Joe: I too am a lifelong opponent of capital punishment. Yet, how do respond to a rather thoughtful essay in today's (Sunday's) NY Times by Robert Blecker on the Parkland shooter, especially on his musings about retribution?
I'm very glad there are so many, strong practical reasons for opposing the death penalty, especially its racist application and the possibility of executing an innocent person. This allows me to oppose it wholeheartedly as you do. If it were otherwise, then in extreme cases like Parkland I fear I'd be torn between Chuman and Kant.
To me capital punishment is unethical. It is an eye for an eye revenge which is very medieval. We as humans evolved since then ...and in today's environment it should be abolished. We know bulling is act of cruelty to our fellow human beings. The schools and parents in our society should be more aware of this cruel treatment. Most of these young people who go on shooting spree are victims of bulling. We as parents and our schools are unable to teach our kids the horrible effects of bulling. We as a society out caste people with different set of family situation such as broken family ,drug addicted parents /guardians, mental illness etc etc.And if a child is born in such family..whose fault is that. Certainly not the child himself or herself. The child didn't chose the family. And a child born and raised in such family is shun in schools and other places. They become victims of bulling...and they want to end all that and they think killing spree is the revenge. What a tragedy we as society couldn't help the misfit unfortunate.And now the state thinks capital punishment is going to bring closure to those innocent people who lost their lives.
I don't have the answer.
I have grandchildren for them I worry and feel sad that we as a society failed both the innocent victims and their murderer . And being sad and worrying not going to solve this. As the problem goes much deeper in our society as we are unable to help the people who need help..we just out caste them..💔🙏
To me capital punishment is unethical. It is an eye for an eye revenge which is very medieval. We as humans evolved since then ...and in today's environment it should be abolished. We know bulling is act of cruelty to our fellow human beings. The schools and parents in our society should be more aware of this cruel treatment. Most of these young people who go on shooting spree are victims of bulling. We as parents and our schools are unable to teach our kids the horrible effects of bulling. We as a society out caste people with different set of family situation such as broken family ,drug addicted parents /guardians, mental illness etc etc.And if a child is born in such family..whose fault is that. Certainly not the child himself or herself. The child didn't chose the family. And a child born and raised in such family is shun in schools and other places. They become victims of bulling...and they want to end all that and they think killing spree is the revenge. What a tragedy we as society couldn't help the misfit unfortunate.And now the state thinks capital punishment is going to bring closure to those innocent people who lost their lives.
I don't have the answer.
I have grandchildren for them I worry and feel sad that we as a society failed both the innocent victims and their murderer . And being sad and worrying not going to solve this. As the problem goes much deeper in our society as we are unable to help the people who need help..we just out caste them..💔🙏
To me capital punishment is unethical. It is an eye for an eye revenge which is very medieval. We as humans evolved since then ...and in today's environment it should be abolished. We know bulling is act of cruelty to our fellow human beings. The schools and parents in our society should be more aware of this cruel treatment. Most of these young people we go ontshooting spree are victims of bulling. We as parents and our schools are unable to teach our kids the horrible effct of bulling. We as a society out caste people with different set of family situation such as broken family ,drug addicted parents /guardians, mental illness etc etc.And if a child is born in such family..whose fault is that. Certainly not the child himself or herself. The child didn't chose the family. And a child born and raised in such family is shun in schools and other places. They become victims of bulling...and they want to end all that and they think killing spree is the revenge. What a tragedy we as society couldn't help the misfit misfortunate.And now the state thinks capital punishment is bring closure to those innocent people who lost their lives.
I don't have the answer.
I have grandchildren for them I worry and feel sad that we as a society failed both the innocent victims and their murderer . And being sad and worrying not going to solve this. As the problem goes much deeper in our society as we are unable to help the people who need help..we just out caste them..💔🙏
Joe, I am so happy you have written this, I was beginning to wonder if you were away. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I remember the 1972 action of the Supreme Court, I remember feeling relieved. Can we be safe by keeping convicted murderers under lock and key for life? Of course we can. I remember when the death penalty was re-established here in Oklahoma. A few years later another inmate was set for execution. The hype surrounding that execution, thanks in large part to our local media, guaranteed there were large crowds present for the event. The two camps were kept apart by the authorities and television cameras were there to record the two groups. The group opposed to the death penalty was about what one would have expected, somber, regretful, despondent. The other group was celebrating, laughing, drinking, partying. It was just like a minor league football team had just beat Alabama and the tailgate party was about to last all night. I truly hate capital punishment, not just for the taking by the state of someone's life, but also for how it diminishes the souls of people who might otherwise be good people.
Joe: I too am a lifelong opponent of capital punishment. Yet, how do respond to a rather thoughtful essay in today's (Sunday's) NY Times by Robert Blecker on the Parkland shooter, especially on his musings about retribution?
I'm very glad there are so many, strong practical reasons for opposing the death penalty, especially its racist application and the possibility of executing an innocent person. This allows me to oppose it wholeheartedly as you do. If it were otherwise, then in extreme cases like Parkland I fear I'd be torn between Chuman and Kant.
I hope so. Thanks for your response.
To me capital punishment is unethical. It is an eye for an eye revenge which is very medieval. We as humans evolved since then ...and in today's environment it should be abolished. We know bulling is act of cruelty to our fellow human beings. The schools and parents in our society should be more aware of this cruel treatment. Most of these young people who go on shooting spree are victims of bulling. We as parents and our schools are unable to teach our kids the horrible effects of bulling. We as a society out caste people with different set of family situation such as broken family ,drug addicted parents /guardians, mental illness etc etc.And if a child is born in such family..whose fault is that. Certainly not the child himself or herself. The child didn't chose the family. And a child born and raised in such family is shun in schools and other places. They become victims of bulling...and they want to end all that and they think killing spree is the revenge. What a tragedy we as society couldn't help the misfit unfortunate.And now the state thinks capital punishment is going to bring closure to those innocent people who lost their lives.
I don't have the answer.
I have grandchildren for them I worry and feel sad that we as a society failed both the innocent victims and their murderer . And being sad and worrying not going to solve this. As the problem goes much deeper in our society as we are unable to help the people who need help..we just out caste them..💔🙏
To me capital punishment is unethical. It is an eye for an eye revenge which is very medieval. We as humans evolved since then ...and in today's environment it should be abolished. We know bulling is act of cruelty to our fellow human beings. The schools and parents in our society should be more aware of this cruel treatment. Most of these young people who go on shooting spree are victims of bulling. We as parents and our schools are unable to teach our kids the horrible effects of bulling. We as a society out caste people with different set of family situation such as broken family ,drug addicted parents /guardians, mental illness etc etc.And if a child is born in such family..whose fault is that. Certainly not the child himself or herself. The child didn't chose the family. And a child born and raised in such family is shun in schools and other places. They become victims of bulling...and they want to end all that and they think killing spree is the revenge. What a tragedy we as society couldn't help the misfit unfortunate.And now the state thinks capital punishment is going to bring closure to those innocent people who lost their lives.
I don't have the answer.
I have grandchildren for them I worry and feel sad that we as a society failed both the innocent victims and their murderer . And being sad and worrying not going to solve this. As the problem goes much deeper in our society as we are unable to help the people who need help..we just out caste them..💔🙏
To me capital punishment is unethical. It is an eye for an eye revenge which is very medieval. We as humans evolved since then ...and in today's environment it should be abolished. We know bulling is act of cruelty to our fellow human beings. The schools and parents in our society should be more aware of this cruel treatment. Most of these young people we go ontshooting spree are victims of bulling. We as parents and our schools are unable to teach our kids the horrible effct of bulling. We as a society out caste people with different set of family situation such as broken family ,drug addicted parents /guardians, mental illness etc etc.And if a child is born in such family..whose fault is that. Certainly not the child himself or herself. The child didn't chose the family. And a child born and raised in such family is shun in schools and other places. They become victims of bulling...and they want to end all that and they think killing spree is the revenge. What a tragedy we as society couldn't help the misfit misfortunate.And now the state thinks capital punishment is bring closure to those innocent people who lost their lives.
I don't have the answer.
I have grandchildren for them I worry and feel sad that we as a society failed both the innocent victims and their murderer . And being sad and worrying not going to solve this. As the problem goes much deeper in our society as we are unable to help the people who need help..we just out caste them..💔🙏
Joe, I am so happy you have written this, I was beginning to wonder if you were away. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I remember the 1972 action of the Supreme Court, I remember feeling relieved. Can we be safe by keeping convicted murderers under lock and key for life? Of course we can. I remember when the death penalty was re-established here in Oklahoma. A few years later another inmate was set for execution. The hype surrounding that execution, thanks in large part to our local media, guaranteed there were large crowds present for the event. The two camps were kept apart by the authorities and television cameras were there to record the two groups. The group opposed to the death penalty was about what one would have expected, somber, regretful, despondent. The other group was celebrating, laughing, drinking, partying. It was just like a minor league football team had just beat Alabama and the tailgate party was about to last all night. I truly hate capital punishment, not just for the taking by the state of someone's life, but also for how it diminishes the souls of people who might otherwise be good people.
You make a strong case for the abolition of the death penalty. I hope it is abandoned in all states.