My Thoughts On The Death Penalty

The Death Penalty is a legitimate means by which civil society can rid itself of individuals that knowingly and willfully take the lives of others. It is not given to mankind to judge one another.

However; we can, as a society, judge the actions of another human being. If those actions have destroyed a human life, then that life should be destroyed as well and as expeditiously as possible. Why is this so important? The answer: Time.

Time is the enemy of the victim and the ally of the assailant. Time softens impact and weakens resolve. Since the reality of time is such a critical factor when it comes to the use of the death penalty, let me solve this problem for you. The time to exercise our legitimate right to protect ourselves and the lives law abiding citizens is when the acts of the convicted murderer/s are fresh in our collective minds, when the evidence of the horror of the deed has not passed from active consciousness, when the family impacted by an individual or group's barbaric cruelty is still before us.

The primary reason why the death penalty is misconstrued as being ineffective is because of the time it takes to execute a convicted murderer. It is true. Killing the murderer will not bring Sally back, but it will definitely keep Mary from becoming another one of his/her/their victims. It is argued that the death penalty does not deter crime. No it does not and neither do laws. Yet, there is no movement to abolish our legal system or abandon laws that maintain civil society.

Could it be that death by legitimate means is not horrendous enough? Perhaps, if it were, an individual or group of individuals would think twice Before taking the life of another. Could it be that killings that result from crimes of passion occur precisely because there is no horror to consider? Certainly if a man or woman knew he/she would be "Drawn and Quartered" publicly would think twice before murdering his/her spouse or lover. Perhaps, being "Impaled" on a stake might make him/her think twice as well. Maybe the Viking method of "Eagles Wings" when your lungs are ripped out of body while you are still alive, or the tried and true "Guillotine".

We has a society should reserve our sympathy for the victim, not his/her murderer. There are several issues I would like to address in this article such as Manslaughter, Accidental Death, Self Defense, Self Protection, War, Civil Unrest, Violent Revolution, Political Beliefs, Nationalism, Religious Belief, Legal Injustices and a host of others. However, to do so would require a book, not an article. These categories represent other ways humans manage to kill themselves off. Perhaps, we can address these issues in the future; as well as why more prisons and more time in a prison is not the solution.