07-28-2006, 05:28 AM
Quote:Our whole system has two combined flaws. The first is determining who is and is not crazy and the second is what we do with the crazy ones. In a case like this, the determination should simply be if this person can ever be trusted out in society again. IMHO, no. So, exclusion from society for life is the only rational option. That exclusion can be made fairly short by euthanasia, and the liberal use of that could well be a detriment to the use of the insanity defense.
But punishment for punishments sake -- no. We routinely put down mad dogs, but we do it humanely. We owe the same courtesy to her and people like her. I'd only reintroduce crucifixion for the sane, evil, criminals.
Y'know, I was going to respond with something very similar to what you've said here. What most closely hits home with my way of thinking is when you say "The determination should simply be if this person can ever be trusted out in society again." (It's even eerie how similar your phrasing is to how I usually phrase my position.) I don't see the point of sentences that simply "punish"; what good is that? What problem does it solve? To my reckoning, it's just an excuse for society to feel self-righteous and finger-wag -- which people LOVE to do! It's GREAT to look down your nose at someone; it makes you feel better than them. It's a little pick-me-up. Demonize someone in law and you've got a nice conflict: criminal vs society. It's great entertainment, but I think it's time we recognize that's what it is and start trying to be objective.
Now, Pete suggests that Andrea "Suffocates" Yates is a danger to society. I don't know; maybe she's just dangerous to children and should be prevented from having more. But then, my approach to troublesome situations often leads to sterilization for some reason... so I might be slightly biased. Pete likes crucifixion for the sane, evil criminals among us; that's fine. I'd use it on criminally dangerous sociopaths who also happened to be Christians, personally. (Christians aspire to be Christ-like, right?) But thinking on it, I hope crucifixion would not be reintroduced simply due to the inhumanity of it. I mean, wouldn't the sick #$%& who'd nail someone to some cheap lumber from Lowes be the sort who's due for the same?
-Lemmy