The death penalty

[wendybeth]

Once again, the old red herring gets thrown in the ring before any serious discussion can begin. This thread is about the Death Penalty, not abortion, and if one feels like starting an abortion thread, by all means, go ahead. Don't hijack another's thread to do it- not cool at all.

I think my opinion has obviously been influenced by personal events, but I can project myself out of those and look at it fairly dispassionately. I believe in the concept of the Social Contract - you live in a society, you live by their rules. You commit an atrocity like murder- and I don't mean heat of the moment or vehicular homicide- I mean a calculated, cold blooded murder, well then you know what dues you may have to pay. The man that murdered that little five year old a few years ago in California? Death penalty. Charles Manson? Death. The BTK killer? Death, even though he gets to skate because the penalty wasn't in effect during his rampage. There is no rehabilitating these monsters. They are outside of society, and chose to be that way. Even so , I think the evidence must be incontrovertable- DNA, confession, whatever. Texas is playing it too fast and loose, and I fear that innocent people may be falling victim.