The death penalty has serious problems, not the least of which is how many innocents are convicted.
Child abuse, rape of children, - there is no one in their right mind who would support such actions. However, I believe just as strongly that every accused person be granted the right to defend him/herself.
Instead of talking about the abstract, some make believe, vile, child "rearing" monster who preys on the defenseless, let's talk specifics.
Frankly, we have a world in which sexual predators not only exist, but walk freely among us, continuing to work as they choose. In fact, these folks are easily recognized, not by some crazed look in their eye, but how they dress. They tend to wear these weird collars in black and white. Yup, the most easily recognizable group of child sexual predators are also working, functioning and protected members of the Catholic Church. For every serial child rapist who has been caught and convicted, there are many more who, either have not been named, indicted or convicted. Some continue to do as they did before.
We aren't talking about one kid being fondled, we are talking about tens of thousands, routinely sexually abused.
So, just to put the death penalty into context, those who support that as a sentence wish to see Father Flannigan and Cardinal O'Casey not just charged and imprisoned, but seated firmly in the electric chair.
As much as I dislike organized religions, I would defend to the death the right of every accused child abusing priest to defend himself against all such charges.
Does the idea of the state killing priests bother you? Should we have a special exemption for men of the cloth? If so, why? They, if convicted, are no less guilty of destroying the lives of kids by raping and sodomizing them.
No, the death penalty is a rather permanent thing. It should never be used, if possible. What bothers me most (and why I am so happy about this decision) was how some ultra-conservatives deliberately rammed through these statutes calling for the death penalty, solely for one reason - to expand the used of the DP in non-murder cases, with an eye to expand it even further, for some "crimes" like providing abortions or contraceptives, selling & using drugs, and several victimless crimes. They chose child rapes purposefully, thinking (rightly) that no politician dare stand against it.
