Post by SoulTrainOz on Jul 28, 2006 7:59:57 GMT -5
Dear Editor: The pending vote on the death penalty referendum in the Wisconsin state Senate is a crucial moment in our state's long and proud tradition. If the death penalty was not necessary 150 years ago, when it was abolished in our state, then we certainly don't need it in today's age of sophisticated and effective law enforcement.
There are many myths with the death penalty, one of the major ones being it is cheaper to put a person to death. That is wrong. It is more money for taxpayers to hold a person on death row than to spend life behind bars because of the extensive legal process that involves years of legal appeals and counseling.
Also, in 2005, 94 % of all known "legal" executions took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. Iran executed at least 94 people, and Saudi Arabia at least 86. There were 60 executions in the U.S. And over the years there have been innocent people put to death in our country.
Please look at Amnesty International's Web site for bipartisan facts on the death penalty. It's www.AIUSA.org.
As a state that prides itself on its rich history in the field of human
rights when we abolished the death penalty, we must continue to live up to those standards today.
Amber C. Van Galder ---- UW-Whitewater chapter, Amnesty International
(source: Letter to the Editor, The Capital Times)
There are many myths with the death penalty, one of the major ones being it is cheaper to put a person to death. That is wrong. It is more money for taxpayers to hold a person on death row than to spend life behind bars because of the extensive legal process that involves years of legal appeals and counseling.
Also, in 2005, 94 % of all known "legal" executions took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. Iran executed at least 94 people, and Saudi Arabia at least 86. There were 60 executions in the U.S. And over the years there have been innocent people put to death in our country.
Please look at Amnesty International's Web site for bipartisan facts on the death penalty. It's www.AIUSA.org.
As a state that prides itself on its rich history in the field of human
rights when we abolished the death penalty, we must continue to live up to those standards today.
Amber C. Van Galder ---- UW-Whitewater chapter, Amnesty International
(source: Letter to the Editor, The Capital Times)