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Politics : Dutch Central Bank Sale Announcement Imminent? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: philv who wrote (17992)	4/14/2003 7:46:08 PM
From: sea_urchin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81092

Phil > Sometimes I think we should refer to ourselves as human beasts. Absolutely. But, at least, a beast kills to eat or defend its territory. The human kills for the sheer joy of killing or for a fantasy which he associates with the act. In fact, since biblical times the human has revelled in sacrifice, particularly human sacrifice. The mere idea of being able to kill another human confers a God-like quality on the killer eg the ruler or his proxy. Just look at the Aztecs. In fact, I would say the more religious the society, the more it demands the death sentence. The right to kill a human being is, since time immemorial, the way to confirm the authority of a religion or government. Clearly, the lust for human blood is inherent, even in our society, despite all our protestations about being civilized. That is why I believe capital punishment still exists in many countries. It gives power to the Establishment and deifies the ruler. It has little to do with punishment, deterrence, retribution or rehabilitation of the criminal but a lot to do with the awe in which the populace must hold the one who orders the execution. And even more than the actual death sentence is the awe with which they must view the arbitrary reprieve he can confer on the unfortunate who has been sentenced to death, frequently wrongly. In my opinion, there is nothing, other than the act of making war, which confers greater power, and a greater lust for power, on a ruler than his ability to, almost whimsically, commute the sentence of death on someone. Not only can he take life, he can give it. Clearly, he is God's representative on earth. And so, are we surprised that the death sentence is still alive and well in the State of Texas where GWB was formerly the governor.