🚀 go-pugleaf

Dr. Yacub wrote on 16 Dec 2000:

<snip>
>> Democrats are prochoice, but disagree with the Death Penalty.
>
>Kill the baby...save the murderer.
<snip>

If there was some evidence that the death penalty worked as a deterrent,
or that it helped to reduce crime, you might have a stronger argument. 

On BBC Radio 5 Live in the UK last night, there was an interview with a
journalist (sorry, I forget who), who had been speaking to the French
Justice Minister recently. The Ministers comments went along the lines
of: "you Americans have been great at helping eradicate torture over the
years, but the US can hold a man in a tiny cell of over a decade with
very restricted access to any sort of stimulus or personal contact, and
then stick a poisoned needle in his arm - and that's not torture!?" 

The fact is, although many people in Europe are still pro-death penalty,
there is no chance of it ever returning (one reason Turkey is having
trouble with its EU application is that the EU will not allow it in if it
keeps the death penalty - including in the case of Ocalan). Parliament
has had free votes on the issue for 30 years - all negative by a large
margin. And, even though opinion polls show large numbers in favour, I
doubt that majority would remain if there really was a referendum. 

Even some people who are in favour (in the UK) recognise its barbarity.
In the US, this journalist explained, those who are against it are mainly
using the same arguments that caused the morotorium in Illinois - that it
isn't foolproof. Far fewer Americans than Europeans are against it simply
because of the feeling that it is barbaric in the modern world. 

(FWIW, I'm against it for both reasons.)

-- 
David. (GPLRank handicap: -5.92)
The GPL Scrapyard - http://www.hillclimbfan.f2s.com
"After all, a mere thousand yards - such a harmless little knoll, really"
- Raymond Mays on Shelsley Walsh.