Death penalty for terrorists?

What are your feelings about the death penalty for terrorists?

Especially in light of the most recent NYC truck attacker apparently quite satisfied with what he's accomplished.

"He asked authorities whether he could display an ISIS flag in his room — saying he “felt good” about what he had done..." - https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/ny...1.14709434

My thoughts would be to play down the 'terrorism' aspect (kind'a cool being a terrorist don't you think?) and just go with sane or insane, actions and consequences the same as any other killer. In the UK we look for mitigating circumstances and signs of remorse (<-not sure how) and then it's just precedent. I'm guessing you (Syne) could name a few early Christian martyrs and I'm guessing you (Syne) think they're all in heaven now ... you can go that way or just apply whatever laws you have to deal with killers in the same way as you would with any other killer.

I could be wrong but I don't think Syne believes in a heaven.

(Nov 2, 2017 10:52 PM)Secular Sanity Wrote: I could be wrong but I don't think Syne believes in a heaven.

That would kind'a make nonsense of my last post.

Syne - do you think Christian martyrs go to heaven?

First, I asked: "What are your feelings about the death penalty for terrorists?" Not what the laws were in your country. And while the same laws may apply equally to terrorists, mass murders, and garden variety killers alike, this particular case illustrates a complete lack of remorse and mitigating circumstances. IOW, it's about as cut and dried a case as we're likely to find.

Do you have some qualms about rushing him to his supposed 72 virgins? Are you happy to let him live out his life in the satisfaction of his accomplishment?



And no, SS is right. I don't particularly believe in an afterlife heaven of the sort idealized by most Christians.

Punishment centuries ago was pretty barbaric.  For instance Hang, Drawn and Quartered (wikipedia.org). The problem with such barbarism is while it might indeed reduce some peoples need to copycat an offence due to the equally atrocious punishment it however would likely steer society to be sociopathic/psychopathic as the punishment becomes a spectacle.

That's one of the main reasons why some countries are against a death penalty (usually).

I suppose any retribution purpose of a death penalty gives the families of the victims a warm sensation of satisfaction. As well as an Islamic terrorist probably indeed being grateful to receive a speedy(?) ascension into jihadist sainthood. In contrast to long weeks of medieval torture or spending decades in a rat-infested dungeon ankle-deep in feces and urine. "Thank you for the temporary accommodations, America. Al-ḥamdu li-llāhi rabbi l-ʿālamīn!"

I feel that capital punishment at least deters life imprisonment. But is that the manner of deterrence which people usually bring up? Obviously the antiseptic, behind closed doors, and highly visible in the news approach to the death penalty in the US is discouraging oodles of murders. Given that I couldn't cough-up a single name and date for the supposedly 21 executions performed in 2017 before Oct 21 (much less that count), it must mean that criminals are as intensely aware of those events as a tar-paper shack retiree in the hills back in 1975 would be of that check received circa the first of the month after the last rough week of eating cheap dog food.

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How long has it been since execution was public spectacle? Kentucky, 1936. Seems a pretty outdated argument.

CC, I'd be willing to bet that you would be fairly aware of any high profile execution near where you live. Does your state even allow the death penalty?

(Nov 3, 2017 03:33 AM)Syne Wrote: CC, I'd be willing to bet that you would be fairly aware of any high profile execution near where you live. Does your state even allow the death penalty?

In past years, I vaguely recollect occasional national(?) stirs over botched executions in some states or controversy surrounding specific ones for whatever reason. But looking over this list for 2017 nothing rings a bell. Nor I doubt, would looking at older execution lists register many correct associations of a state, name, and date with one of those semi-forgotten items that triggered a buzz.

So the incompetence rate for executions apparently needs to be increased if that's what's relied upon to garner broad attention enough for me to be briefly conscious of them. Or any matter of concern that gathers a crowd of socially conscious do-gooders / protesters around an upcoming death sentence enough to generate such a degree of news spectacle.

But again, doubtless even the most mediocre or obscure ones send shivers down the spines of potential homicidal maniacs who are so much more vigilant of their occurrence than me. Or whatever fertilizer that they're selling down the street at Tractor Supply these days in regards to the purpose of G-rated capital punishment that's safe for kiddies.

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You dodged the question. Is the death penalty allowed in your state? If not, I wouldn't expect you to be aware of crimes happening in other states that do not catch national attention. Do you really expect the death penalty in another state to have any impact on criminals in states without it?