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Politics : Long Live The Death Penalty! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: louisebaltimore who wrote (390)	1/16/2003 11:23:26 AM
From: Bill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 828

<< the conscience-less killer isn't likely to be deterred by the realization that the DP may be applied. >> But how can that be known? Also, the statement may apply to a portion of conscience-less killers, maybe even the majority, but all? What about conscience-less killers trapped in a hostage situation? Successful negotiators talk them out regularly using the DP threat as a bargaining tool.

To: louisebaltimore who wrote (390)	1/16/2003 1:59:39 PM
From: Fangorn	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 828

Louise, re deter - to prevent or discourage by means of fear, doubt or the like Admitted that execution would stretch the definition of "or the like". The fact remains that dead killers are prevented from killing which is what most consider to be the point. re >Agree. So what?< about pre-emption. Exactly. SO WHAT? You were the one who seemed to think it was bad. re >Even if the DP applied in these cases, it wouldn't alter things.< Because deterrence does not work in every case is not an argument against deterrence. Seatbelts don't work every time, would you ban seatbelts. Stoplights are sometimes ignored, would you ban stoplights. re >OK, agree about the logic part. What I'm trying to say is that the conscience-less killer isn't likely to be deterred by the realization that the DP may be applied.< Why not? Claiming someone won't be deterred doesn't make it so. Are you saying that the logical but conscienceless person will ignore the logical conclusion that committing murder might lead to execution? I don't see how lacking a conscience would lead a logical person to abandon logic. It would seem that the desire for self-preservation in your mind depends on having a conscience. I doubt that that is true. To argue that the possibility of execution does not deter at least some potential murderers is illogical in that it ignores human nature. Those saved by deterrence must be weighed against the possible innocent who might be executed by mistake.