My Responses To Your Death Penalty Post Comments

Thank you so much for the thoughtful responses, guys. Many of you agreed with me and shared great insight. For some of you (besides ZR) who have disagreed, here are my responses:

@ZR, I appreciate your thoughtful (and controversial) post. I agree with pretty much everything you had to say. Thanks for your input!

Vengence7times said:
"I can see both sides of the argument, but I think that it is a good idea to kill someone, who aims on killing others, so you are killing them, to save other people's lives."


Publius: And what if the person being executed turns out to be innocent, as has happened many many times before? Still a good idea? Any sure-fire away to avoid that happening again? Didn't think so.

Morph1n3 said:
"On my behalf I believe that they should keep the death penalty. For example if you rape someone for the 1st time. Get thrown in jail. 2nd time you get your pp cut off and 3rd time. Death Penalty. Kindda went off topic but ya :)"

Publius: How are you going to rape someone a third time if you already had your "pp" cut off? lol.

By the way, I'd hate to have my "pp" cut off/executed if I was one of the many men who was falsely accused of rape because, for example, a girl didn't have the bravery to tell her parents that she got pregnant because she was having premarital sex. And, I personally know of a case of a man being incarcerated for many years for just that happening personally. Imagine that being you?


1HipHopBlog said:
"The topic of should it still be used is a big debate, but it should only happen with allot of hard evidence is towards the person.There is a reason that we have the death penalty. And yes I do think that what happened to Troy Davis was tragic and horrible, for a man, whom all the evidence against him became moot, to still be killed. That is a fault of the people in the system not the laws. The death penalty not only acts as a way to rid the society as a whole of people who are past rehabilitation, but as a deterrent for those who would commit crimes if there wasn't such a punishment for doing them"

Publius: Perhaps, if there is video evidence of a man killing someone, I'd allow for the death penalty. Or possibly a taped confession and a massive amount of evidence corroborating the confession. But even then, you never know. What if the cops/feds put him up to it and it was a set-up?

As long as people continue to lie, have faulty memory, racism remains a factor, corrupt law enforcement, having crafty lawyers/not being able to afford good lawyers etc. there will be innocent people executed for crimes they never committed, as there has always been. And that is terrible reality, and one that should not be allowed since we can not determine the innocence of a man with any certainty without having video footage of it happening, really. People should be kept alive to have the chance to be able to clear their name and gain freedom, unless there is evidence that puts it beyond ANY doubt. Also, research has shown that the death penalty doesn't serve as a significant deterrent to violent crimes at all. So, you can scratch that as well.

Thanks again for following my blog, I appreciate all feedback!

I have the honor to be affectionately and respectfully your humble servant,
Publius

Why the death penalty should be abolished...

On September 21st, 2011, Troy Davis was controversially executed by lethal injection at the behest of the U.S. State of Georgia. Many people believed him innocent of the crime for which he was incarcerated for the span of the last 20 years. The international community, especially many of the nations of the European Union, widely condemned the execution, as well as the institution of the death penalty in general.

People protesting the execution of Troy Davis in Paris, France

Now, there are many instances in U.S. history (and certainly in the history of other nations) where people executed by the state were later found innocent, be it from new DNA evidence, or somebody later confessing to the crime, government/judicial corruption etc. With this in mind, imagine how it must feel to be that wrongly-accused person. Possibly spending 20 years of your life or more in prison, your reputation tarnished, your family ashamed and/or devastated that their loved one lost their freedom and is on death row, and later being killed by the State for a crime of which you are entirely innocent. Can you think of a more terrible reality? I truly pity these people, the feeling of helplessness and injustice must be unbearably heartbreaking.

 With that in mind, how can anyone be in support of the death penalty? If these wrongful convictions happen even once in the history of our justice system, the death penalty should be abolished. However, it has happened more times than we will ever know, and will repeatedly happen, as long as people remain imperfect. Considering that the death penalty has not proven to be a useful deterrent to committing violent crimes, and it's supposedly more expensive to execute someone than to actually keep them alive in prison, then I just don't see how anyone with a functioning sense of reason can continue to support this truly barbaric institution.

Could be you, whether you committed a crime or not.

What's your opinion? Do you find my arguments compelling? Should the death penalty continue to be implemented in the U.S., as well as other countries around the world, as long as our justice systems remain decidedly imperfect? Please respond with a thoughtful comment discussing your opinion.

I have the privilege to be affectionately and respectfully your humble servant,
Publius