I agree with everything Publius wrote in the comment above. Every word. Thank you for contributing to the comments. (even when I don't agree!) Click here to find out how you can get paid to post items like this. It's free and easy to join.

It would make me think twice before killing someone. So, I guess you agree with Dostoevsky in his assertion that a killer's conscience over a prolonged imprisonment is more punishment and therefore equal to 'more' justice than putting him or her to death. I agree that that could be the case with some men and women who may actually HAVE a conscience, but how about Charles Manson? How many people could've been helped with the money saved if we had just put that psycho in the ground in the first place? He's now just become a freak-show living in a cage and wasting air and money. Oh, not to mention how we could've eliminated his 'carbon footprint'. Capital Punishment is the Choice for a Greener Future! I personally will take my chances with not ever getting myself into such a position that I would be wrongly accused of murder! I am not sure but, in recent times, has there ever been a case where a man or woman with no prior criminal record was just sitting at home playing Parcheesi and was arrested, tried and sentenced for murder then put to death? (and by recent times, I do not mean back when it was commonplace for cops to start off with "You ain't from around here, are ya boy?") If you are completely innocent it shouldn't be too hard to prove it. Of course, unless someone has devised a devious plot to frame you just like in the movies and on TV! (although, I think I have seen a one-armed man skulking around here lately...) I am not worried so much about the message to the Troops, they can deal with it and drive on! My concern is to those that wish to do us harm. This type of message, in their minds, is a victory. It bolsters their resolve and gives them hope. GITMO, yeah ok..symbolic, but don't just make a sweeping change and close it. Come up with a plan first and make sure you send the message that the detainees WILL continue to be dealt with accordingly, but under new policies. The way he immediately signed an Executive order to close it and went against Intelligence professionals in his decision to stop the extended interrogation measures which is very unfortunate necessity in some few cases. (and don't get on the whole Intelligence professionals and WMD thing, because that WAS NOT a reflection on Intelligence community as a whole, it is a reflection on the administration). It made me think that Obama (and others) are under the impression that the professionals that were tasked to do it are no more than glorified Abu Gharib guards who take pleasure in being sadists. Think about this as symbolic of GITMO: Many of the detainees there were captured after firefights with our Troops. See this as a testament to the professionalism of our Combat Troops who, after possibly seeing their comrades killed by the same people, captured them, safeguarded them, treated their wounds, and safely transported them to the detention facility. To be sure, they were not treated with kid gloves! But by anyone less professional they would have been abused and probably even killed on the spot. At least we don't beat them and then film their beheadings like the animals we are up against. Click here to find out how you can get paid to post items like this. It's free and easy to join.