Anti-death penalty arguments defy logic
I've been seeing letters in favor of abolishing the death penalty. They all seem to share common errors.
The most prevalent argument is that a certain number of death row convicts have been exonerated; therefore the death penalty is unjust. This is faulty reasoning.
If innocent persons are being convicted, getting rid of the death penalty will fix nothing. The problem obviously lies with faulty crime scene investigation or an overzealous prosecutor.
Law enforcement has a lot of unnecessary pressure placed upon it by the media. We all want the crime to be solved and in certain instances, I'm sure law enforcement succumbs to the pressure placed on it to solve the crime, even when all the evidence may not point in a certain direction.
Prosecutors also share the blame. They are judged by the number of convictions they get. They want convictions, plain and simple.
Americans are also to blame. We have not learned our history and as a result we have been led down a path regarding the jury system.
In the early days of our republic, it was understood that it was the jury's right to judge both the facts and the law. Judges routinely instruct juries to ignore the law and judge only the facts. This is unjust. It is the right of the jury to judge both the law and the facts.
The jury selection process is also a sham. You are to be judged by your peers. In former days, that meant your neighbors. I shudder at the thought of being judged by some of the ignoramuses the public school system is turning out now. Some jurors may not even be able to read, let alone formulate a cogent argument and distinguish logic from sophistry.
I have also seen death penalty opponents cite the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. The death penalty was routinely administered at the founding of our republic.
Certainly capital punishment was not considered cruel or unusual. Serial killer Ted Bundy stalked, raped and killed close to 100 victims.
Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 and ate the remains of many.
What I'm about to say will shock many and can easily be taken out of context: putting these monsters to death is merciful.
The death penalty is effective and just, so let's keep it.
Jeff Lonigro
St. Charles