Time and time again, I hear people advocating...well, murder, really. It's strange how we always leap to violence as a means to an end. A quote by Nietzsche nicely sums up my feelings on the death penalty:[i]"Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one."[/i]
When we kill killers, we become the killers ourselves. What we do is no better than what they do. Showing mercy to murderers is what separates us from them. If there's not that distinction, then we're not a system of ideals, we're just a regime.
Opinions?
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The difference between us and them is that we actually are humane in killing the person. They have notice of their death, time to prepare mentally, a final meal, and final words. The other thing is that in modern times it's absolutely painless, unlike being electrocuted.