Michigan Abolished the death penalty in 1846.
Capital punishment is wrong, yo. For one thing, it doesn't work. The crime rate in the 38 states that have it is pretty much identical to the twelve that don't have it; those that would commit capital offenses are so proud to think they could get away with it, or just don't care.
For another thing, it costs more; constitutional rights to due process cannot be avoided, so even those guilty as sin can delay their death by many years and many dollars. Those proud enough to defy the law now use it to delay the inevitable.
For a third thing, it is dangerous. Human beings are imperfect. As such, all things created by men (gender neutral usage of "men", ladies... you screw up just as much as the hairier sex) is imparted with human imperfection. With that in mind, it is impossible for the criminal justice system to be perfect all the time, every time. I am convinced that at least one, if not many, innocent citizens have been put to death by the state. I can't begin to imagine the horror of being in a situation in which not only are you not lying when you say you are innocent, but saying as much hurts your chances for appeal.
Finally, it's proud. We aren't gods. I know some of you are more than skeptical about how and what I believe in, but we can all agree that we are not omnipotent, omniscient, or infallible, right? To give the state the power to take life away from anyone that is not an immediate threat to it... is incalculably foolish. The state... is nothing more than the biggest bully. That's fine. Bullies can be useful. Bullies can even be good. However, bullies must be controlled. All a bully has, is its ability to dominate. As such, when a problem arises, its first, and often its only, response is to use force. To give a bully more power than it needs is to guarantee that the bully will use that power needlessly.
Ok, how to conclude? Right... bring it all down to a few choice words, Mark. The death penalty does not reduce crime, increases taxpayer burden, cannot be guaranteed to be used only on the guilty, and increase the chances of tyranny. Look, I am sure lots of you disagree with me. That's fine. In fact, I welcome people disagreeing with me. It gives me the chance to refine and enhance my arguments.
Just, keep it clean, eh?
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Friday, December 15, 2006
Stevens T. Mason
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3 comments:
I will not keep it clean! actually, i don't really have a stance on the death penalty. i could care less if a criminal is put to death. and i could care less if he is incarcerated for natural life. i do not think our prison system works. and i do think we should use new york city as a penal colony. other than that. i could care less.
Screw it.
2 words.
Battle Royale.
Maybe if we actually put down the criminals we're supposed to then the death penalty would have it's intended affect. Maybe knowing that they will have decades of time for appeal after appeal makes it easier for the criminals to commit those capital offenses.
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