High court halts execution of 'r****ded' Texas prisoner set for this evening

How compassionate to put mentally challenged people to death.

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"He was under more balls than a midget hooker."-Bobby Hill

visit www.swirve.com

 

Rocketman95,

If you're for the death penalty at all, then why not this guy? He had raped before, raped again and killed his victim.

I am not Pro-death penalty, but if I was, he'd be a perfect candidate.

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"I have a DREAM.........his name's Hakeem."
DREAMer's Rocket Page

[This message has been edited by DREAMer (edited November 16, 2000).]

 

Hey, I'm not saying the guy should be walking the streets. This case, better than most, illustrates how screwed up our system is. It should've been obvious that you don't parole someone who is a rapist and mentally challenged. I'm not trying to come up with policy right now, but I'm pretty sure that death isn't the answer in what is supposed to be a civilized society.

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"He was under more balls than a midget hooker."-Bobby Hill

visit www.swirve.com

 

If it was your wife that was raped and killed, would you want him put to death?

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its all good and fun till someone gets hurt ... then its absolutely hilarious!

 

Not if he was mentally handicapped.

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"He was under more balls than a midget hooker."-Bobby Hill

visit www.swirve.com

 

Rocketman95,

Anyone who:

• rapes (twice)
• beats
• stabs
• kills

...another person, has some sort of "mental handicap".

Either you're for the death penalty, or you're not.

I am not.

Those who are but say this man shouldn't be put to death are getting into a subjective gray area which is not a very good way to run a judicial system.

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"I have a DREAM.........his name's Hakeem."
DREAMer's Rocket Page

 

OK, mentally challenged, or another PC way of saying r****ded.

I used to be pro-capital punishment in all cases. Then I became pro-captial punishment on some, and not on others. Now, I'm strongly leaning towards anti-capital punishment. The main reason, outside of not really wanting to play God, is exactly what you mentioned DREAMer, it's implementation is too subjective. If you're going to have it, it should be uniform for all cases in which you could possibly be given the death penalty.

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"He was under more balls than a midget hooker."-Bobby Hill

visit www.swirve.com

 

Yeah! The death penalty should only be reserved for evil genius masterminds.

When a person gets killed from an elaborate well-though scheme, it's much worse than being savagely stabbed and raped by someone with a 60 IQ that plays with crayons.


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Put this on the record for me....

I do not side FOR or AGAINST the death penalty.... however I want to leave you with this examination:

What is the more "humane" way to deal with a chronic criminal? Death..... or a life filled with loneliness and gang rape.

Which would you rather have??

--Rocketman

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Rocketman,

The main reason I'm against the death penalty is because I do not think any government should have the power to say who lives and who dies. There is way too much subjectivity that goes into condemning a person to death, and I don't want my or anyone's government with that power.

A second reason against the death penalty is that I think life in prison without parole is more of a punishment. Death can sometimes be an escape for some criminals. Some commit crimes just to get the death penalty, like a sick way of commiting suicide. (Like there are un-sick ways?)

Chronic loneliness? - Who gives a rat's ass?

Gang-rape? - I think there should be better security in prisons to stop this sort of crap. But, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

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"I have a DREAM.........his name's Hakeem."
DREAMer's Rocket Page

 

I am a firm believer in capital punishment. I also couldnt give a rats ass if the person is mentally retarted. If a mentally retarted person has killed, how do I know that he wont kill again. As far as Im concerned, if one kills someone he/she should recieve the death penalty. Unless u did it to protect yourself. I dont want these freakin killers living in prison on my tax money. Put all of these a$$holes on the death penalty. Its very simple. If you dont want to recieve the death penalty, just dont kill anyone.

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Speaking of, I remember reading about a woman who was executed in Arkansas earlier this year. She had killed her kids and had planned to commit suicide but didn't take enough pills or whatever, so she survived. The state put her to death this year, and in all the articles, all she talked about was how glad she was that she got the death penalty because it's what she wanted all along (to die, that is).

That's not to say that she wouldn't have killed her kids anyway (she did try to commit suicide after killing them), but giving her the death penalty was almost a reward to her. It may well have been worse punishment for her had she had to live out her years (and she was only in her late 20s or 30s, IIRC) locked behind bars thinking about what she had done.

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Houston Sports Board
The Anti-Bud Adams Page

 

If a mentally retarted person has killed, how do I know that he wont kill again.

Maybe because he'll be in prison for the rest of his life? (Assuming life-in-prison is the alternative to the death penalty)


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Is it any coincidence that the Cato is the only Rocket with a temperature scale named after him?

I didnt think so!!!!

 

It costs more money to kill someone in prison than it does to house them.

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"He was under more balls than a midget hooker."-Bobby Hill

visit www.swirve.com

 

Let's back things up a little bit.

The moral issue of whether a mentally r****ded person should or should not receive the death penalty is something that we can and will disagree on always.

On the other hand, another fairly serious moral issue that precedes the punishment is this:

Is a mentally r****ded person competent to stand trial in the first place?

Does he know the difference between right and wrong? Can he really effectively defend himself in a court of law?

The person in question has an IQ only a little over 50. This is roughly euivalent to a 7 year old. This begs the question: would you allow a 7 year old to stand trial for capital murder?

IMHO I would say no. Does this mean that I'd just let the guy out on the street? No, absolutely not. I would, however, commit the person to a state mental hospital, where, hopefully, he could receive some help distinguishing between good and bad.

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That's a good question, Launch Pad. If he walks like an adult and looks like an adult, does that make him an adult? I agree with you that it must be viewed in a different way, but they are very tough questions.

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Time for a new cause.

 

If there were no death penalty, then this wouldn't be an issue.

Life in prison is cheaper, and IMHO more of a punishment.

So, what's the argument for it?
One word: Vengence

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"I have a DREAM.........his name's Hakeem."
DREAMer's Rocket Page

 

I think I am one of the most compassionate people I know. Its just that I cant feel sympathy for someone who has killed. My concerns are for the family members of the victim. And also I couldnt give a **** about all this "vengence" crap. I admit that would be my reason for wanting someone executed for killing one of my family members. If the government wouldnt do it....

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The rights of the prisoner and the rights of the victim are BOTH mute. Life without parole would satisfy the need for justice. Alas, it does not satisfy the need for vengence. The real issue is if we as a society have the right to take someones life as punishment for a crime. The answer, to my way of thinking, is no.

It has been shown time and time again that execution is more expensive and fraught with danger. I have actually heard pro DP people say "Well, if a couple of innocent people get executed (though they never seem to believe that this is possible), it is a price I am willing to pay for justice." Justice? If a person is executed and it is later shown to be a mistake, what do we do? Apologize? Is this any less an act of murder

That a majority of people support it is hardly a surprise. Hangings, were enourmously popular FAMILY events, with vendors strolling through the crowds hawking their wares. The people, it would seem, love their pound of flesh. The politicians, in exchange for votes (the DP is still very popular), are only too happy to give them what they want.




[This message has been edited by stringthing (edited November 19, 2000).]