'Borderline retarded' woman to be executed in the US.

[NOX]

A woman who is described as having an IQ of 70 is to be executed in Virginia, USA for arranging the murder of her husband and his son.... Any thoughts on the rights and wrongs of judicially killing even a killer with such a low IQ and other issues?

http://uk.news.yahoo....n-in-the-3fd0ae9.html

[ummmm]

Mandy....they have to assessed and diagnosed. It's not a straight forward process. Cazzzz...correct me if I'm wrong but don't they have to diagnosed by a psychiatrist?

[cazzz1975]

they have to be assessed over a period of months by a multi disicplined team of specialists, the assessments are extremely complex and would "weed out" any fakers very early on.

[1987mandy]

With the Aspergers syndrome would this have affected him in regards with him committing the crime? (Please excuse my lack of knowledge on this)

[daffy654]

Some people with aspergers syndrome do have difficulty distinguishing between right and wrong in certain situations. I know my son certainly does.

[cazzz1975]

the obsession that people with aspergers have with things can overtake their life, his obsession with UFOs would be such that he would be unaware of how wrong his actions are. some obsessions are so bad that people can stop eating and looking after themselves.

they keep what they learn to themselves as its their obsession, its the thing they feel compelled to do, a career criminal would maybe try to sell their information. this would not happen with a person with aspergers.

[1987mandy]

Well thanks for educating me on this, so it looks like he really was looking for ufo's something i doubted, i hope they don't extradite him now as it wouldn't be morally right.

[anotheoldgit]

jake-the-peg

Firstly why did you find the need to include this horrible statement in your answer?

/// Either that or he just wants the morbid satisfaction of seeing people hung /// (incidentally it is hanged)

It does nothing to support your argument, only to make you out to be a very sad individual.

In my defence I did not say capital punishment would stop ALL murders, only that it would be a deterrent for some.

Just by introducing capital punishment it would stop ALL murders??????, only a fool would believe this.

Incidentally the first two of your examples, the charge would be manslaughter at the worse, so not punishable by death.

I think this example of mine is more convincing.

A contract killer is offered a sum of money to murder someone, he then has to consider the possibility of being caught, charged with murder, and sentenced to death against the amount of money being offered.

At the moment all he has to consider is, is the money offered a large enough reward, against the worse scenario of a term in prison.

[Answerprancer]

AOG Examples of your rudeness as requested:

/// ....only to make you out to be a very sad individual ///
/// ...only a fool would believe this ///

Just two, but I'm sure I could find many more if I could be bothered to search.

Your patronising correction of peoples' grammar is an ongoing example of your rudeness too IMO, one which I find humerous because you frequently mess up on grammar.

I think that if you were honest at least with yourself you believe 'anything goes' for anyone that disagrees with your extremist dictatorial 'ideals' don't you.

By the way, do you like my 'AOG style forward-slash sandwich' dissection of your phrases? ;-)

[Answerprancer]

..ps, loving the way you conveniently ignore it when someone proves you wrong then hop onto your next whinge.

[NOX]

'FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT'....lol

[Answerprancer]

Nah, not me NOX, just playing devil's advocate and besides I'm a pacifist hand-wringing leftie ;-)

[Answerprancer]

...anyway, *you* started it ;-)

[andy-hughes]

AOG - I find your postulation that a contract killer would re-consider his options, or maybe even a career re-assessment, if the possibility of a death sentence awaited him were he to be caught.

And that last part of the sentence is the heart of the issue - no-one who kills in cold blood ever expects to be caught. Who would? Killing someone in a premeditated fashion implies that the killer fully intends to remain undetected - therefore the notion of a re-think on the basis of possible retribution from the state does not really stand up to analysis.

[Clanad]

Wow! this thread took off, didn't it? So... Ok... here in the U.S. numerous laws and regulations are promulgated by the U.S. Government, but many are only applicable to the States in which one resides. Such is true about selling of alcohol to minors. Prohibition was repealed and alcoholic beverages are subject to a U.S. government tax but the actual selling is up to the States and often with smaller subdivisions within the States, such a counties. It's not unlikely that one could find (especially in southern states) that a "dry" county could border one that does sell liquor. The legal age for consumption is also set by states.
Same holds true with capital punishment. Some states have outlawed it and other permit it. The U.S. government would only exact capital punishment for crimes against the government, such as treason. Seems to me this reality negates the prevous criticisms a couple of pages back (sorry Eddie)...
The legal age for handgun ownership here is 21 but 18 for long guns.

[NOX]

Hi clanad, nothing in your post really negates anything- okay my terminology might be askew in naming the US govt, let's change that to state lawmakers shall we or even perhaps American people? Either way it's perfectly possible for someone to be considered not fit to make up their minds about whether they have a drink or not at 20 years old and yet executed for a crime at 18. THAT is my point- whether it be govt, state or people that decides it, that's pretty much what can and does happen and that is why many english people find US justice really frighteningly squiff.

[Clanad]

Call me dense, Nox, but I'm not getting your point. there are thousands (probably) of things in which a person cannot legally participate until age 20 or 21 but that person could be judged a criminal at a much lower age... say 18. So, what's magical about age 18 for society to demand payment for a crime? What's the connection?

There are very few crimes that provide for the ultimate penalty, regardless of age. There has to be a cutoff age for having reached the age of majority, no? In most cases 18 is really no different that 21... or 25... or should the death penalty only be assessed for someone age 50 ... with a Phd. degree to assure they are old enough and 'educated' enough to fairly pay such a price?

Most of the crimes for which the death penalty is found fair are heinous to a degree that most of society can't imagine. I've friends here in the U.S. that are police officers and the major problem that most acknowledge and attempt to deal with are the murder scenes they investigate. It's difficult for them to manage one major emotion (regardless of all the other emotions) and that's "keeping their head on straight' (in the vernacular) and realize that not all or even a significant portion of society is equally capable of commiting the types of crimes they have to clean up after... Evil exists.

Additionally (then I'll shut up)... we all know there are 18 year olds and there are 18 year olds... some are still very much 'kids', while others are just as callous and deficient morally as there 25 year old (or older) peers...

[NOX]

Hiya Clanad, my point is dead simple- you can't decide that at 21 someone is too immature to decide if they want a drink or not and yet at 18 be so wholly competant about their actions and reasoning in terms of committing a crime that they warrant the death penalty- I think that's a very simple concept to grasp - and of course evil exists no-one has ever disputed that, just that soemtimes evil exists within the law, i.e the death penalty as well as outside it.
I think there is also a massive culture gap between the US and Europe in terms of what we all find acceptable and unacceptable and that our opposing judicial systems bring out that divide probably more than anything else.