Death penalty

[FreeflyChile 0]

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But if the law was applied in good faith, no one connected to the execution that was done in error should be held to account for honest mistakes, or things they couldn't have known.

Including the judge and prosecutor. So is it their fault that the defendant had a crappy lawyer that couldn't get a favorable verdict? A judge and prosecutor's execution might depend on the skill of the defense attorney...sounds like a sound system.

[kallend 2,106]

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But if the law was applied in good faith, no one connected to the execution that was done in error should be held to account for honest mistakes, or things they couldn't have known.

Including the judge and prosecutor. So is it their fault that the defendant had a crappy lawyer that couldn't get a favorable verdict? A judge and prosecutor's execution might depend on the skill of the defense attorney...sounds like a sound system.

You make it sound like a poker game, with the outcome dependent on the skill of the players. NOT exactly a sound basis for a system of justice with death as a possible outcome.

We know that in Texas having a court appointed attorney who sleeps through a capital trial is not grounds for retrial!

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[FreeflyChile 0]

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But if the law was applied in good faith, no one connected to the execution that was done in error should be held to account for honest mistakes, or things they couldn't have known.

Including the judge and prosecutor. So is it their fault that the defendant had a crappy lawyer that couldn't get a favorable verdict? A judge and prosecutor's execution might depend on the skill of the defense attorney...sounds like a sound system.

You make it sound like a poker game, with the outcome dependent on the skill of the players. NOT exactly a sound basis for a system of justice with death as a possible outcome.

We know that in Texas having a court appointed attorney who sleeps through a capital trial is not grounds for retrial!

Yeah, that was my point in my reply.

[normiss 848]

Oklahoma has an equally embarrassing history of death penalty cases. I shudder to think how many innocent people have been murdered under state or federal authorization. If anyone is seriously in favor of the death penalty...a little research on it in the US alone should easily convince you otherwise.
State sponsored murder is simply wrong. It offers no deterrent whatsoever. It is simple vengeance, nothing more.

[kelpdiver 2]

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And for whoever said that the jury should be held accountable--why? The jury just weighs what the court tells it are the facts. They are under strict rules and guidance by the judge.

Didn't your high school have you read To Kill a Mockingbird? Even now, juries often stray from the facts and judicial directives and vote with their heart, and not always a very good heart.

On the civil side, why do plaintiffs file in East Texas? Because juries there seem to hate corporations.

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If an innocent man is put on death row and later executed, should the judge and the prosecutor be also put to death for killing an innocent man? I'd say hell yeah if I agreed with the death penatly.

Well by that logic add the executioner that actually does the killing, the cop doing the initial arresting, the person doing the initial accusing, etc.

Why leave out the defense attorney who failed so badly?

And what happens if after all these people are killed, we find out the guy really was guilty?

All of a sudden the death penalty doesnt make any sense. Besides...death is the easy way out. Lock the sons of bitches up in a 4 foot by 4 foot room with no wondows and no communication with other humans for the rest of their lives....now that's punishment,

7 ounce wonders, music and dogs that are not into beer

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If an innocent man is put on death row and later executed, should the judge and the prosecutor be also put to death for killing an innocent man? I'd say hell yeah if I agreed with the death penatly.

You're pretty darned quick to want to go out and kill a bunch of people.

You missed hte part where I say if "I agreed" with the death penalty, which I dont. There are much better methods of punushment then the government killing a human. See my post above.

7 ounce wonders, music and dogs that are not into beer

[tbrown 26]

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If an innocent man is put on death row and later executed, should the judge and the prosecutor be also put to death for killing an innocent man? I'd say hell yeah if I agreed with the death penatly.

That would be a contradiction, because the death penalty is for unlawful murder and an execution is at least in theory a lawful killing of a criminal who was afforded due process. In a perfect world anyway.

It's a very poor argument for using - or extending - the death penalty. Who would ever serve on a capital jury ? Who would sit on the bench, or prosecute - or for that matter defend, since they're usually the ones who do a lousy job ?

Interesting aside on the death penalty - originally Charles Manson and several of his followers were sentenced to death for the Tate-LaBianca murders. More than one of the women have stated that they wish they had been executed, because it would have been so much easier for them. They'd have died and it would have been over for them. Instead, they've had to live with it and the living death of a life sentence for all these years. One of them, Susan Atkins is dying of brain cancer in a hospital and has already had a leg amputated. And she's been denied compassionate release by the governor. I guess that sends a message to the rest of the Mansonites that they can pretty well kiss off ever being paroled, or even released to die when they're old. So you tell me they're not being punished.

Besides, if we can't even trust the state to deliver the mail, why would we ever want to let the state kill anyone ?

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !