[MILAMBER]

Originally posted by Alexander: quote: Originally posted by MILAMBER: quote: Originally posted by Alexander: If we're going to treat people like this like 18-year olds, why not give them the right to vote, smoke, drink, enlist, whatever? The whole reason we make people wait for all that stuff is because 18 is the age at which people are considered responsible enough. Well, if we're going to treat kids like adults in the realm of punishment, surely we must give them the benefits adults have - and allow them to do the aforementioned things.

Your whole defense for him keeping his life is based upon his ability to smoke?

Say he could smoke, drink, and buy guns. Would he then be more guilty of his crime? Would he then deserve to die?

I'm afraid you're not making much sense.[/QUOTE]I am making infinite sense - 18 is when you are considered responsible enough to make decisions for yourself - which is why everyone under 18 is not allowed to buy cigarettes, vote, gamble, etc, etc.

Yet this person was tried and convicted as though he committed the crime at 18. Tried as an adult.

So, we can convict him and execute him as if he were 18 years old, however he was still, at 17, unable to receive any of the benefits 18 year olds get - simply because he wasn't considered responsible enough.

So, if all of a sudden we're going to pretend kids are adults and execute now, then we must give them the benefits adults have - it can't work both ways.[/QUOTE]Say hypothetically it was the day before his 18th birthday when he committed this crime. How much growing up is he going to do in 1 day? I argue that a 17 year old knows right and wrong just as well as an 18 year old does. Screw whether or not he can buy cigarettes! It has nothing to do with justice being carried out. Did he know murder was wrong? Yes he did. Did he do it anyways? Yes he did. Does he deserve to be punished? Yes he does.