When it comes to the death penalty, shouldn't we err on the side of life?

blm

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Mon Mar-21-05 04:35 PM
Original message

When it comes to the death penalty, shouldn't we err on the side of life?

Thanks to DNA testing we now know that too many innocent people have been given the death penalty.

I think a truly great nation would eliminate the death penalty and opt for life in prison, because just in case of ERROR, it would be important to err on the side of life.

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Freedom_from_Chains

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Mon Mar-21-05 04:41 PM
Response to Original message

1. I think a truly great nation would eliminate the death penalty

A truly great nation would, and most have.

But in America we all know that if the government says you are guilty of something, then it's not debatable, you're just guilty.

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meow2u3

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Mon Mar-21-05 04:42 PM
Response to Original message

2. Yes!

If we have to have the death penalty, we should raise the burden of proof from the current standard of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to guilt to a virtual certainty, and then again only for serial killers, war criminals, criminals against humanity, and traitors during wartime. And the convicted capital murderer has to be an escape risk, whether a fugitive or escaping justice due to wealth and/or political connections.

By my standards, Bush himself would be eligible for the DP because he's gotten away with so much.

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Freedom_from_Chains

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Mon Mar-21-05 05:22 PM
Response to Reply #2

8. Why not just do away with the death penalty?

Why is it so many people in America want to kill someone to solve a problem? Why don't we really think about becoming a culture of life?

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meow2u3

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Mon Mar-21-05 05:33 PM
Response to Reply #8

9. I, for one, would like to see the death penalty gone

Edited on Mon Mar-21-05 05:34 PM by StopThePendulum

It's just a roundabout way to get rid of the death penalty while making DP supporters think it's still legal.

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Career Prole

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Mon Mar-21-05 04:42 PM
Response to Original message

3. Absolutely! No doubt Congress will rush in to debate that

next Sunday, prompting yet another flight back for Boosh from Crawford in order to sign their emergency legislation.
I'm...almost...certain....of....it......

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MissMarple

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Mon Mar-21-05 04:43 PM
Response to Original message

4. Yes, especially when convicted with circumstantial evidence.

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forgethell

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Mon Mar-21-05 05:00 PM
Response to Original message

5. And yet because

of DNA testing, we can be more sure than ever that the right person has been convicted. does not sound like an argument against the deth penalty to me.

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autorank

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Mon Mar-21-05 05:08 PM
Response to Original message

6. Alert ! Alert! Intelectual honesty and consistency Alert! Alert

:yourock:

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rodeodance

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Mon Mar-21-05 05:16 PM
Response to Reply #6

7. Of course we should!! In fact, this culture of life could be a rally

point--turn it around onto the Repugs or those who support the death peaality--esp. now that we see DNA has proven so many innocent of crimes they were accused of.

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flpoljunkie

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Mon Mar-21-05 05:44 PM
Response to Original message

10. Yes, but it's not about "erring on the side of life" but "defending life"-

"Pro-lifespeak" code--red meat for the anti-abortion wing of the Republican party.

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liberalinAZ

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Mon Mar-21-05 06:06 PM
Response to Reply #10

11. religious right=flippfloppers

See- it's terrible to terminate a few cells turning into a human being, but it's okay to kill a person whether they did it or not because they had it "coming to them!" At least the right never flip-flops!

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