Support for the death penalty takes a hit in the U.S.

"From this day forward, I shall no longer tinker with the machinery of death."

With those words, written in a 1994 death penalty appeal case, Supreme Court Justice Harry A Blackmon announced he was changing his mind about the constitutionality of capital punishment.

For many years Mr Blackmon's dissenting view on the court was also a minority one among the US public at large. After a brief court-imposed moratorium on executions in the 1970s, the US had embraced capital punishment. In 1994, according to a Gallup Poll, 80% of Americans approved of the death penalty. US states executed 31 prisoners that year, rising to a peak of 98 in 1999.

Recently, however, there is increasing evidence that the "machinery of death" may be grinding to a halt.

Support is down to 55 percent in a new Pew poll; nice to see my fellow Americans becoming more civilized.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-26200612

I think you'll always have the die hard (pardon the pun) advocates of the death penalty in the USA.
There are some real hardcore believers over there.

eddie wrote:I think you'll always have the die hard (pardon the pun) advocates of the death penalty in the USA.
There are some real hardcore believers over there.

Probably -- what this actually shows, though, is that the populace has changed a lot in two decades (25 percent less support for the death penalty). We've seen the same kind of change happen with gay marriage (a majority here now thinks it should be legal), decriminalizing marijuana, etc. -- the U.S. is moving to the left and rather quickly:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/american-politics-are-moving-to-the-left/2014/01/16/30161350-7885-11e3-af7f-13bf0e9965f6_story.html

it is a shame i think the death penalty is a valid sentence and I would like to see it brought back to Britain too..

I would reserve the death penalty for international war criminals; I think I've shared my thoughts on this before, but it makes no sense to say, "Murder is uncivilized, so your civilization is going to murder you for doing it."

Ben_Reilly wrote:I would reserve the death penalty for international war criminals; I think I've shared my thoughts on this before, but it makes no sense to say, "Murder is uncivilized, so your civilization is going to murder you for doing it."

no what it does say is when you cease acting like a human being you have no place being around human beings..

heavenly father wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:I would reserve the death penalty for international war criminals; I think I've shared my thoughts on this before, but it makes no sense to say, "Murder is uncivilized, so your civilization is going to murder you for doing it."

no what it does say is when you cease acting like a human being you have no place being around human beings..

Which is also said, in a way that preserves the whole "we're the good guys" idea far better, when you simply imprison them for life.

Ben_Reilly wrote:I would reserve the death penalty for international war criminals; I think I've shared my thoughts on this before, but it makes no sense to say, "Murder is uncivilized, so your civilization is going to murder you for doing it."

I take your point Ben.  This is a toughie for me, I would love to see the punishment fit the crime and tailored to the individual.  For example with Breivik, a living nightmare for him would seem to be no contact with the outside world or any method to continue his message of hate.  My evil side would want him to be fed with Islamic propaganda on a daily basis  

Ben_Reilly wrote:

heavenly father wrote:

no what it does say is when you cease acting like a human being you have no place being around human beings..

Which is also said, in a way that preserves the whole "we're the good guys" idea far better, when you simply imprison them for life.

the moral high ground is an expensive place, the family of the victim have lost a loved one, why shouldn't the person or persons responsible pay the same price, the financial cost of keeping a "lifer" is enormous..

feelthelove wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:I would reserve the death penalty for international war criminals; I think I've shared my thoughts on this before, but it makes no sense to say, "Murder is uncivilized, so your civilization is going to murder you for doing it."

I take your point Ben.  This is a toughie for me, I would love to see the punishment fit the crime and tailored to the individual.  For example with Breivik, a living nightmare for him would seem to be no contact with the outside world or any method to continue his message of hate.  My evil side would want him to be fed with Islamic propaganda on a daily basis  

Yeah, we all get angry at injustice and I've been right there with everybody else when you hear about parents killing their children, calling for the parents themselves to be killed.

I just think that at the end of the day, we're better off with a cool-headed justice system that never acts because of passion.

Ben_Reilly wrote:

feelthelove wrote:

I take your point Ben.  This is a toughie for me, I would love to see the punishment fit the crime and tailored to the individual.  For example with Breivik, a living nightmare for him would seem to be no contact with the outside world or any method to continue his message of hate.  My evil side would want him to be fed with Islamic propaganda on a daily basis  

Yeah, we all get angry at injustice and I've been right there with everybody else when you hear about parents killing their children, calling for the parents themselves to be killed.

I just think that at the end of the day, we're better off with a cool-headed justice system that never acts because of passion.

There is a very fine line between justice and revenge Ben

Life imprisonment is fine by me..PROVIDED it is done at minimum cost...AND that the prison is a place of misery and suffering........

I do wonder if the last two executions that have been done with drugs that don't work properly, I believe in the last one it took 35 for the man to die, could have something to do with the change of heart. It's no good saying how inhumane other countries are if you are prepared to let something like that be done in your name. And yes I agree Victor, life should mean life.

Ben_Reilly wrote:

"From this day forward, I shall no longer tinker with the machinery of death."

With those words, written in a 1994 death penalty appeal case, Supreme Court Justice Harry A Blackmon announced he was changing his mind about the constitutionality of capital punishment.

For many years Mr Blackmon's dissenting view on the court was also a minority one among the US public at large. After a brief court-imposed moratorium on executions in the 1970s, the US had embraced capital punishment. In 1994, according to a Gallup Poll, 80% of Americans approved of the death penalty. US states executed 31 prisoners that year, rising to a peak of 98 in 1999.

Recently, however, there is increasing evidence that the "machinery of death" may be grinding to a halt.

Support is down to 55 percent in a new Pew poll; nice to see my fellow Americans becoming more civilized.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-26200612

yes

and before you know it your murderers,rapists,pedophiles and terrorists will be walking the streets with a new identity paid for by you

and the best part is you wont be allowed to know if there is one living next door to you jerking off as he watches your child playing in the back garden

enjoy your civilization

Ben_Reilly wrote:I would reserve the death penalty for international war criminals; I think I've shared my thoughts on this before, but it makes no sense to say, "Murder is uncivilized, so your civilization is going to murder you for doing it."

oh i get it

your morals are on a selective switch

ok for international war criminals who oversee slaughter but not ok for the psychopaths who do the killing

smelly_bandit wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

"From this day forward, I shall no longer tinker with the machinery of death."

With those words, written in a 1994 death penalty appeal case, Supreme Court Justice Harry A Blackmon announced he was changing his mind about the constitutionality of capital punishment.

For many years Mr Blackmon's dissenting view on the court was also a minority one among the US public at large. After a brief court-imposed moratorium on executions in the 1970s, the US had embraced capital punishment. In 1994, according to a Gallup Poll, 80% of Americans approved of the death penalty. US states executed 31 prisoners that year, rising to a peak of 98 in 1999.

Recently, however, there is increasing evidence that the "machinery of death" may be grinding to a halt.

Support is down to 55 percent in a new Pew poll; nice to see my fellow Americans becoming more civilized.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-26200612

yes

and before you know it your murderers,rapists,pedophiles and terrorists will be walking the streets with a new identity paid for by you

and the best part is you wont be allowed to know if there is one living next door to you jerking off as he watches your child playing in the back garden

enjoy your civilization

There's no evidence that the death penalty scares people out of committing crimes in the first place.

A recent survey of the most leading criminologists in the country from found that the overwhelming majority did not believe that the death penalty is a proven deterrent to homicide. Eighty-eight percent of the country’s top criminologists do not believe the death penalty acts as a deterrent to homicide, according to a new study published in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology and authored by Professor Michael Radelet, Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and Traci Lacock, also at Boulder.

Similarly, 87% of the expert criminologists believe that abolition of the death penalty would not have any significant effect on murder rates. In addition, 75% of the respondents agree that “debates about the death penalty distract Congress and state legislatures from focusing on real solutions to crime problems.”

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-about-deterrence-and-death-penalty

Ben_Reilly wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:

yes

and before you know it your murderers,rapists,pedophiles and terrorists will be walking the streets with a new identity paid for by you

and the best part is you wont be allowed to know if there is one living next door to you jerking off as he watches your child playing in the back garden

enjoy your civilization

There's no evidence that the death penalty scares people out of committing crimes in the first place.

A recent survey of the most leading criminologists in the country from found that the overwhelming majority did not believe that the death penalty is a proven deterrent to homicide.  Eighty-eight percent of the country’s top criminologists do not believe the death penalty acts as a deterrent to homicide, according to a new study published in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology and authored by Professor Michael Radelet, Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and Traci Lacock, also at Boulder.  

Similarly, 87% of the expert criminologists believe that abolition of the death penalty would not have any significant effect on murder rates. In addition, 75% of the respondents agree that “debates about the death penalty distract Congress and state legislatures from focusing on real solutions to crime problems.”

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-about-deterrence-and-death-penalty

perhaps not but at least they aren't alive to do it again

pedophiles will NEVER stop until they take a needle

in the UK we are infested with the scum, they are allowed to walk the streets and through admin errors have been allowed to even live near schools

you may think the death sentence is uncivilized but there is nothing civilized about toleranting this behavior

being civilized doesn't mean rolling over and taking it up the tail pipe you know

smelly_bandit wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:

yes

and before you know it your murderers,rapists,pedophiles and terrorists will be walking the streets with a new identity paid for by you

and the best part is you wont be allowed to know if there is one living next door to you jerking off as he watches your child playing in the back garden

enjoy your civilization

There's no evidence that the death penalty scares people out of committing crimes in the first place.

A recent survey of the most leading criminologists in the country from found that the overwhelming majority did not believe that the death penalty is a proven deterrent to homicide.  Eighty-eight percent of the country’s top criminologists do not believe the death penalty acts as a deterrent to homicide, according to a new study published in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology and authored by Professor Michael Radelet, Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and Traci Lacock, also at Boulder.  

Similarly, 87% of the expert criminologists believe that abolition of the death penalty would not have any significant effect on murder rates. In addition, 75% of the respondents agree that “debates about the death penalty distract Congress and state legislatures from focusing on real solutions to crime problems.”

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-about-deterrence-and-death-penalty

perhaps not but at least they aren't alive to do it again

pedophiles will NEVER stop until they take a needle

in the UK we are infested with the scum, they are allowed to walk the streets and through admin errors have been allowed to even live near schools

you may think the death sentence is uncivilized but there is nothing civilized about toleranting this behavior

being civilized doesn't mean rolling over and taking it up the tail pipe you know  

Of course it doesn't, it also doesn't mean lashing out with angry vengeance; it means protecting civilized society from criminals, something life imprisonment does spectacularly well. Also, when your policy is to lock up those found guilty by fallible juries, you don't end up accidentally killing an innocent person, like we've done far too many times here in the U.S.: http://www.innocenceproject.org/

Ben_Reilly wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:

perhaps not but at least they aren't alive to do it again

pedophiles will NEVER stop until they take a needle

in the UK we are infested with the scum, they are allowed to walk the streets and through admin errors have been allowed to even live near schools

you may think the death sentence is uncivilized but there is nothing civilized about toleranting this behavior

being civilized doesn't mean rolling over and taking it up the tail pipe you know  

Of course it doesn't, it also doesn't mean lashing out with angry vengeance; it means protecting civilized society from criminals, something life imprisonment does spectacularly well. Also, when your policy is to lock up those found guilty by fallible juries, you don't end up accidentally killing an innocent person, like we've done far too many times here in the U.S.: http://www.innocenceproject.org/

And when does life in prison mean that the prisoner dies there??

Never because there is always some liberal leftwing do gooder who wants to feel better about themselves, so they wring their hands and whine until the sentences are reduced to nothing

It's all good and well going for the ideal but the reality is life doesn't mean life unless you're special kind of psycho

You're too soft and idealistic for this world and it's people like you with dreams of pink unicorns and purple ponies frolicking over the rainbow that leads empires and civilizations down the tube because you're too civilized to protect civilization

smelly_bandit wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:

perhaps not but at least they aren't alive to do it again

pedophiles will NEVER stop until they take a needle

in the UK we are infested with the scum, they are allowed to walk the streets and through admin errors have been allowed to even live near schools

you may think the death sentence is uncivilized but there is nothing civilized about toleranting this behavior

being civilized doesn't mean rolling over and taking it up the tail pipe you know  

Of course it doesn't, it also doesn't mean lashing out with angry vengeance; it means protecting civilized society from criminals, something life imprisonment does spectacularly well. Also, when your policy is to lock up those found guilty by fallible juries, you don't end up accidentally killing an innocent person, like we've done far too many times here in the U.S.: http://www.innocenceproject.org/

And when does life in prison mean that the prisoner dies there??

Never because there is always some liberal leftwing do gooder who wants to feel better about themselves, so they wring their hands and whine until the sentences are reduced to nothing

It's all good and well going for the ideal but the reality is life doesn't mean life unless you're special kind of psycho

You're too soft and idealistic for this world and it's people like you with dreams of pink unicorns and purple ponies frolicking over the rainbow that leads empires and civilizations down the tube because you're too civilized to protect civilization

And we were doing so good, no personal insults or anything! OK, you're a poopy-faced doo-doo head with cooties!

We should just send the worst criminals back to England     

Ben_Reilly wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:

And when does life in prison mean that the prisoner dies there??

Never because there is always some liberal leftwing do gooder who wants to feel better about themselves, so they wring their hands and whine until the sentences are reduced to nothing

It's all good and well going for the ideal but the reality is life doesn't mean life unless you're special kind of psycho

You're too soft and idealistic for this world and it's people like you with dreams of pink unicorns and purple ponies frolicking over the rainbow that leads empires and civilizations down the tube because you're too civilized to protect civilization

And we were doing so good, no personal insults or anything! OK, you're a poopy-faced doo-doo head with cooties!

is that how you normally react to some criticism??

my my you really are a sensitive   

smelly_bandit wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:

And when does life in prison mean that the prisoner dies there??

Never because there is always some liberal leftwing do gooder who wants to feel better about themselves, so they wring their hands and whine until the sentences are reduced to nothing

It's all good and well going for the ideal but the reality is life doesn't mean life unless you're special kind of psycho

You're too soft and idealistic for this world and it's people like you with dreams of pink unicorns and purple ponies frolicking over the rainbow that leads empires and civilizations down the tube because you're too civilized to protect civilization

And we were doing so good, no personal insults or anything! OK, you're a poopy-faced doo-doo head with cooties!

is that how you normally react to some criticism??

my my you really are a sensitive   

More personal stuff rather than addressing the topic. I'm not at all surprised though, you've proven yourself to be quite the fuckwit here.

feelthelove wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Yeah, we all get angry at injustice and I've been right there with everybody else when you hear about parents killing their children, calling for the parents themselves to be killed.

I just think that at the end of the day, we're better off with a cool-headed justice system that never acts because of passion.

There is a very fine line between justice and revenge Ben

In fact, there is no difference. I love to hear that now-popular euphemism, it will bring closure. Closure is what you do to a file. It means the job is done, kapoot, finished.

If anyone thinks there is some sort of psychological satisfaction derived from capital punishment, ask them how the deceased victim feels about it. Opps...that's right, you can't.

"Justice" is a description of a legal system. Moral justice is anything you want it to be. Capital punishment is revenge.

veya_victaous wrote:We should just send the worst criminals back to England      

We can't get rid of the ones we've already got!!! Regardless of what they've done and where they've come from Veya     

Original Quill wrote:

feelthelove wrote:

There is a very fine line between justice and revenge Ben

In fact, there is no difference.  I love to hear that now-popular euphemism, it will bring closure.  Closure is what you do to a file.  It means the job is done, kapoot, finished.

If anyone thinks there is some sort of psychological satisfaction derived from capital punishment, ask them how the deceased victim feels about it. Opps...that's right, you can't.

"Justice" is a description of a legal system.  Moral justice is anything you want it to be.  Capital punishment is revenge.

Personally Quill I think justice means different things to different people.  If someone I loved was murdered I'm not sure that any amount of punishment would make me feel that justice had been served.   I'm not suggesting that the punishment should be more severe or death more that whatever form "justice" takes that person will never be brought back.

I guess the most you can hope for is that no one else suffers that loss  

Ben_Reilly wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:

is that how you normally react to some criticism??

my my you really are a sensitive   

More personal stuff rather than addressing the topic. I'm not at all surprised though, you've proven yourself to be quite the fuckwit here.

ive addressed the topic

you got frustrated that your lets be friends and sing songs round the campfire fails to impress

feelthelove wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

In fact, there is no difference.  I love to hear that now-popular euphemism, it will bring closure.  Closure is what you do to a file.  It means the job is done, kapoot, finished.

If anyone thinks there is some sort of psychological satisfaction derived from capital punishment, ask them how the deceased victim feels about it. Opps...that's right, you can't.

"Justice" is a description of a legal system.  Moral justice is anything you want it to be.  Capital punishment is revenge.

Personally Quill I think justice means different things to different people.  If someone I loved was murdered I'm not sure that any amount of punishment would make me feel that justice had been served.   I'm not suggesting that the punishment should be more severe or death more that whatever form "justice" takes that person will never be brought back.

I guess the most you can hope for is that no one else suffers that loss  

Whether the criminal will be able to kill again is a prudential question and has nothing to do with justice.

According to theorists, there are four purposes to punishment: rehabilitation, removal, retribution, and some argue, revenge.  

Retribution and revenge seem to be the same thing, except some interpose the idea of closure or "peace".  That is just the apologists wanting evade the revenge label.  It is what it is.

Original Quill wrote:

feelthelove wrote:

Personally Quill I think justice means different things to different people.  If someone I loved was murdered I'm not sure that any amount of punishment would make me feel that justice had been served.   I'm not suggesting that the punishment should be more severe or death more that whatever form "justice" takes that person will never be brought back.

I guess the most you can hope for is that no one else suffers that loss  

Whether the criminal will be able to kill again is a prudential question and has nothing to do with justice.

According to theorists, there are four purposes to punishment: rehabilitation, removal, retribution, and some argue, revenge.  

Retribution and revenge seem to be the same thing, except some interpose the idea of closure or "peace".  That is just the apologists wanting evade the revenge label.  It is what it is.

I disagree

Revenge is an emotion

Revenge would be allowing the family free reign to get medieval on the murderer

Revenge/retribution never happens since the criminals are afforded all the rights and in some cases more rights than their victims

They are removed to prison for rehabilitation - that is the bare minimum standard that should be expected

Revenge/retribution would be anything in addition to the prison term ie you suffer a similar treatment to what you inflicted on your victims and THEN get thrown into the slammer

an eye for an eye,a tooth for a tooth.

revenge is mine sayeth the lord.

witch do you believe?

nicko wrote:an eye for an eye,a tooth for a tooth.

revenge is mine sayeth the lord.

witch do you believe?

i believe in getting medieval on their asses

smelly_bandit wrote:

nicko wrote:an eye for an eye,a tooth for a tooth.

revenge is mine sayeth the lord.

witch do you believe?

i believe in getting medieval on their asses

So would you see that act of revenge as justice served Smelly Bandit?

feelthelove wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:

i believe in getting medieval on their asses

So would you see that act of revenge as justice served Smelly Bandit?

personally yes

others may have different notions

smelly_bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Whether the criminal will be able to kill again is a prudential question and has nothing to do with justice.

According to theorists, there are four purposes to punishment: rehabilitation, removal, retribution, and some argue, revenge.  

Retribution and revenge seem to be the same thing, except some interpose the idea of closure or "peace".  That is just the apologists wanting evade the revenge label.  It is what it is.

I disagree

Revenge is an emotion

Revenge would be allowing the family free reign to get medieval on the murderer

Revenge/retribution never happens since the criminals are afforded all the rights and in some cases more rights than their victims

They are removed to prison for rehabilitation - that is the bare minimum standard that should be expected

Revenge/retribution would be anything in addition to the prison term ie you suffer a similar treatment to what you inflicted on your victims and THEN get thrown into the slammer

It's revenge, smelly. You are only pissing and moaning about the degree of pain you cause in retribution.

Rights are abstractions like "closure" or "justice." They can mean anything you want it to mean. Ultimately, you are just trying to get the guy back.

Original Quill wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Whether the criminal will be able to kill again is a prudential question and has nothing to do with justice.

According to theorists, there are four purposes to punishment: rehabilitation, removal, retribution, and some argue, revenge.  

Retribution and revenge seem to be the same thing, except some interpose the idea of closure or "peace".  That is just the apologists wanting evade the revenge label.  It is what it is.

I disagree

Revenge is an emotion

Revenge would be allowing the family free reign to get medieval on the murderer

Revenge/retribution never happens since the criminals are afforded all the rights and in some cases more rights than their victims

They are removed to prison for rehabilitation - that is the bare minimum standard that should be expected

Revenge/retribution would be anything in addition to the prison term ie you suffer a similar treatment to what you inflicted on your victims and THEN get thrown into the slammer

It's revenge, smelly.  You are only pissing and moaning about the degree of pain you cause in retribution.

Rights are abstractions like "closure" or "justice."  They can mean anything you want it to mean.  Ultimately, you are just trying to get the guy back.

Not to mention that plenty of people feel a kind of sympathetic anger toward the perpetrators of horrible crimes, I know I do.

I know the death penalty doesn't act as a deterrent, I know it costs a fortune to keep someone on death row, I know its barbaric for our times but I cant help it. I still think it should be used for certain crimes. Especially when life in prison can mean 12 years FGS

NemsAgain wrote:I know the death penalty doesn't act as a deterrent, I know it costs a fortune to keep someone on death row, I know its barbaric for our times but I cant help it. I still think it should be used for certain crimes. Especially when life in prison can mean 12 years FGS

I totally agree..

Original Quill wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:

I disagree

Revenge is an emotion

Revenge would be allowing the family free reign to get medieval on the murderer

Revenge/retribution never happens since the criminals are afforded all the rights and in some cases more rights than their victims

They are removed to prison for rehabilitation - that is the bare minimum standard that should be expected

Revenge/retribution would be anything in addition to the prison term ie you suffer a similar treatment to what you inflicted on your victims and THEN get thrown into the slammer

It's revenge, smelly.  You are only pissing and moaning about the degree of pain you cause in retribution.

Rights are abstractions like "closure" or "justice."  They can mean anything you want it to mean.  Ultimately, you are just trying to get the guy back.

personally im a massive fan of revenge and retribution and i wouldn't piss or moan about inflicting pain on scum that raped or murdered on of my family members, and i certainly don't believe there should be an upper degree of pain they should be made to suffer

i disagree on the revenge part in a general sense of how things ARE though

how can it be revenge??

incarceration is the most basic measure to be expected to remove criminals from society, sending a criminal to prison isn't up to the victim so it cannot be their "revenge" for what happened

even the death sentence cannot be revenge unless the family or victims are the ones carrying out the execution, and even then it isn't what the family/victim may have chosen so it isn't their revenge

if someone raped or murdered one of my family and all they got was jail time id be pissed off, if they got death id be less pissed off but feel cheated that i wasn't the one flicking the switch.

yes some people talk about "closure", i don't know what that means when it comes to rape or murder or having you child fiddled with, for those crimes "closure" and "justice" means death for the perpetrator but only by my hands,if the execution was carried out by the state then i would feel the basic measure of justice was done but would not have closure

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

It's revenge, smelly.  You are only pissing and moaning about the degree of pain you cause in retribution.

Rights are abstractions like "closure" or "justice."  They can mean anything you want it to mean.  Ultimately, you are just trying to get the guy back.

Not to mention that plenty of people feel a kind of sympathetic anger toward the perpetrators of horrible crimes, I know I do.

you're a lefty

its no surprise that you feel sympathetic towards killers, rapists and pedophiles

smelly_bandit wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Not to mention that plenty of people feel a kind of sympathetic anger toward the perpetrators of horrible crimes, I know I do.

you're a lefty

its no surprise that you feel sympathetic towards killers, rapists and pedophiles

DOH!

and anyway Smelly...what about those innocents that have been executed in the numerous miscarriages of justice?

are they simply "colateral damage" , a price to be paid? or are you stupid enough to think the "state" (comprising of every thing from the copper on the street to the lord chief justice, or the equivalent abroad) firstly NEVER makes a mistake and secondly is totally incorruptible and thirdly is totally free from political/media pressure?

dream on....

smelly_bandit wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

It's revenge, smelly.  You are only pissing and moaning about the degree of pain you cause in retribution.

Rights are abstractions like "closure" or "justice."  They can mean anything you want it to mean.  Ultimately, you are just trying to get the guy back.

Not to mention that plenty of people feel a kind of sympathetic anger toward the perpetrators of horrible crimes, I know I do.

you're a lefty

its no surprise that you feel sympathetic towards killers, rapists and pedophiles

Anger in sympathy with the victims, toward the perpetrators, of horrible crimes. You didn't understand me.

victorismyhero wrote:and anyway Smelly...what about those innocents that have been executed in the numerous miscarriages of justice?

are they simply "colateral damage" , a price to be paid? or are you stupid enough to think the "state" (comprising of every thing from the copper on the street to the lord chief justice, or the equivalent abroad) firstly NEVER makes a mistake and secondly is totally incorruptible and thirdly is totally free from political/media pressure?

dream on....

So you're not happy for innocents to be executed but serving a prison sentence is ok by you, because there will be innocents serving time in jail



Idiot