is the death penalty good

I'm pleased to have another opportunity to debate cbass, as multiple forfeits in the past have interrupted our debates. First, note that this is merely a question: "Is the death penalty good? " Thus, I will be defending that it is good; not that we have a morally binding obligation to make it our only punishment for the most heinous crimes, but simply that it is a good option. Second, understand simply that this is a question of the death penalty in the United States. This leads me to define good through dictionary. com - proper, fit. Thus, my burden is simply to prove that, for the purposes of the Justice System the death penalty can be a proper or fitting punishment. Contention I - The death penalty can reduce crime. [. http://www.heritage.org...] Give or take a few state statutes concerning rape, kidnapping, (and in Mississippi, aircraft piracy) [. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org...], the main crime punishable by death is, fittingly, murder. Let's say that we kill a group of murderers; this deters some amount of future crime, both directly and indirectly. Directly: Obviously, said murderers are going to be dead; therefore, they can no longer commit crimes, thus, crime is reduced. Indirectly: Despite the perpetuated stereotype, not all murderers are big, bulky, prison-hardened savages; in fact, many murders are committed by the aggravated resident of a suburban population [. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org...]; someone who was perhaps raised in a bad household, a high school dropout, someone angry at a lover or neighbor, or perhaps someone just looking to bounce back from a streak of bad luck; thus, most of these people are of reasonably sound mind, and it's a sure bet that most don't want to die; thus, by punishing another murderer to the fullest extent possible, it certainly puts fear into those who may be released on parole or appeal, and serves as a warning to potential murderers. Contention II - Locke's Social Contract deems the death penalty to be fitting. [. http://www.constitution.org...] Many of our Constitutional protections and much of our government's structure is based off of John Locke and his conceptualization of the Social Contract; among such protections are the 3 natural rights: Life, liberty, and property (pursuit of happiness). It's Locke's understanding (and ours) that these rights are generally inviolable; however, in such a case as murder, one has obviously robbed someone of all 3 of their natural rights (the right to life is taken, therefore, so are all others). What does this mean exactly? At the moment that the murder is committed, the offender is said to have forfeited his rights and entered a 'State of War' with the government, with the state having any and all power to end this state of war and triumph over the aggressor: "Whosoever uses force without right, as everyone does in society, who does it without law, puts himself into a state of war. .. and in that state all former ties are cancelled, [and] all other rights cease. " [. http://www.constitution.org...] Thus, we can see that it is entirely within the ability of the state, if an offender has forfeited these natural rights, to execute this individual not only as proper retribution, but to end this temporary state of war. Thus, we can see that the United States doesn't necessarily have an obligation to include the death penalty (as I provided you earlier in analysis and clarification of the resolution), but it is certainly permissible. [. http://www.royalinstitutephilosophy.org...] Contention III - The death penalty is democratically fitting in the United States. [. http://www.capitalpunishmentincontext.org...] It is said that society determines punishment; and, the public makes up society, and participates (via elections) in political decision-making. Thus, in a loose democracy, such as the United States, we have to look to public opinion; and, as a Gallup Poll clearly shows us [. http://www.gallup.com...], 69% of Americans are in favor of capital punishment; that's over 2/3 of the American public, thus we can see that, in this respect, the death penalty is a proper punishment according to our fundamental ruling body: the American people. In conclusion of Round 1, we can see that, while it's not a necessity for the United States to have capital punishment, evidence certainly proves that it a permissible and fitting option.