(June 20, 2011 at 7:55 am)FaithNoMore Wrote: I was hoping to kind of end this discussion with my last post as this is getting less civil by the post. To be honest, I joined this conversation to hear opposing viewpoints because I am not 100% stuck in my opinion on this matter. I am completely open to being convinced I am wrong on this issue. When you equate my beliefs to that of the Nazis, however, I see no point in dignifying any of it with a response or trying to continue a reasonable debate. If you would like to continue this in a reasonable tone, I am very open to what you have to say. If you only wish to continue in the same insulting manner, then keep it to yourself.
He actually didn't 'equate' your beliefs with Nazis. He observed that there were stark similarities between the 'resource' arguments for the death 'penalty' and the justifications used by a number of tyrants to remain in the right when killing scores of hundreds of people. Although I haven't gone back more than 10 posts looking: I think it was you that brought the Nazis into the discussion in the first place. As if they were bad people, evil people, or even cruel. They were people... each with their own beliefs... and plenty of them similar to the beliefs purported by their propaganda machine.
And the arguments are indeed similar. Both of them say 'X is not worth being a part of our society... so we should kill them'. To draw further similarities still: both arguments involve people in this case... and thus it is murder to kill them. Observe:
Criminals are not worth keeping around, so we should kill them.
Jews are not worth keeping around, so we should kill them.
Pretty damn similar. Where they (might) differ is in extent to which the argument is applied and the group of people negatively valued to the point of killing all (or most) of them.
And I might note: I am not so much 'for' the death 'penalty' as I see the people affected as the property of the state. And I strongly encourage my enemies to weaken themselves.
The Silicoid-Meklar fleet employs most of its criminals
Please give me a home where cloud buffalo roam
Where the dear and the strangers can play
Where sometimes is heard a discouraging word
But the skies are not stormy all day
