Anton's Ideas

The world seems awfully preoccupied nowadays with the whole subject of legally terminating peoples’ lives. The oddest thing about this to me is that the various reasons for legalising capital punishment seem to upset its opponents far more than the way in which the death sentence is carried out.

Currently the extreme followers of Islam get the worst press because their ‘legal’ defence for what they do is that they are upholding a religious law.But that’s been going on for some five thousand years and long, long before Mohammed reached his beliefs. I believe there is a campaign going on at the moment against the Sultan of Brunei in Borneo for suporting the stoning to death of people who are not heterosexual. The imortant point here, surely, is that nobody should ever stone anyone to death.Why the mock, shock horror just because of their sexual orientation? Execution by stoning is inhuman and a crime in itself.That is what protesters should be opposing most vehemently.

Texas is a great examle of the other side of the coin. There the authorities actually boast that they kill criminals in the most acceptable way. Is incarcerating someone for twenty years, never knowing if tomorrow is the day they are going to die, even slightly human? No, it’s far worse than stoning. At least that isn’t preceded by years of mental torture!

All premeditated taking of human life is murder in my book no matter what the reason. For if you plan to kill someone it follows that you also do not have to do it.The best definition of murder I know.