Steven Hayes will never murder again. The death penalty actually
works.
The poster of this article is against the death penalty.
I won't engage anyone on the point, I've debated myself about it all my adult life to arrive at my conclusion.
Feel free to hurl personal insults at me, I can assure you, I have endured them already on this forum for my stance.
There are a few people here who stand with me and they are bold enough to say so when they see articles like this but we are a distinct minority here and I realize that but do not apologize for it.
Ping to a Republican-American Editorial.
If you want on or off this ping list, let me know.
I used to have trust and faith in humanity”
Good night! If all the faith I had was in humanity, I would want to commit suicide too!! humanity is fallen.... I can look at myself and figure that out!!
Fry the maggot.
This POS deserves a quick execution and not decades of appeals. Sadly his conviction will be subject to endless appeals at our expense.
I’m somewhat ambivalent about its application and entrusting such to the idiots who are attracted to government, but I believe wholeheartedly that God allows it and that there are many who deserve it.
Nevertheless, IMHO, cases such as this not only merit, but demand the ultimate penalty. Anything less devalues the life of the victims in the eyes of the law.
I won't hurl insults at you but I will say that collectively, American society has deemed the death penalty an appropriate punishment for certain crimes. This being said, if the perpetrators of the Petit home invasion/murders don't receive this penalty, there is really no reason to have it on the books. This is truly one of the most heinous crimes in modern American history and I'd be hard-pressed to think of two individuals whose crimes have warranted execution more than Hayes and Komisarjevsky.
I disagree with you strongly - my philosophy regarding the death penalty can best be summed up by the phrase “early and often” - but I see no reason for anyone to insult you for your position.
Prayers up for Mr. Petit.
This poor man. God help him.
No need to apologize for your opinion. You’re honest about it and that is ok. One thing about the death penalty though, the sob will never threaten anyone again in any way shape or form.I sleep better knowing that
There has to be respect for people who have a conscientious objection to the death penalty. One can feel that these men deserve to die but that it’s not our place to kill them.
I would shoot this dog in a second.
That said, I would be glad to bargain away the right to kill those who desperately deserve to be killed, for the lives of the innocent unborn killed every day.
Providing, of course, that we retain the right to turn the rest of this animal’s life into a hell on earth.
Personally, I prefer that the perp receive long-term torture - something that keeps him alive but in excruciating physical and mental pain for decades. Sadly, that would probably be deemed unconstitutional.
The death penalty aside, cases like this one make a perfect argument for a national three-strikes-and-you’re-out law.
By that I mean if a person commits three felonies (ANY three felonies), that person should be deemed unfit to be a member of society and put away forever.
Give him no chance to commit that fourth felony, not alone a tenth one, like we see so often today.
The prisoner’s new “home” does not necessarily have to be a cramped cell.
Perhaps give him a small cottage on a farm. There he can work a small plot of land as he sees fit, for the rest of his life.
Of course, the farm must be surrounded by razor wire and the adjoining land mined.
I don’t think any one reasonable would insult you for your views - anyone who believes in intelligent discourse and discussion would at least respect the person while disagreeing with the position.
I am of the like mind with those that say that if there is a crime that fits the death penalty, this is it. No ifs, ands or buts.
The tragedy will continue for Dr. Petit and his family as the appeals process begins, and Hayes will live warm, comfortable albeit confined existence for years, if not his natural life, while the state of Connecticut refuses to carry out the sentence that was given to him properly by a judge and jury. That he breaths another breath after what he did to that family is an insult to that family, their friends, and to civil society.
Hayes and his partner in crime deserve to die for their actions, and the sooner, the better.
Perhaps you can stand before Dr. Petit and tell him your tale of respect for the life of the murdering pig who beat him, raped his young daughter and wife and set them on fire while tied to their beds.
I am sure he is interested in your ‘feelings’ about the death penalty.
If a person is charged with murder (with intent or during a crime) and found guilty, then the sentencing goes to the family or bereaved closest to the victim. Appeals are considered only on the basis of new evidence. Thumbs up and the perp does absolute life in prison. This includes no gym time, phone calls, rec room, TV, education or any of the other crap now going on in prison. The perp works 10 hour days six days a week and any monies beyond support costs go to the family. Three hots and a cot. Medical care for minor medical and pain relief. Terminal illness is given it's course. Sentence is carried out within one year.
If thumbs down, the closest family member/legal representative pulls the lever, pushes the plunger or throws the switch.
In this way, multiple benefits are achieved:
1. The perp is punished.
2. The victim is avenged.
3. The family has a measure of revenge.
4. The law is upheld and will increase respect for the law.
4. Society is protected.
5. No costs are incurred to the state.
6. The state does NOT have the power of life and death over the individual.
7. Mercy or death is the option of the justly aggrieved and part of the historic purpose of punishment and justice in the emotional and spiritual realm.
8. Fear is instilled in evil doers.
9. There is no recourse for the convicted, thus, no protracted legal costs or wrangling.
10. The general populace has renewed confidence in governance and security in society.
In theory at least I've got nothing against hanging somebody like Manson, Dennis Rader, Paul Bernardo, John Mohammed...
Here's the problem: I'd want several changes to the system before I could feel good about capital punishment anymore.
1. Guilt should be beyond any doubt whatsoever; the usual criteria of guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt" doesn't cut it for hanging somebody.
2. The person in question must represent a continuing threat to society should he ever escape or otherwise get loose. The "bird man" of Alcatraz would not qualify, John Mohammed clearly would.
3. I'd want all career/money incentives for convicting people of crimes gone which would mean scrapping the present "adversarial" system of justice in favor of something like the French "inquisitorial" system in which the common objective of all parties involved was a determination of facts.
4. I'd want there to be no societal benefit to keeping the person alive. Cases in which this criteria would prevent hanging somebody would include "Son of Sam" who we probably should want to study more than hang, or Timothy McVeigh who clearly knew more than the public ever was allowed to hear.
Given all of that I could feel very good about hanging Charles Manson, John Muhammed, or Paul Bernardo, but that's about what it would take.
In fact in a totally rational world the job of District Attorney as it is known in America would not exist. NOBODY should ever have any sort of a career or money incentive for sending people to prison, much less for executing people. The job of District Attorney in America seems to involve almost limitless power and very little resembling accountability and granted there is no shortage of good people who hold the job, the combination has to attract the wrong kinds of people as well.
They expected DNA testing to eliminate the prime suspect in felony cases in something like one or two percent of cases and many people were in states of shock when that number came back more like 33 or 35%. That translates into some fabulous number of people sitting around in prisons for stuff they don't know anything at all about since the prime suspect in a felony case usually goes to prison. Moreover, in a state like Texas which executes a hundred people a year or thereabouts, that has to translate into innocent people being executed here and there.
The guy being described here however meets all the criteria; I'd have no realproblems with the idea of hanging him.
I am not a big fan of the death penalty, either, however, in some cases, it is warranted,IMHO. This is probably one of them. In situatons where the person is convicted on mostly circumstantial evidence, or maintains his innocence when there is any chance that someone else COULD have committed the crime, I am not so much in favor of it. For the simple reason that the person is being asked to trust his life to a lawyer that probably can’t be trusted with 25 cents. I do believe that my own state, Texas, is a bit too generous with the death penalty at times, as well as other states don’t pass it out often enough. I believe Manson should have gotten the death penalty.JMO...