The issue is about life. In one case, abortion, currently the government allows one person to decide whether or not another "person" will live or die, The definition of when life begins comes into play in this debate. The argument which I buy into is that life does not begin at conception (Catholic view) but rather when the fetus can sustain itself, independently, outside of the womb.
With reference to capital punishment, the gpverment decides, based on a system, to take a self sustaing independent life as a means of punishment for crimes committed. Here, there is no question about viability but rather the right of government to take life as a form of punishment for violation of law.
As a non-believer, I believe life is all we have. No trumpet playing on clouds in white gowns worshiping Jesus all day, or as in Wayne's situation, no hot melting lava pits in tatered cloths. We each have 77.4 years to treat each other as we want to be treated. Bottom line for me, you don't take life after it can be sustained outside the womb and you don't take life for commision of crimes.
I understand the contra arguments especially with regard to the abortion issue (rape, severely impaired fetus/child). These are very tough questions when you mix in the reality of the economics and the qualtiy of life positions.
I also understand the Christian principle of an eye for any eye on the back end. The families of the victims of horrible crimes will never get their loved one back due to the savageness of another human being. Letting someone walk around who killed your son or daughter is unthinkable to me and couldn't blame anyone for taking the law into their own hands. However, I think, as a society, we can punish, people for significant crimes without killing them.
As a former Catholic, Notre Dame's position is an embarrasement even to those of us who realize how much bullshit that church is. On one hand they welcome George Bush who has ordered the murder of 100's of thousands in addition to the "civilized killing" of death row inmates, is a murderer in many ways yet protest Barack Obama who has never ordered anyone killed and is obeying the law of this country.
This is why I also am a recovering Catholic and the religion is losing thousands of members by the day. The hypocrisy of that church rivals that of Wayne and Weasel. The only thing they (not Wayne and Weasel to my knowledge) are good at is covering up the good padre's diddling of little boys.
Organized religion = organized scum.
Eddie, in the morning
