Had to post this... Harper's interview was just too "good"...
(Posted earlier over at Blast Furnace and the Scott Ross):
Here's what I posted over at Blast Furnace (and this is all a very clear sign of the real Harper).
Where's the media on this? Last election, he practically had to BEG his people to "shut up" until they get their majority (remember the closed door meeting in Southwest Ontario?). How much more obvious could a stiffled agenda be - let's not call it hidden.
The death penalty - or any other form of State-sanctioned murder - is NOT about what the public wants, BUT is all about human rights. The death penalty is a basic violation of the Universal Human Rights Declaration - something we give China much grief about.
Sure, we'd love to see people like Bernardo suffer (and I'm sure his fellow inmates are doing that, or will, given the opportunity - and much more likely than if he got the easy way out of his miserable life). There is also a faint hope that he will reform, or at the very least show some genuine remorse. We reform a huge percentage of our prison populations, with a low recidivism rate.
Arguments "for" the death penalty seem to brush over the ultimate punishment often (and I do mean OFTEN) given to completely innocent people. How can civilized humans justify that? I mean given both situations, the person incarcerated for life still suffers - most likely more than the one who gets the easy way out (death penalty), gets to watch his friends and family suffer, etc., etc. The alternative scenario is the state-sanctioned murder of someone who is completely innocent - as is understood to be the case in 25-30% of US death sentences.
As Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind". It's true.
6 comments:
It would be interesting what Ignatieff thinks about the death penalty.
He supports torture that much we know so the stuff about Human Rights is a wash then.
I suppose it can be nuanced that someone can support the death penalty on philosophical grounds but practically that same person wouldn't because of the concern of the wrongfully convicted.
It is worth pointing out that many of the people who cried "hidden agenda" are out of politics. The list is growing....
I'm on the left and I support capital punishment in certain cases.
Anon 1: If you read Ignatieff's books you'd see the bigger picture - and clearly see he's a champion of human rights. You're also wrong about the torture. You can take anything out of context and make it "the facts" about the person. I can make Harper look like a Canada-hating usurper of democracy with some of his hateful anti-Canada quotes. They're well known.
Harper needs to seriously hope that the Liberals don't unleash all the anti-Canada quotes in an ad.
Imagine: "Stephen Harper thinks Michael Ignatieff is less Canadian because, like many Canadians, he spent years working and learning abroad. In 2004 Stephen Harper said, "Canada is...""
Anon #2 - I doubt you're on "the left".
Well we know for CERTAIN, Stephen Harper supports torture. We have Omar Khadr for proof of that fact.
Foottothefire
Western Grit,
You say you doubt I'm on the left....what do you know about me and my life circumstances?
Since when does everyone on the left have to think as one?
Doubt whatever you want but at 47 yrs old, I believe I've lived more than you and I live in Montreal, a very liberal city.
Question my motives all you want but my opinion is as worthy as yous is.
Your blog is Wester Grit....listen up, I used to walk alongside Pierre Trudeau as he walked home going north up Peel street.
Once again doubt me all you want but from the bottom of my heart F U
I no longer listen when I hear Liberas tell me what the people of Canada want.
Put it to a referendom and prove it.
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