HOMICIDE - MANSLAUGHTER, MURDER
1. A killing, lawful or unlawful, of one human being by another.
2. Unlawful killing with or without intent to kill or do grievous bodily harm.
www.legallawhelp.com...
by Amuk:
I have been in the army and I am a killer.
Does that make me a murderer?
The circumstances should be taken into consideration.
Technically, yes, like even you said yourself, you are a killer/murderer. Under the circumstances you killed as a soldier as an act of War, and as
they say, War is Hell. You were trained to kill, ordered to kill, so you killed. Does this make you the same as a Rapist or Child Molester,
Definately NOT! Does this make you the same as a psychopath who kills for personal pleasure, NO, of course not.
Don't take this the wrong way
either, I'm not trying to judge you, I'm just stating the facts. My Grandfather was a soldier, my Father build ICBM's & one of my best friends was
a Sniper(a good one at that) and I'd tell them the same thing.
The point is Everyone has their 'Justification' for why they do what they do. But if you agree that 'Killing' is not allowed, then that's it
period. Once you open the door to 'Justifying' this reason or that reason why killing is ok, you've put the crack in the dam that will eventually
bring down the entire thing. The following was taken from an article with a similar point of view, using Timothy McVeigh as the example.
Death unjustifiable - By Matt Schroeder
It's the question nobody wants to answer: why should we not kill Timothy McVeigh? After all, he killed 168 people, injured several hundred more and
traumatized an entire nation. His crimes were horrible, and like most people, I can't even begin to imagine the suffering Oklahoma City went through.
It's been said that executions were made for people like McVeigh, and I've struggled with this a lot, as everyone has. However, putting him to
death keeps him from taking responsibility for what he did. It also keeps us from confronting our own problems, and it is going to degrade us all by
legitimizing exactly what he bombed a federal building for.
A common justification for the death penalty is that it makes the murderer take responsibility for his actions. I have no idea how...If we really
cared about Tim McVeigh's responsibility, we'd keep him alive in prison. We'd make him work, and everything he did for the rest of his life
would go toward restitution for the victims' families. Obviously, nothing is going to compensate for the loss of any of the 168 people;
Actually, throwing the power of the state at McVeigh only proves his fears right...After McVeigh, Juan Raul Garza will be the next on June 19. After
that, it'll be easier and easier. Why do we tolerate a government with the power to kill its own citizens?
As Albert Camus wrote 44 years ago, "we must proclaim, in our principles and institutions, that the individual is above the state." Camus also said
that an execution is like a father killing his wayward son with the lazy words "Really, I didn't know what to do with him."
Like it or not, Timothy McVeigh and his murders are a part of us and killing him keeps us from accepting and understanding that dark side. Surgeons
have no right to cover up their botched operations, writes Hugo Adam Bedau, and "the criminologist, like the surgeon, has no right to bury the human
consequences of his ignorance, errors and mistakes."
In the end, we're fooling ourselves if we think this execution will place responsibility on anyone, increase respect for law and order or cover up
all the hatred we contain. Humans are not pinnacles of virtue, and we have no right to declare anyone unworthy of life. We can't be the
virtuous assassins we want to be. Revenge is no principle to found a government upon, least of all a government with the power of death; just ask
Bud Welch, who lost his daughter Julie in the bombing but opposes McVeigh's execution.
flathat.wm.edu...
Don't take this as me being soft on criminals such as Sexual Offenders. Current prison conditions are way to soft for violent offenders. Repeat
offenders are also proof of a system that has failed. Once you are convicted of a violent crime, getting released again should be practically unheard
of. When convicted and given Life+ without possibility of ever getting out, I'm talkin' serious lock down and minimal provisions, most of which the
prisoners themselves are made to provide for themselves. Anything extra goes to 'Pay Back' victims or society at large. Basically take them back
to living in the 1500's, and living under a militant authority.