ciao
I’m not a big fan of the death penalty for the reason Tam says and, also, because it’s application tends to disfavor certain socioeconomic classes. But I did tip up a glass of Buffalo Trace last night to celebrate the DC sniper’s exit from this world.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Most violent crime is committed by members of the lower socio-economic classes, so I’m not troubled if more of them are executed.
What bothers me is the widespread misconduct of police officers, prosecutors and judges that leads to convicting innocent people.
I forgot to pour a finger of Laphraoig last night, so I’ll do it tonight. Thanks for the reminder.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
[…] Now playing in hell […]
November 15th, 2009 at 3:08 am
If the perception that X “tends to disfavor certain socioeconomic classes” were an argument against X, we’d need to abolish not only the death penalty but every other criminal penalty worth litigating over, since The Rich (TM) will always be able to afford better lawyers than The Poor (SM). And Tam’s suggestion that “‘society’ (read: 51% of voters) has the power of life & death over any one lowly individual” is uncommonly silly. Surely she and you know that 51% of a jury can’t secure a conviction, let alone a death sentence.
November 15th, 2009 at 10:03 am
The other penalties can be undone to an extent later.