WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON THE DEATH PENALTY?

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You must really be terrified about what lies beyond death. I won't say I don't have apprehension about death or that I'd hasten the day but I know I wouldn't like life in prison any better and neither would a helluva lot of others.

Whatever, though. In the end of this debate I’m still pro-capital punishment and will remain so.

Last edited by Raptor on 01 Oct 2011, 9:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

Beg your pardon GreySun....that's a hell of a reply with absolutely no basis! I am quite shocked actually.

Firstly it is MY opinion ...and I am against the DP...who said the UK are 'completely' anti-Death Penalty? Certainly not me!! And then to accuse us Brits of thinking of the Americans specifically as barbaric is preposterous! I was referring to the methods! And for the record that goes for any country!! No one is suggesting YOU as a nation are barbaric! My opinion is completely that MINE....and for the record I am half American and would never talk about 'family' that way.

I think you have jumped the gun to be honest. There are many in the UK who I am sure are pro Death Penalty. I do not speak on behalf of the UK. Your defensiveness to be honest is surprising. Chill! And as for Canada? I suggest you ask for the opinion of some Canadians.

I dont think anyone should have to be punished by death.. even if they did commit the most ruthless unspeakable crimes...

If they are in jail and no longer a threat then they should have the opportunity to at least try and change and maybe find some purpose for themselves... if they refuse to do that then fair enough they can waste themselves in a cell and live with that guilt for the rest of their lives until they change their mind... but yeah i dont think they should be put to death without that opportunity...

First of all sorry if my opinion came across too strong, I guess I get ahead of myself sometimes.

There may be people in the UK who are still supportive of the Death Penalty, but in countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia the death penalty has been abolished so I imagine the majority of people in those countries like you are against it. Plus you yourself described it as "barbaric", so forgive me if I assumed you meant we Americans are barbaric too for being one of the few countries to still use the death penalty. It's not that I'm just accusing you, but I see people looking down on us all the time just because some states in this country still support it so I apologize if I got too offensive.

As for Canada, i could honestly care less about what they think about that incident. I was just expressing my own opinion about how ****ed up I think that incident was.

Phew that's ok GreySun, it is a very provocative topic and there is no middle ground, you are either for it or against it!! I understand how fired up people can get when you are discussing a hot topic like the DP. The DP debate has returned sadly to the UK. I am obviously against bringing it back, but trust me there are many in the UK who are pro DP. There are many many countries using the DP, not all of them humanely I hasten to add.

I can't help admit that some of the US culture does put me off visiting the USA!! Scary to be honest! The use of guns that you have over there is very different also, in fact the whole culture is. I was only introduced (by the net to my father and half sister who I never knew existed until 4yrs ago, we have still never met!) to my American family fairly recently (I am 53) and the differences in how we live our lives, our culture and our emotional culture is entirely different. We may speak the same language but that is where the similarity stops imo!

Thanks for the apology, I appreciate it hugely. And let's continue excellent Anglo/American relationships...too much hostility and not enough compassion imho

I'm really glad you accept my apology.

It's true that America and the UK are very different. I've personally never been to the UK, but I have friends from all around the world so I probably understand some of the differences between countries better than most Americans. When it comes to my own country I'm kind of mixed about how we do things here. Some things I do support like the Death Penalty and right to own firearms, but other things I am strongly against like millitary drafting and the whole mindset my country seems to have about us being the most superior "free" country in the universe.

But I guess everyone feels that way about their own country. I'm one of the few who's beliefs and values always seem to contradict what the liberals and conservatives think of each other.

Also like I said before, even though I support the Death Penalty I still believe inmates should be treated with respect and decency in their final days. Just because they did something really terrible doesn't mean we should sink to their level and kill them in the cruel way they did their victims. That's why I'm a little upset about Texas and their decision to discontinue giving death row inmates their last meals.

Hey GreySun, I completely agree with this, lowering ourselves to levels that don't even bear thinking about is futile, inhumane and cruel - I can see why you are upset and agree with you. Saying that though, to be honest, if I was just about to be marched to a death chamber the last thing I would think about would be a meal!! I have always found that fascinating! I would be sick literally I think.

Hope you do come to the UK one day, it's a great country albeit we have major economic problems like the rest of the world, but you will be assured of a warm welcome and do let me know if you are ever over here, perhaps we can meet for a coffee to discuss the world and put it to rights

Well from doing research on the ritual of giving a condemned prisoner a last meal of his or her choosing, it has to do with the ancient belief that offering food freely to a person you're about to kill will help them to forgive the people executing them, and in some superstitions it was believed to prevent them from returning as a ghost to haunt those responsible for his or her death. This doesn't just apply to prison executions, but in some religions that hold human sacrifaces offering a last meal to the sacriface was done for similar reasons. I think it all has to do with normal humans feeling guilty over taking another human's life, so they invented this ritual to help ease their guilt. Of course like you said some prisoners might be too nervous to eat knowing they're about to die.

I just feel like this decision to discontinue last meals in Texas is taking away a tiny bit of our humanity. If they can do that who knows what else they might start doing in prisons? I don't even want to think about it...

As for the UK, I would love to some day start taking trips around the world and seeing different countries, but I'd be extremly nervous about doing it because I've barely left my hometown since childhood and only recently moved to a new city not too far from my hometown. If I met lots of friendly people like you it wouldn't be so bad I guess.

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. People who can't provide a proper justification use sarcasm as a get free card as the brainless fall for their trick. This is face-saving. You're not even willing to reconcile with the possibility of being wrong, never mind me having my own viewpoint. This is childish rubbish made up by an anti-left fanatic.


Another patronising assumption about my beliefs? Abortion first, and now fear of what comes after death? There is nothing after death. When we die we fall in to oblivion. Our minds end with the crumbling of our bodies to dust. We as individuals are annihilated. Maybe you shouldn't be so cowardly as to assume what I believe in order to use it for some twisted smearing agenda.

I don't care what prisoners like or don't like about imprisonment. What I care about is what's right. Punishment is meant for criminals. I don't care what real criminals think about the death penalty versus imprisonment. All I care about is that imprisonment allows for people to realise mistakes and get falsely charged people out of prison. Saying that people wouldn't like imprisonment is a wet, soppy flannel of an excuse. I like tough sentences on murderers. What I don't like is stupid sentences, like the Death Penalty.

All this has been is a categorical attempt to try and evade the fact that punishments are sometimes mistakes and with the Death Penalty this can lead to a tragedy in the most shamefully avoidable of ways. The last of your sentences only highlights your inability to contemplate being wrong. It's just stubbornness that has been implanted from embracing a partisan environment where bigoted, opinionated, unintelligent morons act sarcastically and throw china at each other.

Well well well, I never knew about the history behind the deed, so thanks for teaching me something. I can see why you are upset about it now even more. Humanity, I struggle sometimes to wonder if we still know the meaning of that word

And yes I understand too the 'not going too far from your comfort zone' feeling. I am not brave at all and barely go anywhere...I prefer it at home, I feel safe! But maybe one day eh....we may make it further than our own locality!! You take care and great talking to you

/\ Do you realize how hilarious it was to read this?
No, your type never does. They always get all hysterical and resort to personal attacks when someone has an opposing view then go cry to the mods when they get smacked down hard enough.
The topic of this thread is “WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON THE DEATH PENALTY?”.
That doesn’t mean just your view and yours alone.
Go ahead, though, and come back with some more hysterics to crack me up with.

So they spend the rest of their life behind bars. So what? What about those who are killed and then it is found out that they didn't commit the crime? What? You going to do some voodoo stuff and bring them back from the dead? No, you can't, can you: BECAUSE THEY ARE DEAD. Maybe you don't understand why the British ended the death penalty. The last use of the Death Penalty was a very high profile case where a mentally infirm man was accused of murder and then executed.

It was a complete sham. The man just couldn't face the court like a normal person: He hadn't the mind to do it. When it become conclusive that the man didn't commit the murders the outrage was so great that the Death Penalty was banned. The Death Penalty has been associated with that which is cheap and base ever since and rightly so.


Are you just cramming in slap on the wrist and 'short' years because you want to highlight the fact that you're opinionated or is your first language contrivance? Also are you trying to equate not giving the death penalty with 10 year murder sentences?

Don't try and make a false singular argument. Don't start thinking that just because some canadian girl got a weak sentence that just because a person wont get a death penalty then all that will happen is that they will be a 10-year sentence. This shameless equation is beyond the pale of reason that doesn't change anything about the argument you are making. You shouldn't let your obsessions with Canada's legal system blind your judgement.

You're a little too late on this, I already apologized for that post. But since you brought it up again I'm going to offer this: Yes you always run the risk of innocent people getting punished for crimes they are not responsible for. But then again you also have people who are obviously guilty of doing something horrible and don't get punished enough. My problem with the life sentence is that despite the name, it isn't always a garunteed "life sentence". When you have issues with prisons overcrowding which happens all the time, many times these murderers get released from prison after only a few short years and are free to kill again. Prisons overcrowding is one of our biggest problems in the world along with the fact that it's expensive to keep prisoners locked up and care for them.

Can you understand where I'm coming from with that?

Get used to it.

... is the right's modus operandi.

I direct you to this thread...

Why political debate is pointless...

Get used to what? I don't get used to people who make bad arguments. Get a grip and step back. No one is going to intimidate me with some shameless apologetic towards ignorance and stubbornness. Not listening to the other side is never a correct modus operandi. I never did it before and I have made a laughing stock out of anyone who did it in here. I am not a weakling like anyone who does it.