It's just wrong.
I oppose the death penalty.Did you see the punctuation at the end of that sentence?
I oppose the death penalty. Full stop. No amendments, no clauses, no exceptions.
Killing people is wrong. Be it genocide, homicide or state sanctioned murder. I don't care if 12 people have come to a unanimous decision that it's an ok thing to do. I don't care if a person is guilty of a hideous crime beyond reasonable doubt, I don't care if they've confessed, I don't care who they are. There is no justification to end a living human being's existence by execution.
There is a difference between opposing the death penalty and opposing the crimes that have been committed. A point that has been sadly missed by Australian politicians. In saying I oppose the death penalty, I'm not suggesting we throw open the jails and let everyone on death row walk free. I'm not condoning crime or proclaiming anyone's innocence. I'm saying that killing is still killing and murder is still murder and the phrase "Two wrongs don't make a right" just doesn't seem to have enough weight here.
What I should do now is present series of stunning arguments using flawless logic and documented facts to support my position - but i'm too furiously angry to about it to type straight. Besides these people seem to be doing a rather good job of it, so why compete?
Also, I can't help but wonder if the same people who are saying it is "un-Australian" to oppose the execution of the Bali bombers will then be rallying in support for the Bali Nine if they ever face the firing squad.
I would fully support a government policy that actively encouraged neighbouring nations to abolish the death penalty. I'm just a slight bit saddened that playing the political game has stopped the Australian Opposition from taking a stronger stance on this issue.
And how appropriate - today is the 5th World Day Against the Death Penalty.
posted by Dr Krystal @ 9:26 pm
2 Comments:
I think in recent years I've become opposed to the death penalty as I don't believe it achieves anything. It doesn't undo the crime and it doesn't provide any chance for a person to express genuine remorse and make amends.
I think I've been leaving comments in the wrong place - on lj rather than here. So I'm copying the last one.
Oh my god. This sort of thing makes me glad that I no longer live in Australia. I too oppose the death penalty. And I am appalled that the new Labour leader is willing to oppose it theoretically (and, if I understand correctly, in the case of Australians) but not practically. Somehow somewhere recently the label terrorist has been excised from the concept of human so terrorists don't deserve human rights, and if that is the case then human rights are forfeit. The whole point of universal rights is that they are universal, if some people get to decide who qualifies as human and who doesn't (as, let's face it, western society has functioned for a while) then the concept is bankrupt, it has no currency anymore. I am not in any way a fan of terrorism, but I do not condone execution, not for the Bali Bombers, not for Saddam Hussein, not for anyone. Especially given the irrational hype around terrorist suspects and the terrifying changes in laws to allow breaches of human rights to hold and charge suspected terrorists. Miscarriages of justice happen in the best of circumstances and these are far from the best. I'm truly beginning to despair of humans. Every day, every issue my hope dies a little more. This is one reason why I do not keep up with Australian politics, it makes me angry and feel hopeless. The further it strays from sanity and more the parties grow alike the less is the chance that I will ever return not that Europe is blameless either. Wherever there are humans....
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