Radical Moderate Political Platform - Part 1
I consider myself to be a radical moderate when it comes to my political views. I have not been able to find a particular party that I feel properly embodies those views, so am considering an attempt to establish one. I haven't come up with a name yet, so if you have any suggestions let me know.
I am going to start working on expressing what I think should be the platform of a radical moderate party. Due to the length, I will have to do this in pieces. The sections are in no particular order. Just what I feel about writing at the time...
Abolish Death Sentence
My understanding is that most people who support capital punishment fall into two categories: those who view it as a deterrent to other would-be criminals, and those who view it as the fulfillment of justice upon the criminal. People can easily fall into either or both of these two categories and can choose their viewpoint for a number of reasons, including religious ones. I do not believe that it serves either of these purposes very effectively in modern society.
Swift and public executions might be an effective deterrent to crime, but because of the legal procedures that drag on for years and the fact that it is all done behind closed doors out of public sight, capital punishment is an ineffective deterrent. Additionally, it is not used frequently enough to act as a deterrent. Convicts are much more likely to get a life sentence.
Additionally, our legal system is such that this 'justice' is dispensed un-evenly. Often times the legal question of guilt or innocence comes down to whether you have enough money to hire a good lawyer (OJ Simpson) or are fortunate enough to get a judge and jury who sympathize with you or not. A predominance of white male judges is speculated to contribute to why white people are not nearly as likely to get the death sentence as are black people.
For those who use the Old Testament as support for the death sentence, it is important to note that those guidelines are not repeated in the New Testament. Perhaps it was due to the 40 year trek in the wilderness where incarceration would have been impossible that such harsh measures were required in the first place. In fact, Jesus pardoned the woman who was taken in adultery, which should have been a death sentence for her. I have to imagine that he would be on the side of rehabilitation whenever possible.
And finally, Ralph Nader provided one of the most convincing, if cynical, arguments. He argues that with all of the inefficiencies, blunders and corruption in government, how can we possibly expect them to regulate and manage something so important as the taking of human life?
I am going to start working on expressing what I think should be the platform of a radical moderate party. Due to the length, I will have to do this in pieces. The sections are in no particular order. Just what I feel about writing at the time...
Abolish Death Sentence
My understanding is that most people who support capital punishment fall into two categories: those who view it as a deterrent to other would-be criminals, and those who view it as the fulfillment of justice upon the criminal. People can easily fall into either or both of these two categories and can choose their viewpoint for a number of reasons, including religious ones. I do not believe that it serves either of these purposes very effectively in modern society.
Swift and public executions might be an effective deterrent to crime, but because of the legal procedures that drag on for years and the fact that it is all done behind closed doors out of public sight, capital punishment is an ineffective deterrent. Additionally, it is not used frequently enough to act as a deterrent. Convicts are much more likely to get a life sentence.
Additionally, our legal system is such that this 'justice' is dispensed un-evenly. Often times the legal question of guilt or innocence comes down to whether you have enough money to hire a good lawyer (OJ Simpson) or are fortunate enough to get a judge and jury who sympathize with you or not. A predominance of white male judges is speculated to contribute to why white people are not nearly as likely to get the death sentence as are black people.
For those who use the Old Testament as support for the death sentence, it is important to note that those guidelines are not repeated in the New Testament. Perhaps it was due to the 40 year trek in the wilderness where incarceration would have been impossible that such harsh measures were required in the first place. In fact, Jesus pardoned the woman who was taken in adultery, which should have been a death sentence for her. I have to imagine that he would be on the side of rehabilitation whenever possible.
And finally, Ralph Nader provided one of the most convincing, if cynical, arguments. He argues that with all of the inefficiencies, blunders and corruption in government, how can we possibly expect them to regulate and manage something so important as the taking of human life?
posted by Tyler | 7:07 AM
1 Comments:
Tyler,
Right on, man. In addition, it is financially irresponsible at this point for the gov't to fork out all this money, just to get a person killed. It is MUCH cheaper, just to give them a life sentence. I've bookmarked your page, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from you.
Kirk
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