n7axw wrote:I've always been torn about the death penalty. Intellectually I tend to oppose it. But my gut puts me right along side Weber Fan. Sooo I'm glad I'm not responsible for making the choices.
One of the worst things about it is how unevenly it is applied. If you are black, you are far more likely to face the death sentence than if you are white, assuming that the offense is comparable.
Don
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Here's a couple of more things to make your feelings about it even murkier.
Most murders are intraracial, so in the vast majority of cases, the black guy facing the death penalty probably murdered another black guy, statistically speaking.
If you're eligible to vote, you potentially, actually are one of the people responsible for making the choices because you could serve on a jury and that jury has to determine the guilt of someone facing the death penalty. You as a juror can actually act as a check on the power of a prosecutor.