Gonzales makes reference to three different cases in which one cannot help but support the death penalty. The first example is the tragic story of a black man from Jasper, Texas, who was viciously beaten and then dragged to death behind a vehicle. These people have maliciously killed, yet there is still argument that people like this should be saved from a deserving death. Pretend that one of those killers took someone dear to you. Our society has been blinded to the harshness of premeditated murder.
People are so used to hearing of death and violence they have no empathy.
Whether these criminals are in jail or not, their existence is parasitic. Death penalty protesters may not be able to deny that psychos should be terminated, but they can still argue there is the possibility of innocent lives being taken on death row. Over-turned convictions only prove our judicial system's checks and balances are adequate and effective. More innocent lives can be saved by capital punishment than lost. Copyright 2000 by the Iowa State Daily Publications Board.