In a message dated 7/20/00 6:10:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

>
>  >However, when the death penalty issue is used as
>  >political cannon fodder to advance a political agenda, "mainstream"
>  >Americans recognize it as such and turn their backs on further discussion.
>
>  Jesus! That is the weakest argument I've heard for a very long time.

   It's not an argument, Bill, simply an observation.  Those not convinced
that capital punishment would be better relegated to the past will not be
convinced by power hustlers and agenda driven propagandists making heros out
of murderers, or claiming that black skin on death row represents an innocent
man, or falsely claiming that later reversals were the result of a
determination of innocence.  Use the observation or reject it but don't get
too worked up over it.

>  If Americans are so so smart, how come they don't recognise that the death
>  penalty is also political cannon fodder for the *supporters* of the death
>  penalty?

    Americans are like the people of other nations, no smarter and no dumber.
 And no one said all opposition to capital punishment is politically
motivated -- just as not all the support for it is politically motivated.  In
fact, probably only a small but vocal minority on both sides use it as
political cannon fodder.

>  And even if they are so blinkered as to only be able to see the political
>  motives of those who oppose capital punishment, why would Americans be so
>  immoral and stupid as to punish the poor bastards who are being used as
>  political cannon fodder, instead of those who are using them as
>  cannon-fodder?
>
>  Doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

   The mere fact that you and I hold that capital punishment is immoral does
not mean that others do not view it as a very moral and socially beneficial
thing to do.  If you wish to convince them otherwise you will first have to
climb down from your throne of false moral superiority.

>  What would make sense would be to deprive the "exploiters of the death
>  penalty" (not to mention the supporters of the death penalty) of their
>  political ammunition, so to speak.

    I would have to agree.

 Instead "mainstream" Americans seem to
>  support giving both sides more and more flesh and blood ammunition.

    Support for the death penalty has been slipping.  Pat Robertson (an
influencial televangilist) is now questioning it.  That could be construed as
progress.:-)

>  I thought *I* had a dim view of Americans, but you make me look positively
>  flattering!

     Comparatively speaking, best of a bad lot?;-)
Yours,
Issodhos