Saturday, May 18, 2013

Jodi Arias - Life in Prison or the Death Penalty?

Jodi Arias
Jodi Arias reacts during the sentencing phase of her trial at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP / The Arizona Republic, Rob Schumacher, Pool)


Local news reports

Steven Alexander stood before the jury, looked up at a family picture and grimaced and cried as he ticked off the list of problems that have befallen him in the five years since his brother was murdered: ulcers, depression, a separation from his wife, nightmares.

The dreams consist of someone coming at him with a knife then going after his wife and daughter. Other times, he has nightmares about his brother, "curled up in a shower, thrown in there, left to rot for days, all alone." He feels like a child, unable to sleep alone in the dark.

"I don't want these nightmares anymore. I don't want to see my brother's murderer anymore," he said.
The gut-wrenching comments came as jurors began considering whether Jodi Arias should get a life sentence or be executed for the 2008 stabbing death of Travis Alexander. Jurors became visibly shaken as Steven Alexander and his sister spoke on deeply emotional levels in arguing for the death penalty. Arias sobbed throughout the hearing, with tears streaming down her face and landing on her black shirt.

Arias, 32, acknowledged killing Alexander at his suburban Phoenix home after a day of sex on June 4, 2008. She initially denied any involvement and later blamed the attack on masked intruders. Two years after her arrest, Arias said she killed Alexander in self-defence.

The victim suffered nearly 30 knife wounds, had his throat slit from ear to ear and was shot in the forehead. Prosecutors say the attack was fueled by jealous rage after Alexander wanted to end his affair with Arias and prepared to take a trip to Mexico with another woman.
I blame Arizona. If only she didn't have such easy access to that gun, her boyfriend would be alive today.

Now tell me the truth.  How many of you failed to recognize that as a joke?  C'mon, I won't make fun of you for being stiff and humorless. How many?

The obvious point of the post is about the death penalty.  The blood-thirsty relatives seem to think their nightmares will stop if she's sentenced to death.  Often we hear this. They want closure or they want to move on with their lives. 

I don't believe killing the guilty person provides those things.  Do you?

It's beside the point, anyway.  Capital punishment is state-sanctioned pre-meditated murder and as such should have no place in a civilized society.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

6 comments:

  1. The victim suffered nearly 30 knife wounds, had his throat slit from ear to ear and was shot in the forehead.....

    And you see the problem being her access to guns... God, you are a fucking moron....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I knew we could count of someone to take the joke so seriously that they'd stop reading right there and comment in anger.

      I deleted Kurt's because he's used up all his chances to include personal attacks on me in his overly precise and thought-out comments. At least he read the whole thing, unlike Thomas.

      Delete
  2. Mikeb, I read the whole of your remarks

    1. Why would you joke about this? There's a family who are hurting, and you insist on playing puerile games.

    2. From what I've seen about this case--and since it raises no important questions other than the value of the death penalty, I have paid little attention to it--she appears to be a sociopath. She wants to die. She looks like someone who would continue to pose a danger to others, even in prison. Oppose the death penalty if you will, but this case isn't a good example to use.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. On the contrary, what better case to use than one like this. The government is saying "don't kill," but if you do, we'll kill you.

      How can you of all people support something like that?

      Delete
    2. The death penalty is a rational and moral response to particular crimes, but it has so many practical difficulties that it's best limited to extreme cases.

      Besides, only a pacifist says, "Don't kill." What I say is don't murder. There's a large difference in those statements.

      Delete
    3. And what the government does is murder. Your support is the thing that has me baffled. Not only is it morally wrong, but it's the GOVERNMENT, man.

      Delete