XPost: alt.religion.christian, alt.religion.christian-teen, alt.   
   eligion.christian.adventist   
   XPost: alt.religion.christian.baptist   
   From: composer7NOSPAM@sbcglobal.net   
      
   On 7 Jul 2004 02:56:12 -0700, Rafael_Leyre@yahoo.com (Rafael Leyre)   
   wrote:   
      
   >The Steel Wolf  wrote in message news:...   
   >>   
   >> I'm personally somewhat ambivalent on capital punishment as an ideal,   
   >> but I think the potential benefit thereof does not lie in its   
   >> preventative value.   
   >   
      
   The problem with capital punishment in the US is multi-fold, one being   
   that it is not applied Scripturally, the scriptures required at least   
   2 eyewitnesses, and witness who lied could be executed as well.  There   
   have been too many people sentenced to die who were later found   
   innocent of the crime for which they were sentenced.  At least with a   
   life sentence, mistakes are not completely irreversible.   
      
   The American justice system is too often politcally influenced   
   especially on the lower levels where District Attorneys and judges   
   face periodic elections and need a conviction record to brag about.   
      
   American Justice is also slanted against the poor and minorities, even   
   many laws are written to discriminate against the poor and minorities   
   such as drug laws where, for example, in many places the form of   
   cocaine often used by the affluent carries a lessor penalty then the   
   form of the same drug often used by the poor.   
      
   The poor are often assigned inexperienced and over-worked Public   
   Defenders who must face experienced and better budgeted prosecuters.   
      
      
      
   >You have a point. I agree that a punishment can well be just and   
   >justified without having any influence on crime statistics.   
   >   
   >The essence of my view is that courts should respect physical   
   >integrity of the accused. This is a watershed between the medieval and   
   >modern concept of individual rights. I stick with the argument that   
   >there is no way (no higher, just body) to garantee that courts are   
   >everywhere and always just.   
   >You could say that the US courts are 'of course' just and therefore   
   >can apply capital punishment. It can not be hard however to imagine   
   >that this is a subjective point of view, on which no mundial rule can   
   >be built.   
   >   
   >Rafael Leyre   
   >http://www.essayvtm.netfirms.com   
      
   Terrell   
      
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