General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The death penalty needs to be abolished ASAP [View all]qazplm
(3,626 posts)the goal is not merely to be above the moral level of someone like Sells.
You complain he avoids the question, but my complaint would be that the question is irrelevant and a bit of a straw man.
Should the state ever be allowed to kill one of its citizens as opposed to life without parole? What justifies it or requires it? What does it serve? How many, if any, innocents killed are ok? If the answer is zero, then we need new rules, because it's real hard to get to zero with the current system.
I see nothing useful served by the DP. It's proven not to be a deterrence, it costs more to do, takes decades to carry out in many cases, and I don't think it really even gives a ton of closure to the victims.
Put those folks in a dark hole, throw away the key, and let them pass the remaining years pondering on what they've done.