CT to repeal the death penalty

[Landslide Lyndon]

I usually support the death penalty for extreme cases, where the crime is heinous and the evidence overwhelming.
But it's been so abused in the states that I welcome the steady erosion of its status.
 

[I Can't Get That Sound You Make, Out Of My Head]

Good move.

People that said disgusting = HP.

[Formerly Californian Tony]

Disgusting.

Really? Not that you disagree with it, not that you think it's ineffectual policy, but the notion of not executing criminals disgusts you? Your morals are f'ed.

Remember guys, conservatives are pro-life.

[I left.]

Disgusting.

Really? Not that you disagree with it, not that you think it's ineffectual policy, but the notion of not executing criminals disgusts you? Your morals are f'ed.

Remember guys, conservatives are pro-life.

Absolutely. It's just that living beings don't count. But praise Jesus, they're fighting for the unborn!!!

[Vasall des Midas]

The unborn are undeniably living beings. People don't count.

[pillage the village, trash the scene]

Unborn do not kill people.

[I left.]

Unborn do not kill people.

Nor do "pro-life" people. Or rather, they usually are in favor, but it certainly isn't consistent.

[homelycooking]

Unborn do not kill people.

Conceptions of justice and legal ethics have advanced a bit since the days of the lex talionis, my friend.

[Holmes]

The chances that CA voters repeal the death penalty are not too bad actually.

The ballot language will probably include "and replace it with life imprisonment without the chance of parole".

And the latest Field poll shows:

48% life without parole
40% death penalty

http://field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2393.pdf

And as you can see from the historical poll results, support for life without parole is steadily increasing.

If you think California voters will repeal the death penalty, you're crazy.

[white trash heroes]

Disgusting.

Really? Not that you disagree with it, not that you think it's ineffectual policy, but the notion of not executing criminals disgusts you? Your morals are f'ed.

It's easy to understand why people would be disgusted that tax payers are being made to house, clothe, feed and provide recreation and entertainment for people that in many cases are violent multiple offenders. Although given how expensive and slow death row is I can't say I particularly care. But I can understand why people would react so viscerally to this.

[Purch]

Now they just need to overturn Roe vs Wade. Both of these issues should of been handled individually by the state in the first place, I feel any federal government involvement in either of these issues is a huge overreach and really goes against state sovereignty. If it was an issue like "Gay rights" I'd be much more open to a federal decision to protect rights because I feel that borders on a Civil rights issue.

Personally I find it a huge contradiction when conservatives are "Pro life", then they try and justify the killing of selective inmates; the same why I find it a contradiction when Liberals defend a women's right to kill her fetus and then would fight to the death to protect the life on an inmate.

Personally I'm against both abortion and the death penalty for the same reason because I feel my life should be protected from the time I'm first conceived to the time when I'm on trial for a crime(Hypothetically of course).

[I left.]

I go back and forth on my personal feeling regarding the ethics of capital punishment itself (assuming perfect implementation, which doesn't exist). On one hand, the State can punish people who commit crimes, whether you steal their money or freedom (jail) as a punishment or take their life (execution), it seems rather comparable, just varying levels of severity.

On the other hand, I often feel that everyone has (or should have, depending on country) an absolute, undeniable right to live, no matter who he is and what he did, and the irreversible nature of death does make it different from other punishments.

Whatever you think, though, it's certainly inappropriate to consider NOT killing people disgusting. That's just a basic principle of decency. That indicates a lack of character and conscience (both of which are true about the poster in question).

[white trash heroes]

I go back and forth on my personal feeling regarding the ethics of capital punishment itself (assuming perfect implementation, which doesn't exist). On one hand, the State can punish people who commit crimes, whether you steal their money or freedom (jail) as a punishment or take their life (execution), it seems rather comparable, just varying levels of severity.

On the other hand, I often feel that everyone has (or should have, depending on country) an absolute, undeniable right to live, no matter who he is and what he did, and the irreversible nature of death does make it different from other punishments.

Whatever you think, though, it's certainly inappropriate to consider NOT killing people disgusting. That's just a basic principle of decency. That indicates a lack of character and conscience (both of which are true about the poster in question).

Well sure, but then prison isn't exactly risk free for inmates. My personal attitude leans more towards just executing people with multiple strikes though as I implied earlier. I could see some ambiguity in terms of individual murder cases but not if someone has a repeated pattern of psychopathic behavior that makes them extremely dangerous to staff or inmates. My gut feeling is such people should just be put down.

[Vasall des Midas]

Whatever you think, though, it's certainly inappropriate to consider NOT killing people disgusting. That's just a basic principle of decency. That indicates a lack of character and conscience (both of which are true about the poster in question).

Standards vary. I tend to think the gloating over the assassination of a political enemy inappropriate and disgusting and violating basic principles of decency, and most people here seem to feel the same way.
Neither our Chancellor nor virtually any American seems to agree, though.

[Pacific Councillor Big Wiggly Style]

Disgusting.

Really? Not that you disagree with it, not that you think it's ineffectual policy, but the notion of not executing criminals disgusts you? Your morals are f'ed.

Remember guys, conservatives are pro-life.

Unless that life is gay, black, Atheist, Muslim, Hispanic...you know what, anyone who isn't white. White American. No, just no rights for anyone.

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

Disgusting.

I have a question: since you are so attached to having the death penalty, would you have balls to personally push the button?

[white trash heroes]

Disgusting.

Really? Not that you disagree with it, not that you think it's ineffectual policy, but the notion of not executing criminals disgusts you? Your morals are f'ed.

Remember guys, conservatives are pro-life.

Unless that life is gay, black, Atheist, Muslim, Hispanic...you know what, anyone who isn't white. White American. No, just no rights for anyone.

Uh, "conservatives" are so pathetic on racial pandering they like to claim Martin Luther King Jr. was one of them at this point and brag that Bush's administration was the most "diverse."

[politicus]

The chances that CA voters repeal the death penalty are not too bad actually.

The ballot language will probably include "and replace it with life imprisonment without the chance of parole".

And the latest Field poll shows:

48% life without parole
40% death penalty

http://field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2393.pdf

And as you can see from the historical poll results, support for life without parole is steadily increasing.

If you think California voters will repeal the death penalty, you're crazy.

Why? The polls are favorable.

[Pacific Councillor Big Wiggly Style]

Disgusting.

Really? Not that you disagree with it, not that you think it's ineffectual policy, but the notion of not executing criminals disgusts you? Your morals are f'ed.

Remember guys, conservatives are pro-life.

Unless that life is gay, black, Atheist, Muslim, Hispanic...you know what, anyone who isn't white. White American. No, just no rights for anyone.

Uh, "conservatives" are so pathetic on racial pandering they like to claim Martin Luther King Jr. was one of them at this point and brag that Bush's administration was the most "diverse."

Yes, I know. My mother, who is a Conservative, always uses the "Martin Luther King was a Republican, Carl" excuse, to which I usually respond with "so was Teddy Roosevelt."

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

I can't see states like California repealing the death penalty, but I can't see these states coming close to use it again either.

In states like California or Pennsylvania, the death penalty became essentially an extremely expensive form of life in prison.

Pennsylvania is a very good example: there were literally hundreds of death warrants signed by all successive Governors since Dick Thornburgh. And yet, there were only three executions, all in 1990s (which was most prolific decade in executing inmates since 1977). All three were "volunteers", that waived their appeals and refused to ask for clemency.

The death penalty in the United States is in decline. Severeal states abolished it, in others, as I said, death sentence is effectively life in prison.

Of course, I can't see it abolished entirely in near (and probably later) future. But executions number is going down even in very pro-death penalty states, especially in the South.

Unborn do not kill people.

Unborn is not a part of society.

This is probably the dumbest argument ever made on Atlas, at least since I'm here.

[ModerateCoward]

Unborn do not kill people.

So you accept that fetuses and humans are different then?

[Harry]

Since the death penalty is more expensive than feeding and housing a prisoner for a life sentence, any Republican or Libertarian who supports the death penalty is a hypocrite.

[Frodo]

Disgusting.

I have a question: since you are so attached to having the death penalty, would you have balls to personally push the button?

If the convict in question harmed me personally by killing a member of my family, I would push that damn button in a heartbeat.  And he should be thanking his lucky stars that I let the law take its course as opposed to taking it in my own hands.    

But that's just me.

Now back to my less emotional, and more rational side:

Since the death penalty is more expensive than feeding and housing a prisoner for a life sentence, any Republican or Libertarian who supports the death penalty is a hypocrite.

That would be a major reason why I would acquiesce in its repeal, if you look at it in a purely cost-benefit-analysis standpoint.

Of course that, and the fact that our criminal justice system has its imperfections, particularly for those of less economic means, which results in suspects being convicted of crimes they did not commit, which sometimes results in innocents being executed.  

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

Disgusting.

I have a question: since you are so attached to having the death penalty, would you have balls to personally push the button?

If the convict in question harmed me personally by killing a member of my family, I would push that damn button in a heartbeat.  And he should be thanking his lucky stars that I let the law take its course as opposed to taking it in my own hands.    

But that's just me. 

And if the case does not involve you personally, would you be willing to personally push the button, since you support the death penalty?

After all, it's in your name already.

[Frodo]

Disgusting.

I have a question: since you are so attached to having the death penalty, would you have balls to personally push the button?

If the convict in question harmed me personally by killing a member of my family, I would push that damn button in a heartbeat.  And he should be thanking his lucky stars that I let the law take its course as opposed to taking it in my own hands.    

But that's just me.  

And if the case does not involve you personally, would you be willing to personally push the button, since you support the death penalty?

After all, it's in your name already.

I probably would -after all, the victim that same convict raped, tortured, and killed without remorse could just as easily be a family member.  

Are there any more hypothetical questions, Kalwejt, or would that be all?