Comments on: Dawkins Wisdom shines through

By: JohnQ

JohnQ — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I don’t support the death penalty. It is letting them off. They don’t know they’re dead. No afterlife, no punishment. So…, for someone capitally convicted, paralyze them, keep them mentally active with a picture of their victim for company,

By: Bubba

Bubba — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

No, execute them. Don’t waste our tax dollars keeping these lunatics alive for years and years.

By: alexatheist

alexatheist — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Here are the photos of the cult members.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-child0812-pg,0,2367314.photogallery

By: charlie

charlie — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

On another ridiculous note….last night a Pastor questioned our choices for president….the first thing the pastor said was he’s for the separation of church and state….how ironic….

By: ccady

ccady — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I don’t think that this post was intended to be a debate on the death penalty, but I’d like to point out that it costs significantly more to kill people than to keep them in prison for life. See http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/FactSheet.pdf for more details.

Atheism was once punishable by death.

By: alexatheist

alexatheist — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Executions are so expensive because of multiple appeals, your information looked like a mix of facts and politically correct propaganda. How expensive is it to stick a needle in someones arm and be done with it? if anything the death penalty is greatly under used in this country.

Here in the uber left Peoples Republic of Chapel Hill the DA is actually seeking the death penalty in the very public Eve Carson murder case. We havent had an execution in Orange Co. since 1948 but this case has changed a lot of peoples minds on the issue. Id be happy to stick the needle or pull the lever myself on this waste of human skin if it sends a strong message that crime is not tolerated in my neighborhood:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3358693/

The cult members who killed Javon Thompson in Baltimore deserve the same fate if found guilty. Lets not let them hide behind the wall of “faith” as an excuse!

By: what

what — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Did that idiot Rick Warren question the candidates about religious practices and there harm to children at the ?Saddleback Civil Forum?? No! Is it moral to focus on gay marriage (no crime there) while never mentioning the countless children suffering under the religious banner daily? Theists are morally challenged.

By: nissimlevy

nissimlevy — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I am against the death penalty because, in this and other cases, the fields of psychiatry, psychology and the pharmaceutical industry (new drugs) can benefit from this social disorders for our better future and become partially beneficial to our communities. We all know that our societies will get rid off criminals based on these judicial laws but, also, a new criminal is born every day which is something unavoidable. Studying this cases and others may provide us with, at least, some positive solutions and improvements for the future.
Sending condemned people to their death is a very religious based ‘moral’; more like an act of revenge or an offering.

By: Cynic

Cynic — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The only problem I have with the death penalty is the potential to execute the wrong person. I say “only”, but I feel that’s enough to prevent my support of it. When a case is clear-cut, it’s hard to speak against it. But we can’t afford to further complicate an already unruly justice system by deliniating guilty verdicts into “definately guilty” and “guilty’s the verdict we’re running with today”. To the extent possible, injustice should be reversible. It’s difficult to say “I’m sorry” to a guy you just locked up by accident for 50 years. It’s impossible to say it to a guy you killed 10 years ago.

By: what

what — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Kosher D

There are presently no means of studying criminal brains that have an expected potential to elucidate any underlying pathology. Neuroscience is just not up to the task yet. This is primarily due to the fact that functional brain imaging technology can not presently meet the specifications needed to do functional imaging of any real utility. In order to do truly useful functional brain imaging one would need to measure brain current density on a spacial scale of a millimeter (or better) and on a temporal scale of a millisecond (or better). Neuroimaging is nowhere near close to being able to do this.

NIH and NSF should be funding high risk (little probability of success for the researcher but of great value if successful) research into theoretical work that might lead to devices capable of meeting such specifications. Unfortunately they are stuck in the mud with the over-funding of fMRI, MEG, EEG and the like.

One can always somewhat haphazardly experiment with psychotropic drugs in the hope of finding a magic bullet to curtail criminal behavior. However prisoners can not be experimented upon without consent of the prisoner. Prisoners are actually considered a special class of vulnerable experimental subject. Special hoops have to be jumped with review boards to use them use subjects in experimentation.

Alternatively one could look for genetic markers for criminal behavior. What one does with such markers is very problematic.

That said. I do not like the death penalty either. Furthermore I think attempted murder should carry the same sentence as murder. I do not see the two criminals as being significantly different with respect to the threat they pose.