Should Saddam Be Sentenced to Death? What About Osama?
November 6th 2006 10:52
Category: No Category
I find capital punishment immensely disturbing, as I don't think anyone deserves to be killed. Not even Saddam, or Osama Bin Laden. A life in prison would allow Saddam the opportunity find new patterns, adopt new paradigms and even somehow redeem himself, but the Iraqi court has taken away his ability to change by handing down this cruel form of punishment.
It is very worrying that Iraq, an emerging democracy in which every present action will inform the kind of future it can weave for itself, has selected to endorse the practice of hanging its citizens; and yet America, one of the world's most successful democracies, is setting a very bad example by operating under the same laws. Bush has termed the trial's verdict as a 'milestone' in Iraqi democracy, which makes me shudder.
You'd think the violence on Iraq's streets was enough- one more death is unnecessary, stultifying and obscene. The continuation of violence based on legal grounds encourages violence as a solution for a country that needs stark examples of mercy, peace, harmony and restraint to take note of. The newly elected government needs extensive revision so as to eradicate this brutal form of law enforcement.
CP estranges very needy citizens from access to resources that might help them recover a better way of living, the first being their life. It offers no second chances or forgiveness, focusing on the person's undeniable wrong-doing with single-mindedness something akin to religious fervour.
Like abortion and same-sex marriage, CP is hotly debated all around the world. Only some states in the US endorse the penalty, mostly the 'red' (or Republican) and tensions within the country over legal policy abound as a result. Australia, Canada and most of Europe don't allow the practice to be carried out, opting for much more civilised methods of dealing with their criminals.
What do you think? Is there anybody who deserves the death penalty? Does Osama Bin Laden? I firmly believe that to take away the life of another human being is immoral, and everyone should be given a second chance to re-integrate into society, even if it's only a prison society. A crime against humanity is a heinous offense but no human being deserves to be killed.
* pic from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:
Death_Penalty_World_Map.png. Check it out to see the rest of the statistics.
It is very worrying that Iraq, an emerging democracy in which every present action will inform the kind of future it can weave for itself, has selected to endorse the practice of hanging its citizens; and yet America, one of the world's most successful democracies, is setting a very bad example by operating under the same laws. Bush has termed the trial's verdict as a 'milestone' in Iraqi democracy, which makes me shudder.
Red nations enforce CP, blue have abolished it
You'd think the violence on Iraq's streets was enough- one more death is unnecessary, stultifying and obscene. The continuation of violence based on legal grounds encourages violence as a solution for a country that needs stark examples of mercy, peace, harmony and restraint to take note of. The newly elected government needs extensive revision so as to eradicate this brutal form of law enforcement.
CP estranges very needy citizens from access to resources that might help them recover a better way of living, the first being their life. It offers no second chances or forgiveness, focusing on the person's undeniable wrong-doing with single-mindedness something akin to religious fervour.
What do you think? Is there anybody who deserves the death penalty? Does Osama Bin Laden? I firmly believe that to take away the life of another human being is immoral, and everyone should be given a second chance to re-integrate into society, even if it's only a prison society. A crime against humanity is a heinous offense but no human being deserves to be killed.
* pic from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:
Death_Penalty_World_Map.png. Check it out to see the rest of the statistics.
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Comment by Nina
However, how stable would Iraq be with Saddam behind bars? I know that it is hardly the picture of stability now, but with Saddam officially out of the picture, there may be a sense of finality that will allow Iraq as a country to move out of the shadow of the former dictator.
Comment by postmoderncritic
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Sorry it's taken me a few days to respond to your msg. I think that using violence against Saddam would encourage the philosophy of violence which is so ubiquitous in Iraq. Perhaps it will comfort the people who still fear that he will make a comeback, and appease their enemies, but IMO it's a morally corrupt opening of a democracy.
Comment by ChrisM
Comment by postmoderncritic
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I think the death of an important figure can lead to deaths too, and people who are looking for extremist commitments will always find an inspiration if they search hard enough.
> the question i would like to ask you postmodern, is if (hypothetically speaking if you will), it could save the lives of many others by condeming a guilty individual to death, could you do so?
I think that it's impossible to predict how people will react to someone's imprisonment, and so I would do everything lawfully possible to prevent killing, beginning with the culprit.