McGrath, I agree totally. Mousethief misunderstood my position- I too favor putting these people away, I do not believe in the state (us) killing in cold blood. If someone, for instance, is killed by a homeowner, even unnecessarily and tragically, it is my belief that that was the chance the intruder took. That is far different from a government deciding to take the life of someone in retaliation for an act that was already committed. In law we make a distinction between first degree murder and other types of killing- if it's planned and prepared for, it is MURDER, in my eyes, no less so than if it were done by an individual.

I believe having such a policy in a society coarsens and hurts the people of that society. And it's counter productive, a terrible reflection on us. It takes very little imagination to kill- surely we can do better than give a knee-jerk reaction.

Timothy McVeigh planned and prepared for his act- he is a murderer who committed a heinous crime. We should not further his grandiose aims by killing him, a result he wants. Far better to lock him away and let him be reminded every day that he will never be free again.

My crack about prison being cheaper than execution referred to the prevalent myth that killing a criminal and getting it over with is cheaper than board and room for the rest of his/her life. It's not so. (Although I must say that I don't know if that's true if the person doesn't go through repeated appeals and stays.)

Mousethief, I think, though, that you kind of weaken your anti-execution message when you "quote" God. In the Old Testament, which many people think of as the Bible, God was not nearly so persnickety.

Ebbie