EU Official Calls for End to Death Penalty

AP via Yahoo ^ | Mon Dec 12,12:04 PM ET

[GLDNGUN]

My problem with the death penalty is I don't like the idea of the US government deciding who gets to die and who gets to live. This is the ultimate government interference.

Isn't putting someone in prison for the rest of their life "interference"?

The US Government is THE PEOPLE. If THE PEOPLE say "human life is precious enough that if you take someone else's, you will pay with your own" that's great. That's the way it should be; otherwise, you are literally getting away with murder.

[NRA2BFree]

Tell it to the Jews.

Good point! They sure didn't seem to care about their rights when they slaughtered millions of them.

[TheDon]

The death penalty is one sign of a civilized nation.

[drew]

In light of the Euroweenies' moral superiority, I've dusted off this P.J. O'Rourke gem:

Back in London, I was having dinner in the Groucho Club -- this week's in-spot for what's left of Britain's lit gritz and nouveau rock riche -- when one person started in on the Stars And Stripes. Eventually he got, as the Europeans always do, to the part about "your country's never been invaded." (This fellow had been two during the Blitz, you see.) "You don't know the horror, the suffering. You think war is..." I snapped. "A John Wayne movie," I said. That's what you were going to say, wasn't it? We think war is a John Wayne movie. We think life is a John Wayne movie -- with good guys and bad guys, as simple as that. Well, you know something, Mister Limey Poofter? You're right. And let me tell you who those bad guys are. They're us. WE BE BAD. We're the baddest-ass sons of bitches that ever jogged in Reeboks. We're three-quarters grizzly bear and two-thirds car wreck and descended from a stock market crash on our mother's side. You take your Germany, France and Spain, roll them all together and it wouldn't give us room to park our cars. We're the big boys, Jack, the original, giant, economy-sized, new and improved butt kickers of all time. When we snort coke in Houston, people lose their hats in Cap D'Antibes. And we've got an American Express card credit limit higher than your piss-ant metric numbers go. "You say our country's never been invaded? You're right, little buddy. Because I'd like to see the needle-dicked foreigners who'd have the guts to try. We drink napalm to get our hearts started in the morning. A rape and a mugging is our way of saying 'Cheerio.' Hell can't hold our sock-hops. We walk taller, talk louder, spit further, f**k longer and buy more things than you know the names of. I'd rather be a junkie in a New York City jail than king, queen, and jack of all you Europeans. We eat little countries like this for breakfast and s**t them out before lunch." Of course, the guy should have punched me. But this was Europe. He just smiled his shabby, superior European smile. (God, don't these people have dentists?)

[TheDon]

No kidding. It's unfortunate you have to point it out.

[sgtbono2002]

****United States is the only democratic state that makes "widespread use" of the death penalty and the EU has a duty to convince the Americans to abolish it. "***

Maybe your first duty should be to mind your own F'in business.

[VRWCmember]

"For us in Europe, the right to life is an inalienable right. No one ever loses their right to life, no matter what they have done." Borrell said.

Unless they committed the crime of being an inconvenience prior to being born. In that case, they don't have a right to life yet.

[TimeLord]

The Consititution also gives the FEDERAL government the express right to carry out executions of murderers who cross state lines in their act of murder, and also the right to execute those convicted of high treason. Therefore, the allegedly "conservative" argument against the death penalty (that it gives a power to the government that it shouldn't have) goes up in smoke.

[NCLaw441]

Since we are calling on countries to do things, I call on the non-death penalty countries to re-adopt it. Now. We are even.

[MEGoody]

Borrell said the United States is the only democratic state that makes "widespread use" of the death penalty and the EU has a duty to convince the Americans to abolish it.

When the EU is able to solve its own problems, then it might have some credibility in giving advice to the U.S. But that's going to take them a loooooooooong time.

[Tribune7]

I think we should insist that the EU not be considered a civilized entity until they give its citizens the right to bear arms.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"Luckily the death penalty is disappearing throughout the world, but the number of executions carried out is still excessively high."

It's never even. Almost everyone that commits murder kills more than one person in their criminal career. Drug dealers could potentially be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people; though some would argue it's supply and demand and a junkie is free to choose to kill themselves with drugs, if they want to. But I digress...

Say a murderer is found guilty by a jury of his peers for the slaughter of a family of five while they were asleep in their beds.

You can only kill the murderer once, though he's guilty of five murders. I say we kill 'em, bring 'em back to life, kill 'em again, bring 'em back to life, etc.

So, you're right, Sir. The number of executions (by one citizen against another) IS excessively high these days.

There! That ought to satisfy the EU Doorknobs. *Rolleyes*

[webboy45]

Execution of the worst miscreants is necessary to keep a free people free. It puts value on life, unlike the Europeople who don't value life enough to kill for it.

[Lorianne]

Ok, how about we start with the beheadings.

[fr_freak]

It isn't a theory...No judge hands down a death sentence on his own in the US any longer.It is up to the jury to vote to impose..

Yes, the law says the jury imposes the death penalty. However, the reason I say "in theory" is that, in practice, the judge may order some evidence to be hidden from the jury, or may order them to ignore things they have seen or heard, all based on what the judge thinks is appropriate. So, even though it is the jury that makes the decision, the judge (and the lawyers) have an inordinate amount of influence on what decision the jurors make. Even the smartest person in the world can make the wrong decision if given the wrong or incomplete information. Now, these kinds of courtroom shenanigans usually benefit the defendant, but there have been enough overturned convictions to demonstrate that the prosecution is not free from this kind of thing either.

[proud_yank]

Thank you for pointing that out! Sometimes I focus more on the article, other times on posts. I guess today is an 'article day'.

[MARKUSPRIME]

EU mind your own damned buisness.

[Don Corleone]

But there is a glimmer of hope. U.S. society is changing its views on the death penalty,"

Yup...see the current CNN poll on the Kalifornia executon. Even the 9th circus wouldn't touch it.

[Don Corleone]

"For us in Europe, the right to life is an inalienable right. No one ever loses their right to life, no matter what they have done." Borrell said.

>

Unless they were Jewish or Gypsies or Poles.

[OldArmy52]

Wrong.

Let the penalty fit the crime.

Treat the criminals as they treated their victims.

Result?

Criminal's treating their victims much nicer.