Texas Puts Mentally Ill Killer to Death

[fleaflicker]

Oh, just some stats that I heard on the insanity plea. First, it is used now in less than one percent of all court cases heard in today's courts, and even then, it passes muster less than 3/4 of the time. It might be closer to half. The legal system is very rigid in this plea, unlike some people may belief. I'm not absolutely sure on this, but do the research.

[CRLionDawg]

We can choose to make this as complicated as we like. The more grey that the legal system mixes in the more debates that will arise. A murder is a murder. Irregardless of the mental state punishment needs to be applied. The death penalty sends the strongest message to society that its just not a good idea to terminate some other fellow human being.

[LionPride]

Runnerby - let me tell you how one can be Pro-Life and Pro-Death Penalty. It's all very simple. A child in the womb is not able to make a decision for itself. An adult is, and if that adult chooses to take another life, under the right circumstances, that person should be put death.

Too often our society identifies with the perpertrator, and not the victim. In a case of murder, there was another human that lost his/her life. What gives the person who took that life the right to continue with his or hers?

As I said before, I believe only the extreme cases should be death penalty. But I have to ask, if someone very close to you were murdered by a mentally insane person, would you think differently? Just like a child molestor, the perp is often never "cured", and when released, repeats the offense.

And my views have nothing to do with cost. I don't care if it costs more for a death penalty case than to house that prisoner for life. In fact, I think it's the right thing to do to go through the appeals process to ensure that an innocent person is not put to death. If that costs more, than so be it. But as the Dawg put it, there HAS to be a strong deterrent to keep people from murdering others. How would you feel if someone close to you was murdered by someone previously convicted of a murder, "rehabilitated", and then released - only to commit another murder?

The mentally ill situation is a gray area, no doubt about it. I personally believe that anyone committing a cold blooded, planned murder, or a rapist or child molestor, has to be somewhat mentally ill in the first place. In my views, those people gave up the right to participate in society - and some of them should be put to death. I don't want anyone like that in society, putting my family at risk of having it happen to them.

[CRLionDawg]

Well said Lionpride.

Abortion and the death penalty do not even belong in the same conversation unless. A death is caused to a baby in the womb by a willful act meant to terminate the life.

Leave it to the liberals to get the whole issue of life confused.

[ham55]

Then again texan's have been zaping the retarded for a long time, just watch the Robin Williams live on broadway, even he has an opinion on this. HAHA.

[Gunner18]

go sit on santas lap timmy...

[runnerbyproxy]

First of all my politics are moderate, and I'm not confused, ok?

I believe a life is a life, whether it is in the womb or out, alright? That is my belief. IF there are instances that it is OK to execute people, then there are instances that it is unfortunate but acceptable to have abortions. I don't need to spell either one of these extremes out to you, they have been discussed ad naseum. I'm not for everyone having abortions and I'm not for executing all murderers either.

Life is nothing but grey area, honestly. The absolutes people spout off are public record but in private they handle their lives, very very differently, don't they? If you had a mentally retarded relative living on death row in Texas, I guess you'd feel it was God's will to execute these people, right? Or if your 13 year old daughter is pregant you would never, ever EVEN consider abortion either, would you?

I'm just saying its easy to say what is you would NEVER do unless you've walked down that road. I hope you never do!

[El-Moldo]

As a nation, are we that much into quantity that it has affected our thinking? Isn't that why places like Hoss's and Ponderosa are so popular, quanity? For some of us, quantity is now a factor in how we perceive the death penalty. If you're a mass murderer, like Tim McVey, Richard Speck, or Jeffrey Dahmer, put them to death. If you murder only one or two people, you're off the hook as far as the electric chair is concerned! That's like saying you can have an abortion, unless you're having twins. Will dispose of one, but not two.

[CRLionDawg]

INteresting thoughts moldo. Volume, better by the dozen.

Runner, we all form our opinions by the experiences life presents us. It is difficult to judge how and why people feel the way they do about abortion. I would say there are as many pro-life women who changed their position on the subject after they experienced an abortion. As there are women who base their position on the issue upon the right for a woman to choose. Are there situations when abortion is a moral/legal option. I would suppose so. Is it right that anyone who becomes pregnant and wants to terminate the life due to a potential inconvenience. I dont think so.

At the end of the day we all will be judged for our decisions and actions. It is only then at that moment will we fully understand.

[LionPride]

First of all my politics are moderate, and I'm not confused, ok?

I believe a life is a life, whether it is in the womb or out, alright? That is my belief. IF there are instances that it is OK to execute people, then there are instances that it is unfortunate but acceptable to have abortions. I don't need to spell either one of these extremes out to you, they have been discussed ad naseum. I'm not for everyone having abortions and I'm not for executing all murderers either.

Life is nothing but grey area, honestly. The absolutes people spout off are public record but in private they handle their lives, very very differently, don't they? If you had a mentally retarded relative living on death row in Texas, I guess you'd feel it was God's will to execute these people, right? Or if your 13 year old daughter is pregant you would never, ever EVEN consider abortion either, would you?

I'm just saying its easy to say what is you would NEVER do unless you've walked down that road. I hope you never do!

Let me address some of these points one by one. Yes, a life is a life, so what about the life the murderer took? I also believe there are very RARE instances where an abortion is necessary. That is when the baby can obviously not survive outside the womb, and to continue the pregnancy would kill the mother (thus ending 2 lives). This is the only acceptable time an abortion should be performed. Abortions as a form of birth control is wrong. And the Dawg is correct, abortion and death penalty do not belong in the same sentence. Apples to oranges there pal.

2nd - if I had a mentally ill relative that was a murderer, my beliefs would leave me with no choice but to support the law if that person trully was quilty of a murder that fit into the death penalty. There are different levels to mentally ill, so all that would have to be taken into consideration, as it currently is.

3rd - if I had a 13 year old daughter that was pregnant, your darn straight she would carry that child if she became pregnant. However, my wife and I would care for that child as if it were our own. It's not the child's fault that the 13 year old didn't have sense enough to not have sex. And I know that your next question is about rape. Even in rape, although as tragic as that is, I would support my daughter 100% through it all (including therapy), and help her to understand why she could not abort that child.