Death Penalty

[westkoast]

To me it seems like people who get felony drug charges get a way more screwed, compared to their actual crime, then a lot of these child molestors, rapists, and killers

A drug dealer to me is the lowest scum in the world.  Who knows who he's sold to.  For all you know, his dealing could be responsible for the deaths of countless children who have been caught up in drugs. 

I'm sorry but dealing marijuana to consenting adults is no more low life then selling alcohol to adults.

There's no way you can argue that a drug dealer is lower then a child molestor or cold blooded killer.

[Derek Bodner]

I'm sorry but dealing marijuana to consenting adults is no more low life then selling alcohol to adults.

maybe you missed where I said children.

unless you're making the claim that the drug dealers asked for proof of age before purchase?

and the drug dealer only sold marijuana?

and the drug dealers also did a full evaluation of your relatives to know whether your personality is of the type where marijuana would be a gateway drug (which is highly dependent on your genes)?

There's no way you can argue that a drug dealer is lower then a child molestor or cold blooded killer.

He's right on that level.

[ziggy]

I would have to say that I lean 75-80% for the death penalty.  Especially for repeat offenders in the more violent crimes.  My feelings for these people (if they can be realistically called people) is that I paid to rehab them once or even twice and it didn't work.  So I say take them out back and put a bullet in their head.  Method of death to me is irrelevant as long as quick.  I don't care if they put a damn gernade up their butt.

For those who have not yet earned that special bullet then I will support incarcerating them.  And am willing to have our prisons provide job training and other ways to help rehab those who want it.  But if you get out and screw up again then see above.

But if we abolish the death penalty then IMO all of our prisons should become tent cities.  Screw exercise equipment, big screen tv, health care and any other "perk" that is not provided at government cost to every other citizen.  There is no way in hell that criminals WHO HAVE BEEN CONVICTED BY A JURY OF THEIR PEERS should get a cushy life while law abiding citizens work their asses off to support them.  We have to make prison so miserable that any rational human would choose to obey the law rather than end up in prison a second or third time.

Don't mistake unwillingness to execute as softness regarding some individuals.  I look at the criminals housed at the most secure federal pen in Colorado.  This would the Uni-Bomber, the 1993 WTC bombers, Terry Nichols, the head of a lot of the major prison gangs, Eric Rudolph et al.  This prison his a horrible place to live out your days.  You are in solitary for 23 hours a day, with virtually no contact outside the guards.  I have no problem with this.  I have no problem with sending the Bundy's and Gacy's to prisons in Fairbanks, with 24 hours a day in solitary confinement, no TV, no reading material just time to contemplate what they have done, every day until they die.

[westkoast]

I'm sorry but dealing marijuana to consenting adults is no more low life then selling alcohol to adults.

maybe you missed where I said children.

unless you're making the claim that the drug dealers asked for proof of age before purchase?

and the drug dealer only sold marijuana?

and the drug dealers also did a full evaluation of your relatives to know whether your personality is of the type where marijuana would be a gateway drug (which is highly dependent on your genes)?

There's no way you can argue that a drug dealer is lower then a child molestor or cold blooded killer.

He's right on that level.

They went to jail for transporting pounds of marijuana from northern california to southern california.

I don't know in what area you live in but gateway drugs are alcohol and cigarettes.  Most teenagers start off trying to smoke or taking alcohol from their parents cabinet.  That is beside the point though.  A guy who sells marijuana is nowhere in the league of someone who molests children.  Not on the level at all.  If someone is selling herion, yea I agree you are doing severe damage but marijuana?  That's like drinking beer.  Is the guy who owns the local liqour store by your house a low life as well?  Alcohol ruins more lives young and old then marijuana does.  I think if marijuana should be illegal so should alcohol in the same form.  You don't have to agree but I've seen a lot more damage from alcohol then anything else really.

[Skandery]

I don't know in what area you live in but gateway drugs are alcohol and cigarettes.  Most teenagers start off trying to smoke or taking alcohol from their parents cabinet.  That is beside the point though.  A guy who sells marijuana is nowhere in the league of someone who molests children.  Not on the level at all.  If someone is selling herion, yea I agree you are doing severe damage but marijuana?  That's like drinking beer.  Is the guy who owns the local liqour store by your house a low life as well?  Alcohol ruins more lives young and old then marijuana does.  I think if marijuana should be illegal so should alcohol in the same form.  You don't have to agree but I've seen a lot more damage from alcohol then anything else really.

I agree with Westkoast 100% on this.  Alcohol and cigarettes have the same addictive effects that pre-dispose certain people to forming harmful habits the same way marijuana does.  I don't think societies should differentiate one from the other because one happens to be socially accepted. 

Now any other drug: cocaine, heroine, amphetamines, etc., don't have a place in society at all.  The addictive aspects are too strong and the harmful effects too grave. 

[JoMal]

I did not know that drug dealers get the same incarceration time or get treated the same once inside that child molester's do. My understanding was that there is hard time, then there is child molester time.

And to GET a long-term felony conviction for dealing drugs usually involves multiple offenses for the same crime, doesn't it.

[Reality]

I think at least with advances in science and forensic technique, the amount of people wrongly convicted and placed on death row has decreased dramatically.  At least I should hope so. 

CNN Investigates did a great show on how inept/corrupt nationwide the DNA-crime labs are.
Ie handling of OJ evidense (shudder).  This happens far too often.  They went around the county, it's a joke how many are substandard or flat out corrupt.
Prosecuters?  Quoted one "I'm looking to get a conviction.  If the crime lab messed up on the DNA processing i do not want to know about it".
I know a defense lawyer and he tells me without a doubt, every time in the chain of handling of DNA there is a hole to poke.
So "they have the DNA" is hardly a slam dunk. 
Also went over how easy it is to plant DNA, frame someone.
Scary.  Keep an eye on Joe or Wolfy if you notice your disposible razorblades are missing from the trash.

[Reality]

Now any other drug: cocaine, heroine, amphetamines, etc., don't have a place in society at all.  The addictive aspects are too strong and the harmful effects too grave. 

How about prior to posting on this board?

[westkoast]

I did not know that drug dealers get the same incarceration time or get treated the same once inside that child molester's do. My understanding was that there is hard time, then there is child molester time.

And to GET a long-term felony conviction for dealing drugs usually involves multiple offenses for the same crime, doesn't it.

Transporting large amounts of marijuana in a rental car with a scale and other paraphenilia gets someone with a complete clean record at least 2 to 3 years depending on the amount of marijuana.  They hit you with a lot of charges.  Trafficking, intent to sell, etc.  If they find seeds or anything like that it can be even worse.

While I am not saying drug dealers are nice people and benefit the community I don't think marijuana is really that serious of a drug.  While it does effect people's lives it is nowhere near a killer, home wrecker, or cause of disease like cigarettes or alcohol.  Alcohol for younger kids takes a lot of lives.  I am all for people's rights to do what they want but if one is illegal and one is legal is doesn't make sense.  Speaking as someone who had a very close relative who had brain cancer and was told to smoke marijuana it's hard for me to be super against it when I saw how much it helped someone going through chemotherapy.  Of course most people don't use it for that reason but there are benefits to using marijuana other then to get high and play video games lol

For years now Southern California has a major problem with kids jumping over marijuana use and going straight to meth.  Especially in the Inland Empire.  Most of them getting into Pa's hooch stash and wanting to find the next good,cheap high.

[Skandery]

How about prior to posting on this board?

On the subject of getting cracked out and then posting on this board.  I'm going to leave it to your expert testimony, Reality.

[westkoast]

I don't know in what area you live in but gateway drugs are alcohol and cigarettes.  Most teenagers start off trying to smoke or taking alcohol from their parents cabinet.  That is beside the point though.  A guy who sells marijuana is nowhere in the league of someone who molests children.  Not on the level at all.  If someone is selling herion, yea I agree you are doing severe damage but marijuana?  That's like drinking beer.  Is the guy who owns the local liqour store by your house a low life as well?  Alcohol ruins more lives young and old then marijuana does.  I think if marijuana should be illegal so should alcohol in the same form.  You don't have to agree but I've seen a lot more damage from alcohol then anything else really.

I agree with Westkoast 100% on this.  Alcohol and cigarettes have the same addictive effects that pre-dispose certain people to forming harmful habits the same way marijuana does.  I don't think societies should differentiate one from the other because one happens to be socially accepted. 

Now any other drug: cocaine, heroine, amphetamines, etc., don't have a place in society at all.  The addictive aspects are too strong and the harmful effects too grave. 

I think we have agreed on things like 3 times in this thread alone (death pentalty, marijuana, and reality being a crack smoker) something is up. 

[Reality]

How about prior to posting on this board?

On the subject of getting cracked out and then posting on this board.  I'm going to leave it to your expert testimony, Reality.

L-RonKrishnaism, Missourism, and other conditions are routinely mistaken for crack, heroin and other addictions.  Additionally, the results of DNA testing are pending.  When watching the Spurs get dismantled by the Fab Four at Staples in '03, i took a portion of peanut shell that fell from WoWs mouth as he cheered on Shaq.  Other samples obtained from a cup at the Newport Beach CA Starbucks, pizza trays from Columbia, Missouri and other classified MZ sites are pending.

[Skandery]

I think we have agreed on things like 3 times in this thread alone (death pentalty, marijuana, and reality being a crack smoker) something is up. 

Stop having opinions I agree with!  It was more amusing when we didn't agree on anything.

[JoMal]

How about prior to posting on this board?

On the subject of getting cracked out and then posting on this board.  I'm going to leave it to your expert testimony, Reality.

L-RonKrishnaism, Missourism, and other conditions are routinely mistaken for crack, heroin and other addictions.  Additionally, the results of DNA testing are pending.  When watching the Spurs get dismantled by the Fab Four at Staples in '03, i took a portion of peanut shell that fell from WoWs mouth as he cheered on Shaq.  Other samples obtained from a cup at the Newport Beach CA Starbucks, pizza trays from Columbia, Missouri and other classified MZ sites are pending.

Next, I will e-mail you a pee sample to further enlighten your faze mood.

[JoMal]

I think we have agreed on things like 3 times in this thread alone (death pentalty, marijuana, and reality being a crack smoker) something is up. 

Stop having opinions I agree with!  It was more amusing when we didn't agree on anything.

Given enough time, disasters like this were bound to happen.