Why are conservatives so opposed to abortion but so supportive of the death penalty?
Probably because the fetus didn't commit pre-medidated murder.
You know, forcibly closing the door on all possible future hope of redemption in this world by killing somebody really doesn't carry the same moral character or significance that people inflamed with blood-lust seem to think that it does.
My feeling on this (for the 1000th time) is that the death penalty is the price society has determined will be paid for certain acts of pre-meditated murder and I agree that should be the price. I want anyone sentenced to that to have DNA tests if DNA was a part of establishing their guilt and subsequent sentence, assuming such testing wasn't used initially. Executing someone who has even the slightest possibility of being innocent is unacceptable, and although there probably is no 100% certainty that will never happen, we need to be as diligent as possible in ensuring it doesn't
Executing someone who has even the slightest possibility of repenting if left alive is unacceptable, and that applies to everyone.
Nathan, until now, we've agreed on pretty well every issue that's come up. But here, I would beg to differ. Redemption has to have a price, as far as I'm concerned - something must be paid equal to the crime committed. And for the likes of tyrants, rapists, serial killers, and spree murderers like Breivik, imprisoning them would be a waste of money and would accomplish just about as much as sitting them in the corner to think about what they've done.
That being said, this should not be Hickenlooper's litmus test after all the good he's done.
Colorado hasn't executed anyone since 1997. One person has been on death row since 1996 for a quadruple-murder in what sounds like an armed robbery. Two are on Death Row for a murder of witnesses in 2008. Capital punishment in Colorado is rare and inefficient.
This will likely wither away. Maybe it is best that the really-worst criminals go into oblivion instead of getting perversely memorialized because some jurisdiction finally decides to poison, electrocute, shoot, behead, or hang them.
