From Latin Mass to Being an Ass: Author Recounts Growing up Catholic in the '70s…
The death penalty is a very controversial topic that some may oppose while others assent. I have read two interesting essays about the death penalty. One is entitled “The Penalty of Death” by H.L Mencken and the other “Execution” by Anna Quindlen. Both authors presented their arguments and used great points to support their opinions. H.L Mencken is for the death penalty while Anna Quindlen is against it. After reading these two authors work I was able to form my own opinion on this punishment. I condone the death penalty despite how cruel it may be.…
In my opinion, it should be abolished because doing an unjust thing to an unjust man does not make that thing justified. Murder is an unjust act because, based off of Glaucon’s definition of injustice, a healthy and sane person would never intentionally want someone else to kill them on purpose which means that society considers murder unjust. That is why, it should not go around killing people on purpose because by doing so it joins the ranks of criminals. In a way it is also kind of ironic because humanity calls murderers the “scum of society”, yet it thinks that by executing them it is a “hero”. However, people are judged by their actions, and killing another human being is about as profound as actions come. The death penalty is a lot like injustice because people want to commit injustices, but they don’t want unjust things done to them, which is like people wanting other people to be executed, but if they were the ones that were being killed then they wouldn’t want it. Whichever way you look at it, killing another human isn't humane, not even close, and when you get into the details it is simply vengeful and…
Miles Davis was one of the best jazz musicians in the history of jazz. His full name is Miles Dewey Davis III and was born on May 26th, 1926 in Alton, Illinois. Unlike many other notorious musicians Miles grew up in wealth His father was a superb dental surgeon in East St. Louis. He began playing the trumpet in his early teens and immediately excelled. Davis played in a couple of local St. Louis groups and in his high school band. His high school music teacher advised him to play without vibrato. There are three types of vibrato for trumpet players: lip, diaphragm, and hand vibrato. To perform a lip vibrato a trumpeter must move his lips in a chewing motion while playing longer notes during a solo. Similarly, a diaphragm vibrato is executed by varying the air supply with the muscle below your lungs. Finally, the hand vibrato is carried out by moving the trumpet lightly in circles while holding long notes.…
Retribution is the theory that the mandate to pay an offender back for his or her wrongdoing (pg. 6 Cullen). Conservatives lean in favor of this approach while liberals favor what is called “just deserts.” The difference between the two is that retribution is has the goal of ensuring that the offender endures the pain they have caused. Just desert want the offender to suffer no more than the pain caused. They wish to see that justice is served but not more than that which is truly deserved. One punishment that is considered retribution rather than rehabilitative is the death penalty. The argument that this punishment is more retribution is that the offender should suffer the same harm to which his or her inflicted on the victim. They see the…
Today, the death penalty is an issue that has raised many questions in regards to its morality. Many people believe that the death penalty is immoral for a number of factors, some of which being the execution of innocents, the arbitrary application of the death penalty, and the racial and economic discrimination with the system. Many others believe that the death penalty is moral, for it gives people what they deserve, the criminals were fully aware of the consequences that may fall upon them, and that justice is being served for the victims and families of the victims still suffering from the actions of the criminal. In this paper I will argue that from a Deontological standpoint, the death penalty is morally just. To do this, I will first describe the basics of the theory of Deontology in general, so that you, the reader, can begin to understand some of the fundamental beliefs that Kant, the father of Deontology,…
James Eagan Holmes was described as a quiet, standoffish, 24-year-old graduate student from San Diego who had earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience in 2010 from the University of California, Riverside. Holmes then enrolled at the University of Colorado in June of 2011, taking graduate courses in neuroscience at the university's campus in Denver. He later dropped out of a doctoral program at the University's medical school, where he had been doing research.…
The death penalty has been a criminal sentence imposed in America for hundreds of years, but it have been extremely controversial as Evan Mandery illustrates in “A Wild Justice: The Death and Resurrection of Capital Punishment in America.” Today, the death sentence is strictly used in murder cases and in thirty-two out of the fifty states in America. In these states, it is completely legal to use the ultimate punishment of death to incapacitate a criminal from committing any further harm to society. Throughout American history, many individuals have supported the death penalty because they believe it is an effective way to deter crime and is a form of retribution. Others have strongly advocated against capital punishment because it is not morally correct and it not applied fairly. Also, some argue that it is unconstitutional to use the death penalty because it violates the cruel and unusual punishment provision of the Eight Amendment written in the United States Constitution.…
The death penalty is an extremely controversial topic in America, and people usually shy away from it, but speaking about controversial topics can help us come close to actually find solutions. This exercise was conducted in my survey of law class in which, we had gone over several homicide cases in which the criminal received the death penalty. In the end of the lesson, our teacher asked a simple question “raise your hand if you believe in the death penalty”. I was appalled to see that more than half believed it was worth it. In my mind it was clear that even though that person could have murdered another human being, we have no jurisdiction to kill them, and we would be no better as civilized being if we killed him.…
Has it ever occurred to you that in this country you can be executed for a crime you didn’t commit, even if the method of killing you is expensive and completely unconstitutional? The government believes that this is the correct way to punish those who have committed horrific crimes. Is this really the best option? I don’t think so. As a citizen of this country, this system of “justice” appals me. The death penalty should be abolished in the United States because it is unconstitutional, comes at a great cost, and is otherwise ineffective at carrying out its intended purpose.…
The death penalty now viewed as so barbaric that the views around the world have shifted so much that the U.S continuous to be the only country in Western Democracy to carry it out (Manning & Rhoden-Trader, 2000). The U.S has now begun to recognize so many problems that the death penalty system has such as it being unequally applied to minorities time and time again. Furthermore, the cost of carrying out an execution is staggering compared to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Inmates that were sitting on death row have been and continue to be exonerated which means innocent people can be put to death. One other major problems with the death penalty and statistics have shown that it simple does not deter crime. For these reasons and more I believe we should abolish the death penalty and never look…
The death penalty has always been a controversial topic in the United States. It is outlawed in 16 states, but it should be abolished in all fifty states. The act of the death penalty is irrational, costly, inhumane, and religiously immoral. Taking an individual’s life, because he/she murdered someone is senseless and is not a good representation of the United States.…
Some people are against the killing of others for any reasons. Other people feel that certain crimes should be punished by death. The death penalty is a very controversial topic in the United States today and has been for a number of years, because people's life is at risk. The reviewing the numbers of facts prove that the death penalty should not be enforced. I think death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment. It should be abolished in this country it's racial discrimination, the financial cost and barbarity.…
The death penalty in the United States of America is a topic that many people could have both negative and positive reactions toward. Everyday there is a murder being made, whether it's a small type of crime or a large type of crime. Someone gets killed and justice is either served or not, depending if the murderer is caught. Some say we live in a freedom type where we are free to do whatever we want. However, that is not the case. There are laws in the United States that citizens of must follow and comprehend in order to not receive punishment. That type of punishment can vary based on the type of crime which had took place.…
Imagine your closest friend or loved one committing a crime, begging for a second chance to repent with sincere intentions to reform themselves, then slaughtered like an animal, never to speak, love, or laugh ever again. The Death Penalty enforces these types of executions, and many people desire for it to remain in practice. Even though some say there is no reason to keep a murderer alive, capital punishment should be abolished because it is high in expenses and killing a killer is a fallacy of our nation.…