Death?

   Ok, so one of the most talked about controversial issue in the United States is Capital Punishment, or the Death Penalty. Yes, this is a topic many pick up and people get tired of hearing about it, but it's something I feel very strongly about. Right now, the economy and the president are the talk of the nation, as they should be, but I think we should always remember this issue. Honestly, I believe that Capital Punishment should be abolished from the United States for three major reasons: 1. because its unconstitutional 2. it's costs are ridiculous and 3. it is definately full of flaws.
    Lets start with the basics.Capital Crimes include, but are not limited to: Pre-meditated murder, aggravated rape, excessive kidnapping, and even- in some states- perjury that results in a person’s death. Capital Punishment is the execution of a convicted felon, with its various forms of implementation. Two forms of common execution include lethal injection and electrocution. Other forms of execution include gas chambers, like the ones used by Hitler in WWII, hanging, and even a firing squad. Is that enough background info for you guys?
      Now to get started on my opinions :). The constitution states against "cruel and unusal punishment", right? But the thing is, what constitutes as cruel and unusual? Does a person receiving 2,500 volts of electricity, which is only for a 15 second period to make the condemned unconscious, count as cruel and unjust? Or the fact that sometimes the procedure goes wrong and the condemned are being tortured with pain while the chair has to go in for repairs? In 1947 this happenned to a black man named Willie Francis. The worst part was that he could have been innocent, but he was condemned by an all white jury :/.  Sometimes heads would catch fire during this...bleh. How about how a lethal injection causes the condemned not to be able to breathe and has been reported to take up to two hours? People might say that this probably happened a long time ago. Well, May 24 of 2007, Christopher Newton's sentence was carried out via lethal injection and it did take two hours for him to die. That isn't too long ago. Unfortunately, these scenarios are real and they are scary to think about. You might say that they deserve it for whatever they did, but I just don't agree on that point, but I'll get to that point later.You know, even thirty-four minutes is still an extremely long time for someone to be in the process of dying, which was a case in Florida a few years back. Because of this Jeb Bush, yes the brother, actually put a moratorium on the Death Penalty so it can be scrutinized. This is a little odd to hear as most conservative republicans agree whole-jeartedly with the death penalty. Then again, I am a republican and I do not agree with it. But, can all this be counted as cruel and unusual punishment? In an 1890 New York Times report they stated “ it took two shots, flesh and hair singed, blood appeared on his face” about the execution of William Kemmler, who was the first ever to be sentenced and killed by the electric chair in the U.S. Of course, this definitely doesn’t sound like cruel and unusual punishment.
          The facts are, that not only do I believe that the death penalty is unconstitutional, but the costs are extremely high. Did you know that in 2001, Indiana's cost for death row was 38% higher than the cost was for the life in prison without parole sentences? I'm sorry but thats just ridiculous. People make the excuse that we use tax payer money to keep these slimeballs alive in prison, but the truth is your spending more money to give them an easy way out of the regretful and lonely life they should be living. Texas has over 300 people on Death Row and is spending an average of 2.3 million dollars on each case, but it still has one of the highest crime rates in the U.S. so it obviously isn't a detterent. Why don't we use the money to educate our kids more, that way we don't have to worry about these problems as much lol.
       How many people are falsely convicted or crimes, anyway? I know a lot of people that say it's worth it if a few people die in order to get rid of all the bad people. Sometimes we have to make sarifices. But, what if it was your son or daughter; what if it was your father or mother? How would you fell about it then? There is evidence that four men that have been executed in recent years have been innocent. False Conviction is an extremely appalling thought. For example, the Salem Witch Trials; were the convicted really witches? Did they really deserve to be publicly hung for a crime that they were innocent of? Of course not.
         The thing is, I understand that many people want vindication for wrongs that have been commited towards them or their loved ones, but the death penalty really isn't an effective detterent. Since 1930, there have been more than 4050 executions in America, and yet the crime rates are still inflated. In 1996 there were 19,020 arrests for murder and 33,050 for forcible rape. The death penalty was enforced 44 times out of all these arrests.The first thing is that the arrest numbers in one year for those crimes alone are extremely high and secondly, why were only 44 people sentenced to death. If the crimes the same shouldn’t they be punished the same? After all the Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal”. Unfortunately, a lot of different factors are at play here. 
       The bible states “an eye for an eye” but does the Death Penalty really give the family of the victims any closure? If anything the trial pending the death penalty prolongs there suffering. Even if the murderer is killed, the family is still going to be grieving for their loved one. By executing this person they aren’t going to get their loved ones back. Plus is vindication really what this country is about? Payback in this kind is not just and our country is based on the foundation of justness, is it not?
          Seriously, in my opinion the death penalty should be abolished because it is a violation to human's right to live and contains more flaws in the system than the ability to serve the purpose of teaching society what awaits one who breaks the law. I see how people can have different opinions, but idk I just find it a little hypocritical

Quote of the Week by Helen Straus. She's just an ordinary woman, but when i read this, it sounded like she could be talking for all Americans.
“Every time we murder someone as a government and as a society we lose more of our social soul. It continues to be incredible to me that we can claim murder to be wrong and continue to commit murder ourselves.”

Thanks for reading. Bye

Homeless: Sex Offenders Edition

       Sigh, I love America so much. I mean, where else can we talk crap about politicians or bills and not get our butts thrown into jail? But, that doesn't mean this country knows how to handle everything. The problem is that many Americans like to generalize- this is where racism and stereotyping kicks in. We see a problem and think "Hey, this is easily fixed, just do...!" But rarely do people actually take time to look at both sides of the spectrum, they go full speed ahead and show how vehement they are about such and such. Guess what:...even what I just said was a generalization, albeit not as big as many others have.


          I Think it's disgusting and disturbing when there is a 47 year old man or woman on the news because he was caught having sex with a 13 year old. Not only should they go to jail for a long time, but they should never be able to be near another child. Do I think that they should rot under a bridge, without food or shelter? Hell...no. What?! you may ask. Well, come on! Wasn't I just talking about how this is America? This is just another way that the government wants to control the lives of the people. While these perverts are in jail, they have some rights taken away, but you can not take the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for goodness sake! Isn't that like one of the most famous phrases? And ok, their liberty might have been taken away when their in jail, but that’s the only exception. Once their out, they should have restrictions- such as being a certain distance from kids- but they should not be forced to give up a home and not be allowed to own one. The government has a lot of sneaky ways they choose to control its citizens and this is just another way they’ve figured out how to bend the rules. Except that I think it is unconstitutional. This reminds me of the Health care bill our dear president is trying to push down congresses throat :). First, let everyone who can have their privatized insurance...for a little, then the government takes over entirely. Pretty soon, they will be telling doctors that they cannot practice in a certain city or state because there are too many doctors there already, and then that will lead to the government telling people where to live. Oops...got a little carried away there and very off topic loll. Ok, well that’s just a little of what I wanted to say about sex offenders.

         For all you girls who love shoes, you all know that not all of them are created equal. There could be two shoes that could look exactly the same, but they are totally different. Not only is one more comfortable than the other, but one can be more sturdy and made of better material. Well, think of all sex offenders in this way. Remember at the beginning of this bog when I was talking about generalizations? Well...do you honestly think that all sex offenders are the 47 year old men or women I mentioned above? Unfortunately, there are people who lie about sexual harassment out of pitiful vengeance over something silly, or out of fear that they, themselves, will get into trouble if they don't say someone forced them to do something. Or, there are people who get accused when it wasn't even them who did it. Either way, there are soooo many people who are wrongfully accused of crimes and then they get punished for it. Can you imagine having to go to jail and then, when you finally get out, being forced to live under a bridge...all for something you didn’t do? How about the young kids who were stupid and fell in love with a girl/guy who was a little too young, while they were considered adults already because they barely passed their 18th birthday? Listen, some parents are crazy. They think their kids are angels and when they find out some 18 or 19 year old guy is hanging out with their 16 year old daughter they freak out. Mind you, those two could have gone to high school together for two or three years, but their parents don't care if they are ruining the kids life. They just want to see that little innocent susy is safe from the big bad...even though she'll probably be pining for him after. Hey, my best friend had just turned 18 and, for some odd reason, she was dating a 15 year old. They had already been dating for a year, but his mom hated her guts-she was a drunk. Anywho, she threatened to call the cops on her when she turned 18, if she didn’t break up with her son. I mean, is that crazy or what?! The mom didn't do it, but that's just an example that it does actually happen.

        Ok so, to make everything clear: I think sex offenders should be punished and kept away from kids, but I do NOT think that they should be forced to live under a bridge!

"That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety."

     That's my little quote for the week. Hmm...that’s a good idea. Maybe I'll have weekly quotes after all my entries :). Well, goodbye everyone...or just Natasha lol. Hope you enjoyed the read. I know, I know...I switch from topic to topic a lot sometimes, but it's only cause I'm writing what comes into my brain at the time lol.