Of course I watched it - online, as the TV was co-opted for a Spongebob marathon.
Now we try to keep politics out of things here - well, as much as possible - so I am going to look at it purely from a moral standpoint.
In 2009. the last year for which there are solid figures, there were nearly 4 murders per DAY in Texas. Out of 30000 or so cases of flat out no doubts murder, bearing in mind the usual 5 to 10 years sitting on death row awaiting appeal, 234 people were slated for execution and not commuted to life imprisonment.
That is under 1%. In the same period of 11 years, Perry commuted over 100 death penalties to life imprisonment. That is not the action of a "bloodthirsty" man.
10 of the 234 executions are somewhat dubious, and, to my mind, should have been granted clemency from the governor. 10 of the cases involved people with serious mental illness - those should never have come to the death penalty in the first place.
If you don't want to play by the rules of the society you live in, you are better off not being considered part of that society at all. Because you are not part of society, but rather a jackal that lurks around the edges.
Murder for gain is evil. Full stop. End of story. If you murder for gain you have precisely zero right to keep on breathing in my book. And yes, I would (and do) actively support the death penalty for proven rape, child abuse and incest, as well as murder. I have dealt with those, and honestly, I simply want to kill the perps.
If I had been there I would have applauded too.
Amen, Panama! I have lived in Texas my entire life and personally, I think Perry is a damn fool. I don't agree with a lot of his policies and definitely any if his opinions but if I were in that audience, I would have been the loudest one there with my applause. He is clearly a man that wants to make sure someone is rightfully given the death penalty and it seen out when found guilty of such a crime. Living in a state which holds the country's most high profile and dangerous killing inmates (hello Huntsville), I'm surprised there isn't more. People who kill just to kill to get themselves off deserve to be taken off. Or would you rather use your tax money to have them live in our over crowded prisons for life. Our prison system is a trickle down effect. When you keep cold blood killers in prison for life, it prevents other inmates from staying in as long as they should. California also has the death penalty but they don't enforce it. Look at their prisons and the inmates that let go for over crowding time after time. Shout out to Lindsay Lohan!
This is not Panama...
That's why I said 'whoops! I meant mystery man!' right below this.
Whoops! I meant Mystery Man!
I'm pretty liberal for most things but I do support the death penalty, provided it's heavily regulated. I completely agree with your reasoning. Keeping a murderous criminal in jail for life is expensive.
Rick Perry for everything else, on the other hand, is absolutely crazy. This is coming from someone living in Texas...
I don't agree with that really being a general moral standpoint. unless you meant from your own personal moral standpoint?
I don't know if I agree with you anyway though. I think life in prison or whatever is sufficient. Make them live out the rest of their lives in hell but I don't think anyone has the right to take the life of another person. No matter what that person did.
That power lies with nature or god or whatever people personally believe in. But not us.
I don't agree with that really being a general moral standpoint. unless you meant from your own personal moral standpoint?
I don't know if I agree with you anyway though. I think life in prison or whatever is sufficient. Make them live out the rest of their lives in hell but I don't think anyone has the right to take the life of another person. No matter what that person did.
That power lies with nature or god or whatever people personally believe in. But not us
A person who has deliberately killed another for gain has no right for his life to be treated as sacred when he comes to stand trial for his crimes.
What about the life of his victim? Does that not deserve similar consideration? It didn't get thought one, did it.
Insanity, killing to defend your own life or the life of an innocent, killing accidentally (say in a none drinking or drug involved car crash) - fine and the death penalty should not apply and usually does not.
Regardless of the crimes of the executed, I don't think anyone should ever be applauded for sentencing a person to death. I don't want to get into my own views of capital punishment, but taking a life isn't something to celebrate, whether it's an innocent person or a criminal.
THIS. If you have a respect for life, then you should treat the death penalty as a gravely seriously and without celebration. Applauding it - whatever your standpoint - is appalling.
thank you! i completely agree. im not sayin wether im against or for it but either way dnt celebrate it. its disgusting to sit there and applaud that. and how isnt that murder for gain if hes sittin up there talkin about how many ppl have died in his name to get applause? just curious
I fully approve of your response, MM. While one can easily make the argument that the government/jury, as an imperfect judge, has no right to hand down an absolute punishment such as death, these people have clearly shown that they don't respect society/the social contract, and as such, if Texas sees fit, the death penalty is appropriate for them.