Bernie Sanders Opposes The Death Penalty For Dylann Roof And Teaches Us Something Important

[Purveyor]

Being against the death penalty isn’t always easy, as it means that you can find yourself defending the lives of some truly horrible people who committed some truly horrible crimes. From this perspective, it’s hard to find a more difficult person in the United States to defend right now than Dylann Roof, the racist mass murderer who gunned down nine black parishioners at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.

That said, I think if you’re against the death penalty, you shouldn’t make exceptions for really, really despicable people whose crimes go far beyond what the typical death row inmate gets executed for. With this in mind, I was happy to see Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders reiterate that his opposition to the death penalty extends even to cases like Dylann Roof’s.

“Sen. Sanders opposes the death penalty,” Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs told The Huffington Post. “He believes those who are convicted of the most horrible crimes should be imprisoned for the rest of their lives without the possibility of parole.”

Regardless, the government announced this week that it would seek the death penalty for Roof and if he’s convicted it’s hard to imagine that he gets anything less.

If you’re someone who is opposed to capital punishment, are you making an exception for Dylann Roof? Or do you believe opposing the death penalty means opposing it for everyone?

more...

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/bernie-sanders-opposes-the-death-penalty-for-dylann-roof-and-teaches-us-something-important/

[CBHagman]

1. What Roof did was all that was evil...

...and yet I was disappointed that the government is seeking the death penalty. In the main I am opposed to the death penalty, even for heinous crimes, and think the United States needs to do a long, drawn-out review of its prison and parole system. That would take years, though, and will be a multi-front effort involving government officials, faith leaders, educators, law enforcement, et al.

[cali]

2. I do too. I oppose it in all cases. Period.

[SamKnause]

3. I oppose the death penalty.

I have always opposed the death penalty.

I also oppose solitary confinement.

[Lizzie Poppet]

4. I oppose the death penalty...period.

The system is imperfect, which means innocent persons will be executed...and I find that unacceptable. It's as simple as that, really.

[fun n serious]

5. I say let him die.

I am in favor of the death penalty for cases like this.

[cali]

6. If you're in favor of the dp in cases like this, you're in favor of it period

And it is the most racist piece of the criminal justice system. Yes, I know root is a white racist who slaughtered black people, but that is still factual.

[fun n serious]

7. I am against it but not in this case.

I just can't say let him live.

[cali]

9. You are a dp supporter. You either oppose it or you don't.

You can't be a little bit pregnant and you can't say you're against it if you support it even one case.

[kcr]

8. I agree. People who make exceptions aren't against the death penalty.

If you make exceptions, than it means you're actually for the death penalty, you just have narrow standards in its applications. But the death penalty is simply one of those things where you're either against it or you're not. You can't be both.