WENDELL BERRY - AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY

WENDELL BERRY, renowned author and Kentucky farmer, has issued an eloquent statement expressing his opposition to the use of the death penalty.

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• wendell berry
• KCADP
• crime
• murder
• execution
• lethal injection
• death row
• Kentucky
• prosecutor
• defense attorney
• public defender

[greatercc]

I believe that anyone who supports the death penalty is just as responsible for his killing as the murderer is for the killing he committed. I agree that legalized killing is in cold blood. A cold-blooded killing is much harder for me to accept than one that occurs in a state of anger. I also choose to voice my opposition to killing of any kind, and I pray that I will not be held responsible for what my state is doing.

[PatrickDelahanty]

@kraftymomma The point is not so much about what happens to you should you commit a capital murder as to what we do as human beings to punish you. Berry is making that point very well and speaking about our behavior in deciding to kill other persons. He concludes we ought not to be killing. Of course whether or not life without parole, which he does not address, is open for debate too.

[ubermisogynist]

@greatercc also as for your state of anger comment how about this..if the victims realtives are allowed to execute the murder then is it OK? Trust me i would be pretty angry if someone killed someone i cared about and would gladly kill them..is it OK then???

[ubermisogynist]

@greatercc I beleive you are naive and have never been or know a victim of a violent crime. it's easy for you to sit their and say human life is sacared and even a murderer who bashed a girls head in with a brick and then dismembered her should be spared..people like you disgust me

[kraftymomma1979]

Personally, I think it'smore cruel to be locked up for the remainder of one's life with individuals who gain pleasure from hurting others. The death penalty is not a deterrent for me, but the thought of life without the possiblility of parole in a small cell with people I can't stand would just about deter me from anything. I think I could even give up chocolate if it came with the risk of a life sentence.

[BenjaminWirtz]

This is a great way to explain it particularly where he says humans to not have the mental or moral capacity to make such a decision.

[PatrickDelahanty]

@carnut476 no one says this is the voice of Wendell Berry. Mr. Berry gave us the text and allowed us to use it in ways we thought helpful as long as none of his text was changed.

[carnut476]

This is not the voice of Wendell Berry.

[burnt62]

I agree with all you say. However, in the case of sadistic child killers and serial killers ... Bundy, Hindley, Roy Whiting, Fish, Holmes etc, in a world where we are still fighting wars and seeing people die of starvation in the 3rd world, why inflict other prisoners, prison officiers, and for that matter relations of the slain .. by the irritation of the continuation of evil peoples lives ? Tony Blair was against the death penalty but had no difficulty with war. Consistency is needed.

[tripleJ1955]

Easy solution to make execution understandable, just make sure that the executioner is really pissed off (hot-blooded) when they throw the switch, press the button, etc. right? The farmer here tends to confuse opinion with fact and when all is said and done he's just one more liberal bleeding heart on a soapbox.

You want to end executions?? end murder and your wants will be met.