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Author Topic:   Death Penalty and Stanley Tookie Williams
berberry
Inactive Member


Message 2 of 166 (268659)
12-13-2005 2:34 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by RAZD
12-12-2005 9:53 PM


I don't understand it either. What's more, it seems to me that even people who support the death penalty should be willing to limit its use to only those cases where physical evidence exists. Given the number of cases that have been overturned in recent years, such a limitation should be a no-brainer. But unfortunately it's not.

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 Message 1 by RAZD, posted 12-12-2005 9:53 PM RAZD has not replied

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 Message 9 by Omnivorous, posted 12-13-2005 9:48 AM berberry has replied

berberry
Inactive Member


Message 35 of 166 (268979)
12-13-2005 7:50 PM
Reply to: Message 9 by Omnivorous
12-13-2005 9:48 AM


Re: My changed mind
My experience has been pretty much the same as yours. I used to support it but changed my mind a few years ago. However, it was many years before that that I was convinced that we should only allow the death penalty in cases with strong physical evidence. Oddly enough, it was an evangelical Christian who argued that point on TV and convinced me of it (I think it was Billy Graham, but I'm not 100% certain) about 20 years ago.
One thing I've noticed since changing my mind is that the phrase "in order to provide justice for the family of the victim" sounds an awful lot like revenge.

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 Message 9 by Omnivorous, posted 12-13-2005 9:48 AM Omnivorous has not replied

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 Message 37 by bobbins, posted 12-13-2005 8:21 PM berberry has replied

berberry
Inactive Member


Message 39 of 166 (269004)
12-13-2005 8:56 PM
Reply to: Message 37 by bobbins
12-13-2005 8:21 PM


Revenge
I agree with you, bobbins, and more than anything else I agree with your Reason 1. In the present case, after 26 years what can it be but revenge? Revenge is a seductive notion, one you can fall for without realizing it.
Why should justice for a victim be a consideration when deciding whether someone should live or die? A person should be convicted and punished based on the evidence alone, not considerations of justice for victims. It sounds harsh to say it, but "justice" in this sense is pure revenge.

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 Message 37 by bobbins, posted 12-13-2005 8:21 PM bobbins has replied

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 Message 41 by bobbins, posted 12-13-2005 9:14 PM berberry has not replied
 Message 42 by crashfrog, posted 12-13-2005 10:06 PM berberry has not replied

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