Yes, but what was the last time an innocent man had been killed by the death penalty?
That's just it...we don't know. States are suspending the death penalty because they're finding hundreds of cases being overturned years after the conviction because of new advances in forensice science. There's no cut and dry sense of who "deserves" to die, except in very few cases. Once someone is dead, you're a lot less likely to clear their name. And how many mistakes like this are OK? 1? 3? 5? 20? 100? 500? 1,000? Lay it on me and give me a figure.
You could also apply this thinking to abortion. People can claim to know all they want...NONE of us "know" when a human life is REALLY a human life and not just a clump of cells and tissue, period. We only have beliefs. Some believe a human is created at conception...others believe a "human" sn't formed until several months into the pregnancy. Obviously we've crossed that line when it comes to partial birth abortions, but again, partial birth abortions are ONLY used when the mother's life is in critical danger from the pregnancy and it must be terminated at once. Banning it outright is an absurd and alarmist tactic that's wholly unecessary since it's rarely done, and when it is, it's for the reason I just described. It's a "window dressing" law meant to appease anti-abortion citizens, and that's it. It serves no practical purpose except to put women's lives in danger for the sake of "party politics."
Personally, I wouldn't ever suggest to my girlfriend or wife that she should have an abortion if her reason was she just didn't want to have the child (Over-generalizing, yes, but I'm trying not to ramble too much). But that's my opinion...I feel it should always ultimately be her CHOICE what she can do. And the amount of women just getting abortions left and right like it ain't no thang is a strawman example (And basically a lie) tossed out by anti-abortion activists who have already passed their judgement on everyone not like them. It rarely happens, bottom line. An abortion is a HUGE decision for pretty much everyone who decides to get one, and how DARE people who can never understand that choice try and trivialize it AND her like she's somehow less than them because of her decision.
And the death penalty comparison goes both ways. People who tend to oppose abortion tend to be conservative who tend to support the death penalty, despite their "all life is sacred" creed. The world is filled with hypocrites on both sides, and if you find someone who isn't, they're probably not real.
Like Geoge Carlin said, "if all life is sacred, go block the gates of cemetaries and quit wasting my time."
I'm anti-death penalty, anti-abortion, pro-choice. Easy enough.
<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."
This message was edited by TheMojoPin on 6-2-04 @ 3:44 PM