@jfos, At least there are some who are not baking cookies, getting a latte or surfing channels to still be on point.
@Factotum Holla! @Adirondackwannabe “Public executions, particularly with the cheering and worse, or with the audience participation, are abhorrent to me. Perhaps that is the point, the idea that we would not be able to continue to execute people if the (possibly) enlightened public were to see it squarely.” I never said public, just a chance to view (If I ever wanted to) what is already going on and being done in MY NAME. There is an audience now, but it is limited to a select few like a secret execution club.
@Dr_Dredd “..but I do think that anyone who is going to sit on a jury that considers the death penalty should be made to watch an execution. They should know exactly what will happen if they reach that verdict.” I SO agree and all the politicians should watch one too. If you are going to order stinking rap music for the party you should have to sit and listen to it.
@Merriment “To make average people question their ability to sentence someone to death and have to choose between allowing an offender to get away with murder or being personally able to watch a death sentence carried out is a burden the average Joe shouldn’t have to bear.” Society makes the average Joe bear a lot. About a decade ago poor kids who went into the armed service because some slick recruiter told them they would get good training, decent pay and a G.I bill to go to college on was made to go out on the battle field to kill people when the closest they ever got was a single-shooter video game. They survived it. Who is allowing anyone to go free? The issue is not have the death penalty or if you don’t kill them let them go free.
“no not complete acquittal but a punishment that many people feel is inadequate punishment for the crime committed. That they personally can’t pull the switch or don’t wish to allow the criminal to taint their souls by making his payment for his crimes happen in their presence doesn’t mean that the punishment should be withheld.” Punishment is not being withheld it is being made transparent. For those who would be “tainted” in their soul (would not apply to atheist it won’t affect them that way) there are those who not only would want to watch BUT hit the button, pull the lever or whatever. Wonder why they would feel haunted by something done with their blessing? If they had voted against it as I have, they would not have people killed in their name.
“Same crimes, different jury reactions, different verdicts based on those reactions. It really takes “impartial” judgment and throws it right out the window. Where would the justice be in that scenario?” If law was called like a penalty in a football game, the same way for everyone who commits the foul be he Pro Bowler, Super Bowl MVP, United Way spokes athlete or some douse like Rodman it is the same penalty maybe law would be respected more as actually “fair and impartial”. That disparage of justice happens everyday just in the shadows. Sammy “The Bull” Gravano was involved directly or indirectly to the murders if 19 people, did he get death? No, he got the opportunity to plead guilty to one of the murders and so wino time in prison until he was released to witness protection. Because the government wanted Gotti so bad (maybe because he was making monkeys of them) that they were willing to let the deaths of 18 people go unpunished and the death of the last go (in many opinions) under punished. What justice did those 18 people get? So much for the equality argument.
@Adirondackwannabe “Where is the overall benefit of watching this?” Maybe no better than executing people to even the score. Where those who were victimized be they directly or because their corner of the world now feels less safe they may want to see the “dirty killer rapist” get his. For those who have it forced upon us (because we didn’t have the votes to get rid of it” we should have the option to see what everyone voted for me but don’t want to watch themselves.
@Steve_A “Not to mention if you want to watch some one being killed you can find it on the internet, I watched some videos before not too grand of a spectacle…” Never did I say the word public or spectacle. I said it would be done as it is being done this year somewhere in America just that it will be able to
@BoBo1946 “There has to be some respect for all human beings that die. After all, at one time, everyone was once an innocent baby. Until you have walked in a man’s shoes, don’t be so quick to judge!” Yeah I agree with that, none should die but since we have it we either make it open or close it to just the reporting media, the warden or his people, and the people carrying it out—no one else; no victim’s family and such just who has to be there so the condemned can die by himself.
@Anonymoususer ”I think we should re-habilitate criminals from the violent way of acting, not the other way.” (running on front of this kind being with a flame –proof shield) That is why they use to all them penitentiaries and reformatories, to give a guy/gal a time out to repent and be reformed back into society, then vengeance took over and it was all about getting even. I think we as a society will one day have to reinvest in these people are they will just become better criminals each time they go through the system. And 3 strikes sounds good until you have 700,000 ill geriatric inmates with tons of medical problems that WE the people will be paying for.