Your position on the death penalty

[angus]

Strongly against.  After I voted I was very surprised, and delighted, to see such overwhelming opposition.  Must be lots of foreigners posting here, as I'm quite sure my countrymen generally enjoy a good public hanging once in a while. 

The more interesting question, for those who disapprove, is why?  Is it that an innocent man may be killed?  In this case if we could, by DNA or some other evidence, alleviate this problem, would it be okay?  Or is it a moralism issue, like abolition of slavery or eradication of famine, etc.?

[angus]

iosip,
yours is an interesting viewpoint.  my wife shares it.  in fact, just last night we watched a movie entitled "a time to kill" in which a man shot other men in cold blood, and was acquitted of the crime on the moral basis that he had the right to extract vengeance on the perpetrators of a crime against a member of his family.  She, being a supporter of capital punishment in general, agreed with the verdict.  I do not.  I think it was a miscarriage of justice.  But I'd not appeal, if I were the DA, as I think the jury's decision should be final.  Another point of law is that one could argue a mistrial in that particular case based on some testimony of a deputy sheriff who was also shot, but not killed, by the defendant.  Carl Lee Haley, though understandably aggrieved, murdered two unarmed men in a courthouse, and was therefore the executor.  A capital punisher, if you will, and the jury, all of whom had to swear that they supported capital punishment to even be allowed as jurors, saw it his way.  Well, of course they saw it his way.  They all supported capital punishment, a priori!  (Like, who didn't see that not-guilty verdict coming??!)

[angus]

I'm not sure if I've posted in this topic, but I voted 'strongly disagree'.

I think we might actually have found a point of agreement.