ALABAMA inmate to be put to death today.

[merh]

Mario Centobie is to be put to death in Alabama this evening. Yes, what he did was wrong, horribly, terribly wrong. But state sanctioned killing is also wrong. If you want to take a stand against this execution, go to this site and send an email or fax in opposition. Mario has resigned himself to this, he is not fighting it, but for those of us who are opposed to the death penalty, we can take the time at this site to stand against it, to be heard.

Alabama
April 28, 2005
6:00 PM CST

The state of Alabama is scheduled to execute Mario Centobie April 28. Centobie was sentenced to death for the 1998 fatal shooting of Moody Police Officer Keith Turner in St. Clair. The police officer was killed after Centobie and Jeremy Granberry escaped from Missisippi authorities while being held for another crime.

Centobie was also given three life prison terms for the wounding of Tuscaloosa police Capt. Cecil Lancaster.

Centobie’s trial took place in Elmore County due to the amount of publicity surrounding the St. Clair County area where the shooting took place. During his trial, Centobie gave jurors a dramatic, play-by-play account of his crime including pointing his fingers to represent a gun and shouting “Bang.” During his appeals proceedings, Centobie acted as his own attorney.
(snip)

http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=529

Proposed email/fax that can be sent from the site:

execution not the answer for Centobie
I would like to express my sadness over the death of Police Officer Keith Turner. His death and the other crimes committed by Mario Centobie were senseless and tragic.

However, I oppose the execution of Mr. Centobie. There is no evidence that the death penalty serves as a deterrent of crime. It is a costly practice which perpetuates a culture of violence. I ask that you support legislation calling for a "time-out" on the death penalty in Alabama. It would be more beneficial for the state to use funds towards education and other known crime prevention measures.

Thank you for your consideration. Please end this cycle of violence.

[thecai]

1. Signed Up

and recommending this thread.

[merh]

2. Thank you.

Please try to help me keep it kicked.
:hi:

[forgethell]

3. Not signed up

I support the death penalty, especially for people who kill police officers.

[merh]

4. Thanks for posting and kicking the thread.

That is nice of you.

[forgethell]

15. You're welcome.

Everybody's entitled to his own opinion.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[merh]

12. No, our tax dollars are better spent killing citizens in other lands,

trying to colonize their nation under the guise of democracy. Much better spent having our soldiers become the criminals that we love to execute because they are trash. :argh:

It actually costs less to maintain an inmate in the system than to execute them. Dead Man Walking is a book you might want to read.

Thanks for posting though, it does keep the thread alive. May you and yours never make a mistake in life and never know the heartache of prosecution and institution. I mean that from the bottom of my wasteful little ole heart, I would prefer spend my tax dollars housing this man than having his blood on my hands or the hands of my nation.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

14. do some research, it costs more to put someone to death

than to keep them imprisoned for life.

[forgethell]

16. It's not

the amount of money that counts. It's the end result.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

18. in you opinion what are the differences

between the effective end results of the Death Penalty vs. Life in Prison?


and why is the Death Penalty better?


secondly is it worth putting innocences to death?

thanks.

[forgethell]

23. The effective end results

of the death penalty are: there is no possibility that said murdering scum will ever kill again, especially prison guards or fellow prisoners; society has mad a statement that it will not tolerate murdering scum; no need to provide medical care for the aged murdering scum, a sense that justice has been done is given to the families of the victims of the murdering scum, call it 'revenge' if you like.

I could go on and on. Naturally, ever precaution should be taken to prevent the innocent from being convicted, not just for a death penalty case, but for any crime. Nonetheless, being human, we will make mistakes. Given the advanced technology of today, probably far less so than at any other time in history. The main problem, as I see it, is careerist prosecutors who just want a conviction, regardless of the merits of their cases. Janet Reno springs to mind as a witch-hunting prosecutor of extremely weak child molestation cases.

But, bottom line, the state must have, and must use this ability to protect itself and its citizens, regardless of the inevitable mistakes. No, I wouldn't like it, if I was wrongfully convicted, but my feelings don't matter next to the principle.

Fair enough??

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

26. I wonder why that particular prosecutor is the one who sprang to your mind

:eyes:

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

27. but the fact stands that innocents are and have been put to death

how is that "justice"?

i don't see what is wrong with just keeping someone in prison for life. It is cheaper.
It is reversible.
It is doesn't reinforce the idea that murder is an appropriate and state sactioned form of retribution.

[forgethell]

30. Ah, but it's

not reversible. You can let them out; you can even pay them. but years have been stolen from them they will never recover, and they have to live with that.

I sort of think that prosecutors who are more intent on getting a conviction than seeing justice done should spend a little prison time themselves. But, hey, that's just me.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

32. well, i would say it is not as irreversible as putting someone to death

let me get this straight, are you arguing that it is better to wrongly murder an innocent person than it is to wrongly lock them up?

i don't follow your logic.

as far as the prosecutor's job goes, well that's their job is to try and convict people it is also the defense's job to try and not to allow that to happen no matter what the situation is.

it is not a prosecutor's job to see that justice is done, that is left to judge and jury, the prosecutor's job is to prosecute. prosecutor's don't send people to jail by themselves.

so, in light of the fact that you think there are some prosecutors who are more intent on getting a conviction than seeing justice done, you still support their ability to argue that people deserve to die?

again, i don't follow the logic.

[forgethell]

68. The issues are separate.

Yes, I support the death penalty.

The prosecutor's job is NOT to prosecute just anybody, but those he is convinced committed a crime. I'm not a lawyer. My morals are too high. But as I understand it, the prosecutor's job is to see that justice is done.

But the fact that there are prosecutors more interested in their careers than in justice does not change the fact that some criminals deserve to die and that the state must be allowed to kill them. Otherwise, there is no chance of justice for the victims.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

71. ok, i understand your position, i think

you support the death penalty and you also believe that the system is currently flawed.

my question is how can you support the death penalty for someone knowing that their case/trial may have been effected by a flawed system?

you can not justly put someone to death with a flawed justice system.

also along the lines of your "justice for victims" argument, say an innocent person was put to death, what recourse does that person's family have? should the people that wrongly put this person to death be tried for murder? should the death penalty be applied to them? how can your brand of justice be served if no one else dies for killing wrongly convicted person? Killing people in the name of justice is a hairy business to be in.

also, just curious, what types of killings/murders in your opinion require "justice" through the murder of the murderer/killer?

accidental police slayings?
man slaughter?
just curious where you draw the line between what is appropriate to take someone's life for and what is not.

[forgethell]

73. I can support it

because I do not expect perfection from any human institution. Only an honest and complete effort to be fair and just. To give them a fair shot at defending themselves, including turning over to their attorneys all exculpatory evidence. That's all we can do.

To eliminate the death penalty because it cannot be perfectly administered is to admit defeat. Might as well scrap all socialist politics because its most effective practitioners were such characters as Stalin, Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, and the sainted Castro.

Justice for the victim when it is an innocent man? Well that is a hard one. However, I believe that so long as the law has been followed, and the trial was fair, it is not a murder. I don't believe in execution for every case of homicide, just murders. Self-defense deserves no punishment. Accidents will depend on the degree of fault. Even manslaughter does not deserve more than a prison term.

Murders that require the death penalty? Anything premeditated over a period longer than a few minutes. Heat of anger things would be based on a case by case basis. Anything caused by intoxication or drug use of the killer. Those that care so little about their fellow man deserve no pity or compassion. Anything committed in the process of committing another crime, premeditated killing or not.

I would also add any person convicted for a second time of child molestation. By that I mean rape, not groping or showing them dirty pictures. Not statutory rape. Forcible rape. In fact, I think they should get it on the first conviction. Why the hell are these people ever let out of prison to begin with??

As you say, it is a hairy business to be in. That's why it has to be right, to the very best of the ability of the people involved. We all make moral decisions and accept the consequences.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

74. well, what clinches it for me is

innocent people will be and have been put to death.
there is no way i can justify murdering an innocent person in the name of "justice".

couple that with the fact that practically it is more resource intensive to put someone to death than it is to keep them in prison for life.

that is why i oppose the death penalty. The system is not full proof plus it costs more. we kill more innocents and spend more to do so.

i understand your position but i can't agree with it. I feel it is contradictory. I am agreeing to disagree.

anyway, thanks for keeping this civil and have a good day!
:hi:

[forgethell]

77. You have a good day

too. Disagreement is what democracy is about.

[mikelgb]

21. we all die in the end

nobody has a right to take another's life not this man nor his executioner... let him serve out his three consecutive LIFE sentences...

btw... its all those horribly incuarable druggies that are mucking up the system lets kill all them

[forgethell]

24. No one does

have the right to take another's life, except in self defense. The state, however, does have the right to do it as punishment for heinous crimes, including murder.

Your last comment was totally irrelevant, and I can only assume is put in as a feeble attempt at mockery.

[Solon]

44. Governments do NOT HAVE RIGHTS!!!!

BY ALL THE GODS, that is stupid, they are granted POWERS by the Constitution and the People, human beings have rights, NO ORGANIZATION SHOULD BE GRANTED RIGHTS, governmental or otherwise, only powers, and the power to take life should be taken away for the precise reason that governments make mistakes. I hate this utopian BS about the Death penalty, its indefensible to say that innocents need to be killed to sate your bloodlust, its WRONG.

[forgethell]

69. First, I have

NO blood lust. It is a stupid, even bigoted, mistake to think so. Is the only way you can make a point to demonize those who disagree? I'd like to think otherwise.

OK, I'll accept your terminology for the sake of this discussion. The Constitution does permit the use of the death penalty. So the State has the power. Maybe we should take away the power to tax, because the government might use it mistakenly?? Whatever your pet governmental peeve is: military spending or wealth re-distribution seem to be the main ones.

To do without the death penalty is to admit that there can never be any justice, for some crimes demand it. Nothing utopian about that. It's a moral issue.

[Frederik]

76. The death penalty

is "cruel and unusual punishment" in our day and age. The constitution does not permit that, does it.

[merh]

25. Welcome to DU, mikelgb

:hi:

[thecai]

28. Correct, Sheepy...

...profitable to the gvt., which is why so many support the death penalty IN SPITE of tens of thousands of wrongful convictions each year in America.

[ET Awful]

40. Yeah, we need all that extra prison space for first-time non-violent

drug offenders serving mandatory minimum sentences.

[Jack_DeLeon]

54. Same....

althought I dont "especially" support the death penalty for those that kill police officers because I dont think police officers should be any more special than any other "civillian".

I do support the death penalty.

[H2O Man]

6. Done!

In 1967, one of my best friends narrowly avoided the electric chair. Twenty years later, federal courts found that he had not commited the crime that he had been "convicted" of.

The fact that the USA executes innocent people ALONE should be enough to cause us to abolish the practice. More, most of the civilized world believes that executing guilty people is also wrong.

[merh]

13. Thank you.

:kick:

[EFerrari]

7. Thank you, merh. I will email.

Someday I hope we join the community of nations that don't murder people.

[merh]

22. Thank you.

:hi:

[ohiosmith]

8. Fuck him. I hope he suffers horrible painful death.

[merh]

9. Thank you for posting and kicking the thread.

:kick:

[ohiosmith]

10. My pleasure.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

17. Will you be sad if it's quick and painless?

Would you favor the Iranian method instead, like that Volokh character does?

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

46. I guess you don't like Maine either

Or Mass. Or 10 others which I forget the name now.

[nonconformist]

49. I'm sorry for your loss.

:(

[thecai]

64. Too Many Innocent And Wrongfully Convicted

It is easy to wrongfully convict a suspect, yet difficult to free them, especially for the indigent. We cannot trust the fate of human lives with such a flawed justice system, no matter how vengeful anyone feels.

[Rainbowreflect]

11. Signed up & kicked.

A man I knew when I was in high school shot a police officer. He was guilty, but I believe that he thought the police office at his door was one of the drug dealers he had turn state's evidence on. Drugs had destroyed his life. I am so thankful he did not get the death penalty. I remembered him as a sweet, kind, caring young man.

[northamericancitizen]

20. kick. The US should stop this barbarian and hypocritical punishment.

[Rainbowreflect]

43. Amen.

I have a button that sums it up well.
"How does killing people who kill people show that killing people is wrong?"

[smbolisnch]

19. Done

:kick:

[Catherine Vincent]

31. Done!

:hi:

[merh]

38. thanks Cat

:hi:

[solinvictus]

33. Centobie has asked for death..

He's waived all appeals and is getting angry at those acting on his behalf. Centobie has told officials that he'd commit violent crimes again if released.

[merh]

35. He doesn't stand a chance of release, with 3 life sentences.

State sanctioned executions are killings, just as evil as his killing.

Eye for an eye is not the proper standard.

[Jack_DeLeon]

57. Killings are Killings....

well duh.

However not all killings are murder.

Murder is what is wrong, killing in and of itself can be justified. I think the death penalty is justified, unlike the murder this guy committed.

[solinvictus]

65. But Centobie wants it..

let him have it.

[Save The World]

45. It's worth remembering

that he murdered that man after escaping from custody. There is only one way to guarantee that he won't do something similar in the future. He wants to die and has waived all appeals? Good. It won't even be that expensive to execute him.

[merh]

47. It is always expensive to execute someone.

Their time in jail is not as expensive as their execution.

[Save The World]

50. The expense comes chiefly from the appeals process

Since he has waived all appeals, it won't be too expensive. However, you are right and we should seek to be frugal. Since he wants to fie, I say give him a ropeand a few minutes alone. If that doesn't work, we can always go back to lethal injection.

[merh]

51. Wrong

Go study again.

The appeals is only part of the expense.

Nice try - thanks for keeping the thread kicked with your truly "inspiring" posts. :sarcasm:

[Save The World]

53. I don't mind keeping the thread kicked

It's a worthwhile topic.

What would you propose doing with someone who is in prison for life and then murders again? Are they to be immune from further punishment?

And where do you think that the primary expense in putting a murderer to death comes from?

[merh]

55. The extra precautions taken by the state to ensure that it is done

properly and that radicals from both side don't cause a security problem for the rest of the prison. The extra guards needed to protect the prison and the press corp during the spectacle. The last supper, the dignitaries flown in to watch the spectacle, the experts needed to carry out the crime, the extra protection needed on the inmate the last month so that he doesn't try to flee or harm himself before the state gets to enjoy the "blood letting" vengeful act.

Those are some of the costs. -- As I said, I would suggest you go read up on the issues and consider when you post, that the person on the other side might actually have some idea as to what it is they are talking about.

[Save The World]

61. Ah, if only you were such a person

I do know what I'm talking about. You clearly have no clue as you cite a bunch of negligible and, in some cases, fictitious costs. As I said, the increased costs for the death penalty come primarily as a result of longer trials, much, much longer and more expensive appeals and greater investigation costs. In the instant case, the investigation and trial are over and the appeals have been waived. Here is a link so that you might actually know what you are talking about when you pretend to:

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=108&scid=7#financial%20facts

As for the execution itself, a recent execution by lethal injection cost the state of Tennessee under $12,000. Compare this to the fact that an execution of an inmate saves Tennessee over $773,000 when compared to the incarceration cost of the average prisoner sentenced to life without the possibility of parole:

http://www.comptroller.state.tn.us/orea/reports/deathpenalty.pdf

I hope that you enjoy reading the links provided. If you need more, I have more to show you. I surely would have enjoyed reading the links that back up your argument, if only you had provided some.

Oh, and you didn't answer my question:

What do you propose doing with people who commit murder while incarcerated for life without the possibility of parole? Should they get a lengthy "time out" or would depriving them of TV time and dessert be sufficient?

[H2O Man]

62. Actually the expense

of appeals that go through the entire appeals system does create the greatest expense. I agree with you on that. And, much like the prison system, it's not really money spent on the inmate, so much as to pay others who participate in some manner.

The penal system, including the huge costs involved, capital punishment, and punishment vs rehabilitation, are all important topics. It seems that people will have a wide range of opinions, some strongly held, some well-researched, and some that can be very emotional.

I've mentioned a few times on DU that one of my nephews was, as a teen, the victim of a brutal assault by a racist gang. My nephew was left for dead; doctors said that the injuries would have killed the normal person, but my nephew was a large, strong athlete, and he lived. He is now deaf in one ear, and the injuries to his neck and shoulder not only made it impossible for him to take advantage of college scholarships, but he will have some problems for the rest of his life.

I've also had an uncle and a cousin (father & son) murdered. And so I can understand the emotional thirst for revenge. I really can. And I'd be lying if I denied having had thoughts of revenge. I'm a human being, and under those circumstances, I could do a fuck of a lot of damage to a person.

At the same time, I attempt to separate feelings of rage from my thinking about the law and justice. Sometimes rage can blind a person, and it can likewise blind justice. Innocent people have died in the USA, because the judicial system is far from perfect. Hopefully, people can discuss the pros and cons of capital punishment, without resorting to insults.

Your point about what penalty can be imposed on a person who is already incarcerated, who commits a crime, is fair. Perhaps it is not necessary to throw in the cheap shots about "time outs." Then, we can focus on the issue of how a institution can best run in such a way that it protects the guards/staff and inmates, reducing the chances of the crimes you mention, but is still able to provide consequences to inmates who commit violent crimes.

I had hoped for a serious discussion on capital punishment on this thread. Of those who are pro death penalty, you alone raised any serious point worthy of debate.

The maximum security prisons that hold people in their cells, approximating solitary confinement, may be the only answer I can come up with to your question.

I respectfully ask for your response to concerns about innocent people being put to death in America.

Thank you.

[Save The World]

63. I will happily respond

My view on the death penalty is that the system, as it now stands, is horribly screwed up. The main problem, as I see it, is the standard of proof used in capital cases. In a normal criminal case we look for guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt," which is fine if you're goint to take someone's liberty or money or property or some rights. However, if you are going to inflict the irreversible punishment of death, I believe that a standard of "beyond any doubt" for factual matters should apply. There are such cases (where there are many witnesses, where there is irrefutable DNA evidence, where the defendant confesses and provides absolute proof of guilt (i.e. taking the authorities to a body), etc.). In such cases the appeals process should be radically streamlined so that people do not spend 10, 15 and sometimes 20 years on death row. All other cases should be eligible for life without the possibility of parole.

As an example, take the O.J. case. Personally, having followed it closely, I was convinced of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. To suggest that there was a vast LAPD conspiracy to frame him for two murders did not seem in the least reasonable to me. However, this was not guilt beyond ANY doubt and, therefore, had he been found guilty, under the system that I propose, he would not have been eligible for the death penalty. Similarly, Roger Keith Coleman would never have been put to death since there were (and still are) serious questions regarding his guilt and what exactly happened to Wanda McCoy:

http://www.truthinjustice.org/grundy.htm

Currently the case of Hassan Akbar, who murdered his fellow soldiers in Kuwait, presents a case where I believe that the death penalty option (I would still let a judge and jury decide whether to apply it) is appropriate since the facts are not in dispute.

Solitary confinement for life seems both sadistic and wasteful. I don't see how anyone can be said to benefit from that. Even in the Supermax prison in Colorado prisoners are allowed human contact (and , as it happens, a couple were murdered by their fellow inmates a few days ago).

[quaoar]

70. Beyond any doubt sounds good

but in practice it is impossible to reach.

What sounds rock solid to you still carries a slight trace of doubt to the juror sitting next to you. If you go to the standard, you might as well abolish the death penalty.

There is no way to guarantee that an innocent person will not be wrongfully convicted of anything. But ironically, if you were wrongfully convicted of murder and cannot afford an army of lawyers, your chances of being eventually exonerated are better if you are sentenced to death rather than life in prison.

[H2O Man]

72. Interesting.

A couple things: first, I think that it is fair to say that there is more proof that OJ murdered his ex-wife and her friend, than there is proof he was a great football player. The first issue can be considered in entirely objective terms, while the second must always include at least some subjective aspects.

Second, there are rarely, if ever, wide-spread conspiracies in police work as far as individual cases go. I'm not referring to the systematic corruption investigated by the Knapp Commission, etc. I mean the planting and faking of evidence. I could use two examples: the first would be the NYS Police corruption scandal of the early 1990s. In all but one instance, the few crooked police either planted or entirely faked evidence in cases where the suspect was indeed guilty of murder; in one, a single investigator believed a relative of the actual murderer was more involved in a multiple homicide than she was. Now, it only took the coordinated efforts of two men to screw up a lot of cases. Several convictions were over-turned afterwards. Of those, all but one were retried and reconvicted; the women who had not participated in the actual murders of a family of four was not re-tried, but the time she had served was equal to what she would have for the related crimes that she was correctly convicted of.

Next, in New Jersey in the 1960s, there were a handful of people convicted of murders in cases that were overturned. In about 5 or 6, the convictions were overturned because a couple investigators faked and planted evidence. It is not clear if they believed the people they helped to convict were guilty as charged.

In all of these cases, it seems that two police officers are far more likely to be able to alter the course of an investigation, than could a conspiracy of dozens of police, which simply doesn't seem to happen. And because it can and does happen, I think it is fair for defense attorneys to raise the issue is there is any reason to think it could have occured. In the OJ case, I think that while there was no chance that a dozen police were faking any evidence, it seemed that there was reason to question at least one or two investigator's handling of some evidence.

Finally, regarding capital punishment: your proposal seems to put specific individuals at higher risk, not based on their crimes being any more savage than others, but because of the level of evidence. Thus, a person who felt guilt, and helped by confessing to his crime and helping the prosecution, becomes more likely to die than the sociopath with no conscience, who denies his guilt and has created some questions in a juror's mind. Does this not reward pathology?

[Name removed]

58. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Mandate My Ass]

34. Signed and passed along to others who will

Thanks for posting this! I hope some good comes of it.O8)

[merh]

39. As others have pointed out, Mario wants to die.

But that doesn't mean we should be accomplices to the state sanctioned murder. Thanks for signing and passing it along. We have to continue to try to enlight folks. :pals:

[Mandate My Ass]

42. Yes, unfortunately suicide by cop is almost always fatal

And his chances for clemency are practically nonexistent, still one must not assist the state's death carnival in any way shape or form.

Silence is consent.:hi:

[Extend a Hand]

36. signed and kicked

The government is the last entity I would trust to oversee such a "final solution."

I think we can protect society by keeping killers in prison. I'd rather leave vengence up to God.

[merh]

48. Thank you

and a belated welcome to DU! :hi:

[Cuban_Liberal]

41. Sent.

:thumbsup:

[Name removed]

52. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[merh]

56. Welcome to DU

I hope you enjoy your stay. :hi:

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[merh]

60. whatever

[thecai]

66. R.I.P.

....Mario Centobie, and Officer Keith Turner. May both of their families and survivors find comfort and peace.
edit; Abolish The Death Penalty

[solinvictus]

67. Centobie's dead..

http://www.nbc13.com/news/4428896/detail.html

"ATMORE, Ala. -- Convicted cop killer Mario Centobie was executed by lethal injection at approximately 6:22 p.m. on Thursday evening at Holman Prison in Atmore.

Centobie had rejected an unsolicited attempt to block his execution by lethal injection.

The 39-year-old former Mississippi firefighter and rescue diver, once hailed for heroism when an Amtrak train plunged into an Alabama bayou in 1993, was convicted and sentenced to death for killing Moody, Ala., police Officer Keith Turner in 1998 while a fugitive from Mississippi."

It seems a divorce caused him to flip. Geez, this is bad.

[arwalden]

79. His Punishment Ends EARLY!! Dead Men Don't Care That They Are Dead.

Depending on what you believe, he's either gone on to his eternal reward or he just ceases to exist.

Maybe he repented and accepted Jesus Christ and now he's living happily ever after in the Kingdom of Heaven. NICE! Not really a "punishment" is it.

Maybe he's just... dead. Nothing but a corpse. Non-existent. --- And if this is true, then he's no longer being punished.

If people were GENUINELY interested in punishing someone, wouldn't it be better that they be ALIVE to ENDURE the punishment? Executions like this are nothing but state sanctioned revenge-murders.

[Frederik]

75. The death penalty

is an anachronism that does not belong in a civilized world.

[southlandshari]

78. Kick - and an OT question -

Why did you capitalize Alabama in the title of the thread?

Just wondering...

[investigator2]

80. "ALABAMA inmate to be put to death today."

I think that when somebody deliberately kills, especially when the victim is a law officer, then they give up the priviledge to basic human rights. The problem is that the whole thing is too drawn out which is tantamount to torture. Once found guilty then the sentence should be carried out with as little publicity and drama as possible. The anticipation of execution must be something that luckily few of us will live through. The responsibility on the shoulders of the individual who carries out the final action is probably more than the rest of the civilized world should request. Maybe the answer is a random poisoned meal, nothing painful, just sleep from which there is no waking.... If capital punishment is no deterrent then what is? Any answers??