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"*sigh* I hope this is a lesson to the next person out there...."

That would be a good thing, indeed. Sadly, I'm not sure that it has been in the past or will be in the future.

Criminals are criminals, it seems. They don't seem to be governed by the same things the rest of us are. I have no doubt that this Tookie character is a violent psychopath who would never have been affected by anything like the threat of capital punishment. Psychopaths just don't have that mindset.

I'm not sure what the answer is that would help prevent such horrible crimes. I'd like to be able to identify and incarcerate those who would commit them, but I can't find any way to do that.

Murder is not new in human society. Murderers must be punished for their acts. How we do that is a measure of our society.

Around the world, some countries use the death penalty. Others do not. It's a constant question. Even here in the US, we don't use capital punishment everywhere. Each state has its own laws about it.

I do admit that I find the glee with which some folks are approaching this execution to be way beyond the pale. Jokes, suggestions for songs, and the like just seem to me to be about as far from what our principles are supposed to be as possible.

We differ in our opinions, but neither of us is joking about this issue. That just seems way wrong to me.

here's another way to look at it;

some maniac slaughters a bunch of children....

what is more just, moral and right? executing the guy, or forcing the parents of those children to spend part of their paychecks for the rest of their lives paying to have him kept in jail?

Again I agree with you in part and I can understand how you came to some of the conclusions you have. The death penalty is imperfect, just as we are, just as our society is. I know that the death penalty does not deter psychopaths- and most people who murder are psychopaths. But what to do with them? Bottom line is- if it is safer for my law abiding children to walk the streets at night because a psychopath is gone from us.. so be it. I do not mean for that to sound trite.. my children's safety, or my neighbor's children is my filter for many things.

No, you are right- this is not a joking matter. But some people show grief and/or stress thru humor, that is human nature in some.