[13Sisters76]

Over time, I have come to oppose the death penalty (intellectually), but not for the reasons one might think...
First- it is never applied fairly. If it were, rich jerks like the Melendez brothers would be on death row instead of reading fan mail.
Second- the perps would get one appeal and then the morgue.
Third- they would NEVER get such a peaceful death as that offered by the needle. Bring back Old Sparky. They should face, at least, SOME of the pain and terror they afforded their victims.
Fourth- repeat child molesters and rapists should be on the list. These people cannot be "rehabilitated". They offer NOTHING of any worth to the society. They are less than subhuman and not worth our pity or time. Burn 'em.

[manwiththehands]

Nope. Not even for child molesters.

I can nearly, but not quite, understand why some people object to capital punishment. ...

I'm a conservative but I object to capital punishment based on my place in reality. And it has nothing to do with any mistranslation of the Bible. I know the proper translation says "thou shall not murder.

And I am more convinced of my position since I joined FR less than a year ago.

I am against the death penalty and always will be until science, the courts and law enforcement officials can guarantee that an innocent will never be accidentally executed by our legal system.

That may never happen. So I suggest we join the civilized world and start working on how we are going to make a life prison sentence less desirable than the death penalty.

Many of us claim to be "pro life". Sometimes being pro life means being able to stomach allowing the most heinous of us to live because our desire to protect the innocent is the greater good.

[layman]

I can’t fathom people who have tender feelings for sexual predators

This is not surprising in a society that tolerates the existence of disgusting organizations such as NAMBLA.

[Joe Boucher]

I can see why parents of the molested children would kill the perps. if in the same situation I know I'd go after someone who I knew harmed my child. Consequences be damned.
As for the death penalty overall, I'm for it and so would many opponents if they or their families were horribly victimized.

[Candor7]

Execute them? Nawwwww!

Tax the shite out of them!

[ShandaLear]

The punishment doesn't fit the crime. Lock them away forever, but no death penalty.

[cubreporter]

Plain and simple. Done, over gone. Never to hurt a child again. Makes sense to me!

[Our man in washington]

If we had executions of child molesters 20 years ago, the McMartins, The Amiraults, and Kelly Michaels would all be dead.

The only problem is they wear all innocent.

Since child molestation is an area where emotion often trumps the facts, I oppose execution for child molesters. I think you'd have innocent people being put to death.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

How about having a death penalty for just flat out murder first?
Then decide what other crimes to (re)expand it to.

[hodaka]

Torture them first and then kill them slowly.

[Puckster]

"After all, if they’re unaware that Thou Shall Not Kill is a bad translation of Thou Shall Not Murder, you can see where they might wind up believing that the execution of a serial killer is as sinful as the original crime."

http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Shokel/001102_ThouShaltNotMurder.html

This provides a good distinction between "Kill" and "Murder".

[amigatec]

I lived in Kansas at the time the Death Penalty was brought back.

A young woman was raped, sodomized, and killed by a pervert, BECAUSE he KNEW there was NO Death Penalty in Kansas, instead he got the "hard 40", 40 years without parole. He admitted this and plead guilty, and asked for the Hard 40.

Now go explain to this young woman parents, if Kansas had a Death Penalty before this happened this young woman would still be alive!!!!!