Coming from a close minded small town in the south, to a large liberal public university has been a drastic change for me. Though my beliefs feel much more accepted here, I have found that some things have changed; one of those things being my apathy. Never having been forced to decide my stance on the death penalty for a particular reason, I had failed to do so. Both sides of the story have always made sense to me: sure, I think that it doesn't really seem like the governments role to judge who dies, but then again, if a family member of mine was murdered, would I want there to be the possibility that they would be put to death? As wishy washy as I once was, I am now the polar . I now can definitively say that I am strongly against the killing of individuals by the government. The institution is too flawed for there to be such an irreversible punishment available. There are racial issues, class issues, and regional issues, (which is referring to the large numbers killed in the south and not the north). Though I am against the death penalty for multiple reasons, I chose to polarize the issue of race as one of main reasons I am opposed to the death penalty.
I recently came upon an article in a New York Times archive that discussed the racial disparity in the sentencing of individuals, an example they pointed out is the difference in penalties for those convicted of using powdered cocaine, and those who use the less expensive crack cocaine. Those who use crack cocaine, meaning the lower class, majority black, get longer prison sentences. How is it not class discrimination when a different form of the same drug carries a worse punishment than another, it's like you're not quite as bad if you use the expensive powered cocaine. This is not just, fair, or "equal." Our constitution says that we are all created equally, but we are not treated this way.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
A Little Bit About Me
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3 comments:
You have a very valid point in stating,"The institution is too flawed for there to be such an irreversible punishment available.". I think that there are too many inconsistencies throughout the legal system for the government to decide to execute someone. The example used in the post illustrates your view well, however you may want to edit it, so the language is more argumentative, and less conversational.
I see where you are coming from. I know that I am against the death penalty for now because the system is flawed in so many ways as you mentioned, but should we try to fix the system. Should we even try to create a non-racial government where class does not matter in the court room or any where else for that matter. I realize that this is extremely liberal for me to say as class and race play such a prevalent role in society today but is it even possible? Is there a way to have a system of checks of and balance in the court room that prevents this kind of information from being a factor?
I too believe that the death penalty is irreparable. I know that it is naive to think that governmental institutions can be completely fair, but there have to be limits and standards. The current condition of the death penalty is unacceptable and a punishment as irreversible as death is not something to be taken lightly.
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