Death Penalty Essay, Research Paper

A Time to Play God

?In national news today, a black man from southern Texas was killed today. He was brutally beaten and than roped to the back of a pick-up and dragged to his death.? This isn?t all too uncommon to hear in today?s news and if anything I think that we have grown numb and gotten use to hearing things of this nature. I don?t think that crimes are getting more gruesome, but it does seem that they are becoming more frequent. Either way whether or not they are becoming more frequent there is no cure for the problem.

There have been plenty of talks in the recent presidential debates about the death penalty, and many discussions of George Bushes fancy for it and in many cases I just have to agree. In my personal opinion if you are bold and brave enough to take someone?s life than you should be bold and brave enough to give up your own. To those who stand against it I ask ?Why?? For some it?s a religious issue, I have heard the phrase, ?Well, no one has the right to play god.? Which is fine if that?s what you believe and there is nothing wrong with that, but personally I don?t buy into the whole religion thing, I am not a holy man, I have found nothing in my short 18 years here on this planet to prove to me there is a god. I have seen no evidence and I?m not one of blind faith, which is what were supposed to have, but that is an entirely different subject. Others say, ?Well, an innocent man could be killed.? The way our government works there are plenty of appeals before the man is put to death that if he was innocent I?m sure that he could get off, the odds of that happening seem to be slim.

But it may be possible that the death penalty may be going in the wrong direction, now this is just a theory that I have. Drug dealers for example are out on the street starting gang wars and basically running around and shooting each other. These people aren?t afraid to die so when the death penalty is threatened to them, they?re not going to think twise, its just like a walk down the street for them. Now, what if we went after the people that were afraid to die, like the bankers that launder the money. Some say it may be harsh, but after a few examples are set I think that there might be a dramatic change.

I personally don?t think that having the death penalty will drastically lower the crime rate, but I do think it is a necessary evil. The drug dealers, the terrorists and the rapists are all watching we might as well show them that the government isn?t going to slap them on the wrist and that we can be as tough as they think they are.