Quote:
Originally posted by Melusine:
quote:
Originally posted by Pikachu_PM:
Well what you guys said is all well in good but:
I would like some more evidence of innocent people actually being executed. Now, there are a fair too many # of innocent people who are SENTENCED to death, but after appeals VERY VERY few people are actually put to death...and of those I have yet to see a case where the guy even remotely appeared to have a possability of being innocent. If you disagree please site some examples of my error...as well as some cited statistics. I could be wrong, but i don't think i am.
MOre to the point, yall are missing the bigger picture...with all the other bad things in the world the death penalty seems like a silly thing to focus on. Besides, even if the innocent guy isn't put to death, he's still put in jail for a long ass time, so arguing the death penatly issue is still kinda absurd.
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Firstly, don't underestimate the damage done to someone who is convicted to death row while they didn't do anything. Secondly, I did refer you to the site of Amnesty International. I trust you can also do a Google search on it. Yes, an actual execution of an innocent is rare, but it HAS happened. Even so I think it's bad enough that innocent people are convicted to death row, even if they escape execution.
And I don't think I am missing the bigger picture at all. Sheesh.
Who said I am focussing on the death penalty? Who said I don't concern myself with other bad things?
What nonsense to go "oh well there are plenty of other bad things in the world so why focus on just one?". That kind of attitude gets nothing done. When a friend falls terribly ill, loses a pet or a job or a partner, then there are still worse things in the world. Doesn't mean I am not obliged to help them and try to comfort them. I'm sure you'd hate it if something really bad happened to you and any person you'd turn to for help would go "oh well, that's kind of a silly thing to whine about isn't it, with all the other bad things going on in the world?" [/QUOTE]Well, actually...if I were to get sick and be told I was to die in six months I would be very upset, and part of me would be resentful for not living a fuller life. But I would still be thankful that I had 24 years instead of only a couple. There are far more kids dying of cancer than innocent ppl being executed innocently. Further, of course I would expect my friends and family to care...I would not expect anybody else too. Same goes for innocent ppl on death row..it sucks...but so does any natural death.
You say that taking my phiosophy means nothing gets done...i say that things get done when people decide to get them done. What I'm saying is that if someone is going to decide to go out and better the world, try and fix the big things first and then get to the little things. Basically, the death penalty debate gets far more attention in the media than it deserves relative to all the other problems in the world. People care only because its in the media.
I'll be the first to admit that I am being a bit crass on this issue. Some reforms are needed in the system. However, reforming the system and abolishing the death penalty are two seperate issues.
Ultimatley, you're either out there doing something to help ppl on death row -- in which case, while I think you should focus on more pressing issues, you have my upmost respect -- or your just talking here. If you're just talking...well, what really is the point then? Simple concepts that produce positive actions are infinitly more valuale than High minded philosophies never practiced.
I volunteer at an orphange near my house and at hospital with terminally ill patients. I also organize food drives to help feed children in families who can barley afford to put shoes on their kids feet. I wish I had the time and resources to do more, but I don't...and if I did it would be to help even more kids...not to save some guy on death row who may or may not be innocent (and in all probablity isn't).
You may not agree with me, but don't talk down to me like I don't have a pair...I've seen some shit in my life that people shouldn't have to see--and consider myself lucky that i've only seen it and not experienced it. It sucks innocent ppl die on death row, its horrible in fact, but I can't help but think if all the people spending hours and hours of their time trying to forgo the execution of a guilty person because he says he has been 'saved' were to instead volunteer their time to younger people with greater needs that the world would be a better place. It's simple, cold, hard logic...in x amount of time you can help less people here or more people there--you help the more ppl. The fact that the 'fewer people' are, more likely than not, guilty murderers/rapist and the 'more people' are innocents and chilren simply serves to make the logic a little less cold.
[ 11-09-2003, 02:59 PM: Message edited by: Pikachu_PM ]