rock, hot sun, and little to eat or drink would be a good example of a punsishment. So would a cell with Bubba.
I, too, am against the death penalty. The reasons Kalalau states are valid, and the "mistake" rate can be high. Perhaps the accusers should be made subject to the same rules such that they are certain not to lie in the courtroom.
But my main argument against the death penalty goes something like this. Death is a punishment only to those with some sense of religion. Death certainly removes the problem from society, but it cannot possibly be perceived as a punishment by the living, because we really don't have enough information to actually know what happens on the other side. Therefore, death as a crime deterrent is ethereal, or even theoretic, at best. Perhaps nothing happens, and you don't remember it.
A small hammer, large rock, hot sun, and little to eat or drink would be a good example of a punsishment. So would a cell with Bubba.
Comment