Jophiel wrote:
I'm opposed to the death penalty on "It's an ineffective deterrent and too many judicial errors have been found" grounds rather than "We're the real monsters" grounds. So I suppose that, given my druthers, we wouldn't apply it here because we wouldn't apply it anywhere. But, since we do have it and it was applied here, I guess I'm not terribly upset about it. In any event, I think the Onion headline holds better as a smirk-able bit of wordplay than any real insight. But it's the Onion so that's okay.
Well, I'm opposed to it because in my little world it's morally wrong. I agree about the ineffective deterrent and too many errors, but I never get that far because I don't believe I have the right to take a life. Also, don't limit it to judicial error, unless you didn't mean that as judge-only error, because prosecutors and juries are very well complicit in the error game.
But in this case I believe it's also wrong-headed. I feel like I could possibly be swayed on the "wrong-headed" issue, but I'd still be standing there with the "it's wrong" issue.
Anyway, the day is passing fast and I still have to get the AC filter changed and get the lawn sprinkler system up and running.
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"the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
Hermann Goering, April 1946.