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David is an occasional blogger, software engineer, Nintendo fanboy, liberal, news magazine addict, voracious TiVo user, and bibliophile. He was born in St. Louis, grew up in southern Indiana, and returned to St. Louis to attend Washington University. He hasn't managed to escape yet. He's a fan of free wine tastings, too many tv shows to name, and eating out. David makes his living developing web applications used internally by his employer. He doesn't blog about work because he's heard too many stories about that causing workplace troubles. There's more on the about page. |
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8 July 2002 - 3:00 pm
Death penalty opponents seem to view the recent Supreme Court decisions outlawing the execution of the mentally retarded and overturning judge-imposed death sentences as a big win for their groups. I'm not so sure. I suspect that these changes have only strengthened the death penalty, mainly by removing opponents' potential arguments against it.
In fact, I would suspect that the one measure that would most strengthen the death penalty would be a law guaranteeing death row inmates access to DNA evidence. You see, because of the flaws in death penalty system here in the US, death penalty opponents have been able to frame the argument in terms of logic. Something along the lines of "If we aren't sure we're executing the right person, should be executing anyone?" But what happens when doubts about the accuracy of our criminal system and the appropriateness of executing certain individuals disappears? Then the death penalty debate becomes a debate about morals. And it is much more difficult to persuade someone to abandon their moral beliefs then to persuade them of the logic of your arguments.
My advice to death penalty opponents would be to stop nibbling around the edges. I suspect that death penalty advocates have decided to cede the controversial side-issues such as the ones the Supreme Court recently ruled on, in favor of strengthening the core issue. But recent polls indicate that support for the death penalty is at a 20-year low. Which means that now is the time to go for the jugular. Given all the current controversy about the death penalty, the moratorium in Illinois, and these poll numbers I really don't think there's going to be a better time to push for the repeal of the death penalty. It's now or never, folks.
Just for the record, if pressed I'd probably admit to being opposed to the death penalty. But don't quote me on it.
Posted by on 8 July 2002 at 10:43 AM
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