The Death Penalty
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Outside World
Forum Name: News, Info and Happenings outside Middletown
Forum Description: It might be happening outside Middletown, but it affects us here at home.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3650
Printed Date: Jun 15 2024 at 11:01pm
Topic: The Death Penalty
Posted By: VietVet
Subject: The Death Penalty
Date Posted: Feb 06 2011 at 8:22am
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Today's Journal...pieces of the article
Commentary: Voices rise up against death penalty in Ohio A growing chorus of voices is calling for a re-examination of the death penalty in Ohio. Among the most powerful voices: Ohio’s Catholic bishops; Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer; former attorney general Jim Petro; and former state prison director Terry Collins. And now, some political leaders are calling for Ohio to re-examine the death penalty — even Pfeifer, who served as chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee when Ohio debated the capital punishment bill in 1981. “The time has come to put an end to the death penalty,” he said. “The governor should commute the sentences of everyone on death row to life without the possibility of parole. For the majority of them that wasn’t an option at the time of their sentencing.” State Rep. Ted Celeste, D-Grandview Heights, is drafting a bill calling for the end to the death penalty in Ohio. Celeste is referring not only to the extravagant cost of protracted litigation, but also the emotional toll on victims’ families. HOW ABOUT THE EXTRAVAGANT COSTS OF KEEPING A PERSON ALIVE FOR YEARS UNTIL THEIR NATURAL DEATH, TAKEN OFF DEATH ROW, AND MAINTAINING HIS LIFE FOR WHAT REASON? THEY HAD THE CHANCE, AS WE ALL DO, TO LIVE WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE LAWS OF SOCIETY AND FAILED TO DO SO. THEY MURDERED AND MUST SURRENDER THEIR LIFE ALSO IMO. Kevin Werner, executive director of Ohioans to Stop Executions, said for the first time in a long time, the momentum is building against capital punishment. He added, “America is supposed to be a shining beacon for the rest of the world. But with the death penalty, we’re not.” SORRY KEVIN WERNER.....THIS NATION HAVING CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ISN'T THE REASON WE AREN'T A "SHINING BEACON" FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD.I STILL THINK THE ONES WANTING TO ABOLISH CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ARE IN THE MINORITY. IMO, MOST PEOPLE DON'T WANT THEIR TAX DOLLARS GOING TO FEED AND HOUSE A PERSON WHO HAS DECIDED TO MURDER ANOTHER PERSON. THIS IS ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO "SOFTEN" AN OTHERWISE HARD CRUEL WORLD OUT THERE BY PEOPLE WHO CAN'T STAND TO SEE PEOPLE RECEIVING A PUNISHMENT THAT FITS THE CRIME. TOO MUCH KINDER/GENTLER EXCUSES AND NOT ENOUGH ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ONE'S ACTIONS AGAIN, IMO. IS THIS TYPE OF "GENTLER" THINKING REALLY GOOD FOR THIS NATION OR SHOULD WE START FORCING PEOPLE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS AGAIN? I HOPE THIS GOES NO FURTHER THAN JUST TALK. AS IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THEY NOW WANT TO TAKE THE DETERRENT FOR PROPER BEHAVIOR OUT OF SOCIETY. WONDER HOW MANY MORE MURDERS WILL OCCUR IF THEY REMOVE THE DEATH PENALTY? I WOULD THINK THE MURDER RATE WILL INCREASE AS THERE WILL BE NO "ULTIMATE" PRICE TO PAY. JMO |
Replies:
Posted By: Bocephus
Date Posted: Feb 06 2011 at 12:23pm
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The liberals and Socialists are crawling out of the woodworks.What I do not understand is that some of the very same people crying about the death penalty say that its ok to kill unborn children.I just don't understand that. |
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: Feb 06 2011 at 2:13pm
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Bocephus - could not agree more. |
Posted By: TonyB
Date Posted: Feb 07 2011 at 9:44am
| Hey Bocephus, the same argument can be made in reverse, let them be born no matter what the circumstances and we'll kill them later when they screw up. KILLING IS WRONG!!! Doesn't matter when, doesn't matter why. Taking a life is wrong for the person involved in the act AND wrong for the society that decides a persons' life is worthless. The real fear with the death penalty is that once a society decides it sanctions killing, then it can alter the circumstances for which you can be killed. |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Feb 07 2011 at 10:49am
| Understand your point of view TonyB. You state "taking a life is wrong for the person involved in the act and wrong for the society that decides a person's life is worthless". How about in a war? In this case, it is kill or be killed. You gotta shoot back because they ain't gonna stop shooting. Can you blame a person for killing if he is in a situation of being killed himself? Don't think so, IMO. As for society deciding a person's life is worthless?.....You need to talk to Washington....the Pres. and his cabinet. They are the ones that start the wars and the ones that send soldiers to die, whether it be in my day with the draft or now as a volunteer. Sending one off to war is, in a way, a potential death penalty for some, IMO. It was for 58,000+ in the war I participated in. |
Posted By: TonyB
Date Posted: Feb 07 2011 at 4:43pm
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VietVet, Thank you for the reply and your service to our country. Being a peacetime vet myself, I was never faced with a war scenario. War is the ultimate social crime, committed by persons of wealth against the poor for their own enrichment. I do need to correct one thing: in our system, it is supposed to be Congress that declares war, not the President nor his Cabinet. That makes every war since WWII an ILLEGAL military action (by definition). Also, did any of the people who you shot at do anything to you personally? No, you were following the orders of your superiors (which, by the way, were illegal. see above). Most soldiers in most wars don't have anything against their enemy other than the fact that they were ordered to shoot at what was designated as "the enemy". There are extenuating circumstances where killing may be justifiable,yet, as a principle, killing is wrong. I have a quote which I can't remember who to attribute it to, but it goes like this: "The first person to raise his fist, is the first person to run out of ideas."
My real problem with government sanctioned murder is the burden it places on a society when they decide it the answer to societies ills. Sooner or later, when life is cheapened to such an extent that we decide any persons life has no value, then death becomes the answer to every problem. It just doesn't seem to be the deterrent that some see. Yeah, it stops that person, but the damage done outweighs the effect. Not to mention when someone is erroneously convicted and executed.
By the way, someone ought to be prosecuted for the 58,000+ lives lost in that war. Wonder if that will ever happen?
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Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Feb 07 2011 at 5:32pm
With all due respect, who do you suggest, that is still alive, should be prosecuted for this? ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
TonyB wrote:Posted By: TonyB
Date Posted: Feb 07 2011 at 9:57pm
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Mike,
I'm not truly suggesting that. As you correctly point out, very few people alive that were in positions of responsibility. Justice delayed is justice denied, insofar as no one to answer for this crime.
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Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: Feb 08 2011 at 9:39am
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What happened to the Golden Rule - do unto others, as you would have others do unto you.
I agree no man has the right to take someones life - however the person that commited a murder knows there is consequences - if they are willing to take the risk - they deserve the outcome as well. If they receive the death penalty - I did not decide they should die- they made the decision theirselves when they commited the crime.
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