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[tintin]

BaliLife,

You are not interested in justice, but you are interested in revenge. Fortunately, the law is supposed to dispense justice (it happens occasionally, as one of my lawyers once told me), not revenge. I will not discuss the moral aspect of the death penalty, just the practicality.

First and foremost, the capital punishment is applied in a very selective way. If you can afford a good lawyer you will not get the "top prize" for sure. Show me any wealthy person who, having committed a capital offence ever got the death penalty.

Second, the death penalty, at least I know in the USA, but there is no question that it is also a "universal law," seemed to be definitely bias "in favor" of darker-skinned, poor people, or both.

Third, it does not take into consideration human nature: greed and ambition. Public prosecutors, law enforcement agents falsify or withhold evidences in order to bring convictions, which in turn lead to promotions (and more money). The media are constantly full of such examples. One of the most spectacular one occurred in Illinois, in 2000 and following years. Without going into the details, in 2000, the then Illinois Gov. George Ryan, a Republican mind you, got so fed up with the corruption of some prosecutors in his judicial system, which had more than a hundred "convicted murderers" on death row, that he order a moratorium on all executions, until all of these conviction were further reviewed. In the first 2 years, 13 out of 25 of these convicted murderers were exonerated and released. All of these "murderers" had been convicted by crooked prosecutors who had manipulated and/or falsified evidences and confessions obtained under torture to obtain these convictions. One of the 13 exonerated Illinois inmates had spent 15 years on death row and was within two days of being executed before a group of student journalists at Northwestern University uncovered evidence that was used to prove his innocence. Before leaving office in 2003, Governor Ryan was so pissed off that he commuted all death sentences (some 150 or more inmates on death row).


Nota bene. Poor Ex-Governor Ryan, a consummate politician, was convicted in 2006 on federal corruption charges of wielding power to help himself and his friends. He is scheduled to be released from prison in early 2010s.

[BaliLife]

Hi tin,

I agree with all your points about it being distributed unevenly, about black-americans receiving it moreso, about the rich and everything else. This is all a matter of poor execution of the law. There should be no exceptions at all. You are convicted of murder, regardless of age, intention, under the influence of any substance, etc - you should be put to death..

I'm not interested in revenge. Killing these creatures is purely just, it's the only just way of handling them. I never understand the "you're only looking for revenge, not justice" point of view. What makes prison just and death unjust?

Ct

[Tim]

Indonesia needs to execute these fanatical idiots and I wouldn't have a problem in helping them to the next "life level" either BaliLife.