you are brilliant!

Rather, I'm against it for all the same reasons Mark J. outlined above.

Can you truly be so clueless? One supposes so.

If we look at a state like Texas which eagerly executes prisoner with abandon–we should see a decline in capital cases if the DP is a deterrent.

But we don't.

OTOH, states which don't have the DP or apply it infrequently should see a jump in the number of capital cases if there's a deterrent effect.

But they don't.

You're not too bright, are you?

Ahh, the classic comeback. To anwser your question, I would have to say that, while a situation like that will probably NEVER occur, if it did, I would be upset. That being said, for me to condemn the entire system as faulty because of that situation is not the route I would take. Your arguement is synnonomous with the "better to let 5 child molesting rapist/murderers go free than for one innocent man to suffer." and while there is validity to your line of reasoning, we as a society must put our faith in the system while realizing that it is not perfect.

Being in the law enforcement field, I have read study after study about how CP has no deterrant effect (that is, it doesn't make other criminals stop doing crime because of a fear of the DP) And every time I see these scientific studies, I have to wonder, how do they know? Anyone with half a brain has to know that CP is not going to be the ONLY reason someone will not committ murder. Someone who wants to kill someone else will do it no matter what if they set their minds on it. I believe that CP is a nessessary factor in our society because it provides us with an ultimate solution for those who would commit the most henious crimes.

"Thats just my opinion,I could be wrong"
-D. MIller

So what do you do when you don't have the gut reaction that capital punishment is barbaric (like me)? Can you even start to find common ground to discuss the issue, or is it all about one guy's intuitions trumping another?

(food for thought…but we'll see where it goes from here.)

Even if you still want to be consistent in your support of capital punishment, would you at least favor execution of those involved in murdering her (corrupt witnesses, etc.)?

Don, have you ever seen a 13 year old girl's body after a sadistic fuck of a man repeatedly raped and tortured her until she finally was given the blessing of death? Have you ever heard a serial child murderer tell the father of a little boy he RAPED TO DEATH that his son "fucked like a pro" and "bled like a bitch?" NO?

This kind of thinking is exactly what makes it easier for criminals to prosper. Those who think simply ending capital punishment as a way to stop crime have got to WAKE UP and realize that the US has a high crime rate because of our society, not because we have CP. Its unbelievable to me that someone can actually have that little compassion for the victim and place so little value on the loss of life that they "don't want to be too cruel as to make the prisoner know hes dying" BULL SHIT.

I say make execution a PPV event and make it as painful as possible, only offer it free to ALL prisons. Then maybe criminals might think twice before committing a crime that will get them executed.

One last thing: It seems to me, Don, that if it was YOUR wife or YOUR daughter who was murdered, then all this pussy "lets not hurt the criminal" bullshit would probably fly out the window. If you find that hard to believe, then I suggest you ask any law enforcement officer who has had experience with capital murder cases how the victims family reacted.

Son of America

After spending 10 years on death row and 3 appeals, strapped on a guerney and having a needle placed in their arms, they are aware of what's happening to them.

Except for the retarded and insane.
Nothing's perfect.

Putting mad dogs out of their misery is the height of compassion.

Capital punishment is barbarism.

So is starvation and dehydration…