based on the opinions of those around me. Through the years, I wised up to how a lot of attitudes around me are considered barbaric in more civilized areas of the country. Since thinking for myself, I am no longer pro-death penalty.

And to me, it is pro-death.

Where I live, those who are pro-death penalty also tend to repeat the harshest parts of the Bible as if that is all there is in there. They are the types of people who use "spare the rod, spoil the child" to justify things like child abuse. Even if you think that is only an observation, look at how many actual criminal cases involve parents who either maimed or killed their kid and what their excuse was. If any lawyer ever decided to do a study in NC of the attitudes of the people, especially in certain areas, compare that to crimes against animals and children and the elderly, not to mention the crimes against women, and type of beliefs about religion and the attitudes about the death penalty, I can guarantee they would find connections that would blow people's minds. I've been watching it for years, but finding anyone with the right credentials to either confirm or deny what I have seen and heard and see if there is a connection like I think I see, well, that probably won't happen. People in this area either clam up or outright lie if anyone from outside the area starts asking questions.

It's not just in smaller towns either. Sure, Raleigh and Asheville are nice areas that aren't, overall, like that, but check out Gastonia, aka known in NC as Gunstonia, and the areas around Charlotte. Daily, preachers, teachers, and others in positions of authority over children are committing sex crimes and other violent crimes against kids, but dare to say anything about how pedophiles and child murderers are entrenched in a lot of religious groups here and you'll be seen as a monster. It is in the news every day, though. They refuse to see Pastor X as anything but a Saint and until Pastor X is busted by cops, kids have to put up with the abuse. Same with teachers as well.

And that is just in NC. I don't even want to imagine how bad it is in SC and other states that have that attitude. I do think there is a connection between pro-death penalty states and the attitudes of the citizens in those states. That doesn't mean all citizens, obviously, but the majority. My question is why do people think of it as a deterrent when the actual facts prove otherwise?