Death Penalty

[Vuk]

Repentance. Hence = penitence, hence = penitentiary.

If I, or you, or YOU, dear reader, took another's life. Would not I or you expect to be denied the right to move about in life, unscathed and unfettered? I would not. And I suspect: neither would you. No matter how righteous the killing seemed.

If somebody killed my wife or kid, I would kill him. I'd see that as my duty. I would also accept that my friends and neighbors and fellow citizens would object to my action, and remove me from their midst, since I've killed once, I might kill again. That is their duty. To which I would not object.

Flipping it, if I were amongst those friends and neighbors and fellow citizens, I can clearly see that our first duty is to remove the killer from our midst, so he does not kill another. But that is all that is necessary to satisfy my duty as friend, neighbor and fellow citizen. Our group-killing of the killer goes too far - might be (and often is) incorrect - and brutalizes us all.

And I agree: prison guards, like teachers, get paid wa-a-a-ay less than they deserve for their service to we, the people.

The problem is though that we cannot allow someone to kill whoever they want, because their reason for the thinking that the person deserves death may not be right. (I think that goes without saying :P) That is why it is the duty of the state as an impartial body to decide that instead, and see justice done where the individual could not. Of course the government has to do it correctly, and it is the job of the people to make sure that that happens. As I said before, it would not work correctly with our justice system in the sorry state it is in now, but what exactly does? It is like the difference between handling a knife and a spoon. The knife is more dangerous, its verdict more final, so greater caution needs to be taken with it so that you do not cut yourself. That does not mean that it is not a good tool to use though, simply that it must be used carefully and responsibly.