The Death Penalty

[jimmyshoe]

I got into a debate with my partners on the death penalty. I'm a believer in the death penalty because some crimes are just too damn sickening for words and it's just that you lose your life. My boyz pointed out that if God is the ultimate judge, then He should be the only one to take life and the government should not sanction it.

I hear what they are saying, but I think certain people (John Gacy, Ted Bundy, ect...) deserve to die.

What do ya'll think??

[R DUNN]

I was just thinkin bout this after the McVeigh execution. Here are my issues...
I don't think the death penalty is a solution. Hasn't the death penalty been around since Biblical times? It seems by now there would be no more violent crimes like that if the death penalty was a deterrent. I doubt many of these people think of consequences when they're doing the deed.

To me what the death penalty really does is quell the fears and anxiety of the masses. Like we can peacefully go to bed at nite after the McVeigh execution and say "Ahhh, there's another one we don't have to worry about". Like it's closure and resolution just for our conscience. You seen that movie "Arlington Road" about terrorism? It touches on some of this. Even if someone didn't do it or didn't do it alone, as long as there's someone to blame and punish, we can put an end to the story.

Which brings me to my other issue is that OUR people end up being the ones blamed and punished. There's plenty of (black) people on Death Row now or dead now cause they didn't have enough $ to buy justice or because we needed a scapegoat for something horrible that happened.

Do I think it's necessary right now? I guess so. An imperfect world is going to have imperfect solutions. Maybe it'll change one day...

Sorry for the rant, but it got me thinkin...

[jimmyshoe]

I feel you on that. I think there are a lot of problems with our justice system. The concept of the death penalty I certainly believe in, however, under the conditions in which it is applied to black men, I can't support this government putting anyone to death. There is no way to reconcile death if you make a mistake.