Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit | qwytw's favorites login

>Framing the death penalty debate around "innocent people get killed" will not change the partisan/class perceptions.

I don't agree. All of these moral castigations about it being 'inhumane' or 'barbaric' don't strike me as rational or compelling in the least. I think the idea is humane in the context of those impacted by the crimes in question and I don't see how putting a person in a box for the remainder of their life is qualitatively any less barbaric.

I don't know where pg lands politically but I'd say I'm probably right of center on the American spectrum and for me there are only two persuasive arguments that we should abolish the death penalty. One is that we make mistakes in who gets it, per TFA, and the other is that it's difficult to concretely describe the qualifications of who should get it, risking expansion at the whim of the populace. In other words I absolutely believe there are just executions, I'm just not entirely sure we can create a system to do it justly.


Bitcoin would be an utter failure if it sacrificed security in order to gain speed and efficiency.

And make sure to compare how much energy (including the entire military, police forces, FBI, etc.) is used to secure US dollars.


Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: