red_stang65 said:
Are there alternatives? Of course...have this man walk on coals for 6 hours at a time with 30 min breaks--a suggestion. Deprive him of sleep and subject him to extremely harsh living conditions akin to that of a mexican state prison--trust me, you don't want to be there.
OK dude, I was going to just sit and watch the fireworks, but since you keep bringing up 'alternate' punishments, I just had to chime in.
You do realize that what you suggest is completely illegal, right? Not only that, but it is highly immoral. You suggest that your moral beliefs preclude the death sentence, yet allow
torture on an ongoing basis ... how does that make any sense?
Perhaps you approve of the POW camps from WWII and Vietnam? At least they didn't kill those guys, right? Now I'm certain that you really don't approve of that sort of thing, but that
is what you are saying.
What it all comes down to is that, while you may not approve, the death penalty
is legal, while
your methods are not. Why? Because rational people beyond their high school years have made the choice to make it that way.
Our enemies in the extremist movements are not going to hate us any more for executing this man. Not possible. Legally, we have every right to execute him as an American citizen, subject to our laws. This is nothing like the people in Cuba (which I also believe is in our best interests and legal, but it is VERY different).
You are free to believe what you want about the death penalty, but you'll need a much better argument to win any converts within the military.
As for your fitness to join the service ... not supporting the death penalty is not disqualifying in my book, but I think you've got a lot of learning to do before you take your oath. Your morality is highly contradictory as it stands, which is certainly not a good sign for an Officer. Also, your tone in this thread leaves much to be desired.
Think about your position and perhaps you'll see its inconsistancies, that'd be a step in the right direction.
Good luck.