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quote:
Originally posted by Crazydeb8ter
must I restate myself AGAIN?
The death penalty only serves as a deterrent when the system is one like Turkeys: death is the punishment for a wide range of crimes.
In our society, where the death penalty is only used SPARSELY, criminals do not worry about it as much, and are not afraid to commit murder etc. because most likely, the death sentence would not be passed. Thus the fear of the death sentence has little or no effect upon their actions.
Here is an interesting quote from Herodotus, The Histories:
"No one has ever yet risked committing a crime which he thought he could not carry out successfully. The same is true of States. None has ever yet rebelled in the belief that it has insufficient resources, either in iteslef or from its allies, to make the attempt. Cities and individuals alike, all are by nature disposed to do wrong, and there is no law that will prevent it, as is shown by the fact that men have tried every kind of punishment, constantly adding to the list, in the attempt to find greater security from criminals...
...In a word it is impossible (and only the most simple-minded will deny this) for human nature, when once seriously set upon a certain course, to be prevented from that course by the force of law or by any other means of intimidation, whatever.
We must not, therefore, come to the wrong conclusions through having too much confidence in the effectiveness of capital punishment..."
- Herodotus, The Histories, The Mytilenian Debate
sorry for the late response. Didn't see this till now.
sorry to make you repeat yourself, i didn't understand your point because i thought there was more to it, but there wasn't. Anyway, what you're saying is completely false. You can't possibly claim that the death penalty is not a deterrent in crimes. I can't believe you have the audacity to say that. How can that feasibly be true? You aren't saying the deterrent is mitigated, you're saying that it does not exist. That is absurd. Just because a card might say that criminals aren't scared, doesn't mean they aren't at all, or that it is absolutely true. You act as if this information is so matter of fact, yet there is no basis for it at all. Your evidence? It doesn't matter how much evidence you give, capital punishment will always deter, no matter how small the minutia is. You can't possibly deny that and believe it.
I'm not negating that excerpt you put up there. In fact, it only applies to what we are talking about in one particular line. The rest is about the impossibility of absolute security. I concur. The one line that fits what we are talking about : "In a word it is impossible, to be prevented from that course by the force of law or by any other means of intimidation, whatever". This is such a blatant lie. In the context it is in though, it is talking about how no law is a sure fire way to prevent it, but it does not in any way deny the possiblity. It endorses a view that it is impossible to be absolutely sure of it. That is the impossibility. Furthermore, it specifies a certain instance...when humans are sure of their action. Again, that is absolute security. It doesn't in any way deny the possiblity of deterring others. Read it again, that's what it says. It's saying if someone is firmly set upon doing something we can't do anything to stop it. Ok. But if someone is not firmly set upon it...well, hey! a death penalty could deter them! The specifics of your excerpt only relate to those instances. I don't see how you could possibly say that a death penalty is not a deterrent at all, simply because it's not as widespread as in turkey's system. All that needs to be, is that it exists. Your essentializing all tentative murderers into the category that they are merciless killers, when they all aren't. Some undoubtedly relent after thinking and maybe almost pursuing homicidal thoughts.
__________________
Long messages do not equal aggravation of any sort,
rather they reflect nothing more than a response of insight
that should always be read in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Those womyn that seek equality with men, lack determination."
"I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be wrong."
-Cromwell
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10-13-2002 05:48 AM
. I can understand if the long message could mislead someone to believe i'm mad. I'm not, it's cool. Just telling everyone before they say i am. I may have been offended, but i'm not mad :thumbup:
