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Pastimes : THE SLIGHTLY MODERATED BOXING RING
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To: E who wrote (3874)3/21/2002 10:21:27 AM
From: TimF  Read Replies (1) of 21057
 
But here are a FEW of the things that make me ill about the state killing:

It's a lottery rigged by

~income. the rich live, the poor die, for the same crime.

~race, especially race of victim (you're about 4 times more likely to be punished if you kill a white than if you kill a black.)

~income. the rich live, the poor die.

~educational level

~income. the rich live, the poor die.

~celebrity. remember oj?

~income. the rich live, the poor die.

~what state you happen to live in

~income. the rich live, the poor die.

~gender (want to kill? be female.)

~income. the rich live, the poor die.


All criminal penalties are "a lottery" in that sense. If you are rich and educated you are more likely to get away with a crime or receive minimal punishment. It helps if your in the right jurisdiction and it might also help if you are female. Unless you are arguing against all punishment I fail to see how this is an effective argument against the death penalty.

I know that this is not your whole argument, I am just making the point that this part is not persuasive.

I also don't think we should set our internal policies because of what other countries do. The two arguments that have any strength IMO are first the cost, and secondly the far more important argument about the possibility of innocent people getting executed.

Executing juveniles and the mentally retarded is a seperate issue. You can stop these executions without stopping all of them. I'm not totally convinced that we should, but I would not oppose such a ban if the state I live in (VA) where to put it in place.

Tim
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