After my Last entry, this appeared in my guestbook, compliments of strangerlucy
I support your right to your own opinion even though I happen to disagree (that's a good thing about our country, yes :) ) However, I'm wondering (and I'm asking your respectfully so I hope you don't take this question the wrong way) how you feel that the Iraqi war is right or necessary (I do, too) and killing is necessary to liberate the rest, yet having the moral objection to the death penalty. It seems inconsistent. Again, I'm not trying to change your mind or trying to be confrontational, I really am just curious about it.
First of all, I have no problem with people disagreeing with me especially when they do it in such a nice way! Second, that was a valid question. Now I will try to answer it in the best words I can find.
I said that the biggest problem I have with the death penalty is that they too often find they executed the wrong man, therefore, that and war have no similarity except that yes, in war, many innocent people are killed. That does bother me terribly of course.
As far as the moral objection, again this is mixing apples and oranges.
The man being executed, guilty or not, has been caught. He poses no more threat. As I said, or maybe I didn't, I believe life with no possibility of parole is justified and a better solution.
In a perfect world there would be no dictators, people wouldn't torture others and people could live without fear. Unfortunately, it is not a perfect world. In a country the size of Iraq, I feel sure that the lives that have been lost are nothing in number compared to years worth of deaths that have resulted at the hands of Sadam and those lives that would continue to be lost unless he was stopped. It is tragic that any lives had to be lost but that is war. And these deaths will ultimately stop the thousands of deaths that would still be happening. But in putting a prisoner to death, first of all you are doing it after the fact. Second, you are not doing it to prevent anything. It is purely punitive. It also is not necessary to prevent future deaths as long as he is never released from prison.
So, that is my explanation. Again, it is just my opinion.
