Bring back old sparky, and bring a camera

[Mr.Vicchio]

I say, bring back old sparky.

Not only bring it back, but make every kid entering highschool, and before they graduate, watch an execution, prefferably live sometime during thier school year on the school TV system if possible. (with the rate of people being put to death in Texas that shouldn't be a problem.)

Also make anyone ever convicted of a crime and sent to jail watch the death.

I have seen video of one, its quite greusome to watch. The eyes blow out and blood flows, the body makes twisted contortions of severe pain... nto a fun thing to watch, and obviously really bad to endure.

Now why do I say this? What would bring me to ask for such a harsh thing?

I will tell you why. I am sick of reading in the papers, on line or hearing on TV about someone dying at the hands of another person. Its high time we quit wishing murder rates would just "go down" and start being pro-active. And that means doing something things that are unpleasent, but the end rewards are worth it.

Watching someone being put to death in such a manner burns into your mind. I can still see that guy as they lower the cap onto his head and he knows, he KNOWS the end is moments away in a final jolt of pain.

Some may say that watching this would "scar" children. I say GOOD! Maybe it will stick in thier heads violence ain't cool, and getting into situations that lead to murder aren't worth it.

The real benifits are to the unforseen victims and their families. If even one murder is stopped because the criminal saw this and decided it wasn't worth it, then any amount of "scarring" is worth.

Death is permanant, and should never be inflicted on the innocent.

[katar]

just a few questions for the sagacious Mr. V:

1) does the criminal facing death have any right of privacy at that point? if so, do you justify the televised execution anyway on utilitarian grounds?

2) do you think this would have any deterrent effect on impulsive "heat of passion" murders?

[Mr.Vicchio]

1) If you are at the point of being put to death you have lost your rights. Sorry that sounds cruel but its really not. If your death can serve to deter future deaths then I say, go for it.

2) Perhaps, but that is an undefinable quantity yes? How many people would admit "I almost killed that XXXXXXXXXX but I remembered the death video from school so I didn't"?

I wonder, is the chance to save a life worth more or less then the right to privacy (something found no where in the constitution) for someone about to die?

[Pooeypants]

What about the chance that watching a live execution might trigger some butterfly effect whereby the kids become psychotic due the trauma and start a killing spree of their own. They might get a fetish for it...we live in a strange world so it could happen.
You know, your idea is not disimilar to that in China where they do public executions in the middle of a square/stadium.

[Mr.Vicchio]

Pooey, that chance is remote, and the "butterfly effect" you refer to, is a lame approach. that same person would find another outlet, as they are predispositioned to such.

As for China, difference between China and America, we have fair courts with countless appeals and a Legal system that is built on the premis of "Innocent until proven guilty"

They do not.

[Gorgo]

Execution and punishment have nothing to do with crime rates, or in 'V's case, the perception of crime rates.

http://www.november.org/stayinfo/bre.../ZNetWise.html

[Mr.Vicchio]

You site and anti-punishment site ads proof of your claims... right.

[Gorgo]

I'm sorry? What advertisements proof of what? Are you saying that you have information that supports whatever claims you've made?

[The Dunedan]

Mr. V,
I'm afraid I must disagree. While I have no problem with killing in self-defense, an imprisoned man is no longer a threat to society. Additionally, with as many as 30% of all American death-row inmates believed to be innocent, I could not conscience such a thing being done in my name. Granted, the 30% number is from Amnesty International, and may have been inflated slightly in the interest of expediancy. However, after considerable research into the past history of the death penalty, I am forced to concede that this figure is realistic.
Additionally, execution by electrocution is widely regarded as one of the most agonizing deaths imaginable; Stephen King's depictions in "The Green Mile" were quite accurate; his writted descriptions in the book version even moreso. I cannot, in good conscience, support a man, however guilty, being roasted alive in his own juices, set on fire, and having his eyes popped out, all this before losing conciousness.
Far better, I say, that we should imprison such people for life; and I do mean LIFE. In my home-state of Louisiana, when a criminal is sentanced to life in prison, he dies in Angola State. By so doing, we at least grant ourselves a margin of error to ensure that an innocent man does not pay the ultimate price for ignorance, stupidity, lack of evidence, or maliciousness during his trial. While we cannot give a man back lost years of his life in such a case, some restitution can at least be made. This is not so in the case of a man who's been dead for awhile, obviously. Lock them in a cage, never release them ( unless proven innocent ) and make them work for their keep, I say.

[Gorgo]

We need to pull about 90% of the money we spend on the so-called Defense Department the so-called correctional system and put it into things like education, health care, child care, the list goes on.

End the drug war, end the war on the poor, end the war on minorities, end U.S. and U.S. backed terrorism, and we can do a great deal to lessen crime and the effects of crime.

[The Dunedan]

How about giving that money to the people who deserve it; the people who earned it in the first place? Maybe if the Gov't led by example and stopped stealing 50+ percent of everyone's paycheck, crime would drop.
Drug war: right there with you.
War on the poor: WHAT war on the Poor? I once carried $200 worth of groceries, bough with food-stamps, to a LEXUS when I worked at a grocery store.
War on minorities: WHAT war on minorities? Minorities in the US have more rights and abilities than I do; they can get special grants for everything under the sun, easier college-admission standards, job set-asides, you freakin' name it. Not to mention the fact that I can have my ass sued off just for daring to be White and wake up in the morning.
US backed terrorism: Right there with you. However, let's not forget about terrorism backed by Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, China...

[Gorgo]

Who earns all their money without society?

War on the poor and minorities - easy answer is look at who's in prison. Anti-affirmative action - let's just say that I disagree and leave it at that.

Not forgetting about other countries' terrorism, but I have little say in what our own gummint does, so I'm not going to tell them what to do, and I would say that U.S. terrorism far outshadows anything they can do. On foreign soil, anyway.

[Pooeypants]

Originally posted by Mr.Vicchio, Pooey, that chance is remote, and the "butterfly effect" you refer to, is a lame approach. that same person would find another outlet, as they are predispositioned to such.

We shield away our children from Televised sex and violence, you want to do it live?

As for China, difference between China and America, we have fair courts with countless appeals and a Legal system that is built on the premis of "Innocent until proven guilty" They do not.

I'm not familiar with Chinese courts so do enlighten me about it.

But the point is still that the Chinese makes the executions a very public event, can you tell me what the crime rate is like over there?

[bugsbunny04]

In Alabama, ours is painted yellow. There is an ironic joke about how ones momma brought him into this world, and how this momma takes him out. If you kill someone and get the chair, you are said to have earned a date with "yellow momma".

[Compugasm]

Originally posted by Pooeypants, can you tell me what the crime rate is like over there?

Why not look at what the crime rate is in Texas. Are there any studies of crime/population rates vs other states?