[Cerek the Barbaric]

There is no doubt that a country's origins and history play a huge and defining role in the rules and values adopted by that society. However, that really isn't the point in this discussion, because I garuantee that you can find individuals in every single society you mentioned that do not go along with the norms or society's rules. I daresay that even in the conformist nation of Singapore, there are those individuals that still murder without remorse for their own gains or goals.

I was addressing the ideal you seek of raising the collective social conscious to a state where every person values the sanctity of every other life equally. As I said, it is a noble goal, but it is also an impossible goal. Human nature simply will not allow it at this time.

While the death penalty does often involve a measure of revenge or vengence on behalf of the victim's family, I believe the judge in this case made a very accurate statement when he said that "the punishment must fit the crime". This is another concept embraced by Americans and I think it is especially appropriate in this case.

When an individual murders another person for whatever reason, there is always anger and a desire for vengence on the part of the victim's family, but the murderer's actions rarely impact anyone else. In THIS case, however, it is safe to say that the entire nation was impacted by the actions of Malvo and Muhammed. Their reign of terror created a state of panic around our nation's capital, but they could easily have chosen any large metropolitan area. So there was a real sense this could happen anywhere in the U.S.

Because of that, the death penalty in this case is less about vengence and more about returning "peace of mind" to the nation as a whole. It's the same reason Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death. Before that terrible day in April, nobody would have considered Oklahoma City to be a valid target for terrorism. McVeigh's crime made every person in a large city feel more vulnerable.

Also, when a person is willing to kill total strangers to further their agenda or create a state of panic...then there is no reason to believe they will ever change. So they represent a threat to society as long as they are living, because there is every reason to believe they would repeat their actions if they ever got out of prison.

In that case, the death penalty is the ONLY punishment that assures the general public they will never be terrorized by this individual (or individuals) again. It truly is a case where the punishment fits the crime.