Reply #42: silly reasoning [View All]

[jollyreaper2112]

The one pro-death penalty argument I can agree with is that it will deter the executed party from ever committing another murder. But you know what? Life imprisonment does the same thing. What's more, you can release a guy if you find out there's been a mistake, you can't resurrect him from the dead.

I'm of the opinion that first degree murderers should be sentenced to life, to hell with ever getting out. The cases that get mentioned on DU where people say "I could go for capital punishment right here," I say make it life, no parole. While I support the sentiment that some people deserve death, I don't trust our government enough to give it the right to kill people. I also don't trust the people enough to let them decide who lives and who dies either. Plenty of people are "black enough" to hang for a crime, regardless of whether or not they did it. You know it, I know it, that's how our mentality operates. Innocents will die if we preserve the death penalty.

At the same time, I think it is the height of foolishness to release killers who WILL kill again. The case that sticks out in my mind occurred I believe in California. The killer in question hacked the arms off a woman with an axe. Unfortunately for her, she survived. She testified against him in court. I remember the pictures of her in her prosthetic arms, little hooks for hands. The killer was one of the schizo nutball types, sane sometimes, crazy other times. He asked to be kept in prison because he knew he'd do something like this again. Well, they paroled him and another woman lost her arms. I don't know if she survived the attack.

I couldn't find the axe guy but Albert Fish showed up. When you read about this guy it's hard to not throw principles aside and simply demand he be shot on the spot. He sent this letter to the family of the young girl he murdered.

"On Sunday June the 3, 1928 I called on you at 406 W 15 St. Brought you pot cheese—strawberries. We had lunch. Grace sat on my lap and kissed me. I took her to an empty house in Westchester I had already picked out. When we got there, I told her to remain outside. She picked wildflowers. I went upstairs and stripped all my clothes off. I knew if I did not, I would get her blood on them. When all was ready I went to the window and called her. Then I hid in the closet until she was in the room. When she saw me all naked she began to cry and tried to run down the stairs. I grabbed her, and she said she would tell her mama. First I striped her naked. How she did kick, bite and scratch. I choked her to death, then cut her into small pieces so I could take my meat to my rooms, cook and eat it. How sweet and tender her little ass was roasted in the oven. It took me nine days to eat her entire body. I did not fuck her, though I could have, had I wished. She died a virgin."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Fish

It's amazing that there are enough of us left to survive with all the monsters out there.