[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by Alexander: [b] quote: Originally posted by Cerek the Barbaric: Alexander, You have stated that a 17 year old in Texas cannot smoke, drink, gamble, or vote. Unfortunately, you are WRONG! (except for the voting issue). A 17 year old CAN do ALL of these things. They just risk being punished because it is illegal for them to do it at that age. They can also commit murder. If they caught and convicted[/b, then they must face the penalty for that offense also.

My whole point is that he is not legally recognized by the government as an adult, so if you're going to punish him as you would punish an adult, surely it would make sense to treat him as one in all other respects (and from here on change the voting/gambling/whatever age to 17).[/QUOTE]The only problem with that reasoning is that it advocates allowing ALL teenagers access to beer and tobacco because a significant few are "tried as adults" after callously ending the life of an innocent.

The death penalty is a case of the punishment fitting the crime, not a matter whether teens should be allowed to smoke and drink before age 18.

For the sake of compromise, however, I WILL agree that any 17-year old who receives the death penalty should also receive full access to beer and tobacco during their interment.

On a more serious note, I owe you an apology. Based on your original threads, I thought you might be a disgruntled teenager yourself. I humbly apologize for jumping to that conclusion and I am terribly sad to hear about your loss. While I disagree with your views, I admire your conviction and the fact that you are able to maintain that conviction in the face of such a tragic personal loss.