December 9, 1999
OPINION
Campus Voice: What will happen on Jan. 1,2000?
I’m gonna turn 18 and see my
favorite band play.
Johanna Moffitt
mm
Absolutely nothing. At the most, there will be
a bunch of people with hangovers.
Liz Mockbee
Some smaller corporations or banks might
get some problems or shutdown, but nothing
will happen to the larger corporations.
Jon Kirk
I think that everything’s going to be
okay. At that point, the world will
destroy itself at a faster rate than it
is now.
Megan Brown
Prince is going to have to come
up with a new song.
David Dellisle
It’s gonna be one big party.
Metta Redding & Anne Sailer
Playing God?
COLUMN
BY MICHELLE CRABTREE
Since the beginning of time man
has created an emotion that effects ev
ery human decision in life; Revenge.
This reaction includes the decision of
wither or not someone should live.
Capital punishment is defined as judi
cial murder, it’s pre meditated and de
liberately done by one human being to
another. Because of its unethical nature
and its ineffectiveness Capital punish
ment should be abolished. Brevard Col
lege should actively speak out against
the death penalty.
The fifth commandment states
“Thou shalt not kill.” Two men commit
a murder; One stabs a man; the other
electrocutes a man who is to say which
is right? Our job is not to “Play God.”
The mission statement of Brevard Col
lege states we expect all members of
the college to commit their hearts and
their minds to our community of learn
ing, to pursue truth with humility, to
become wise stewards of the earth, an
decision of who deserves to live and
who deserves to die in North Carolina,
a state that supports Capital punish
ment?
In 1900 Rutherford College (now
known as Brevard) was known as the
school of the Prophets.” Believing in “
the thorough development of all the
powers of the student with such direc
tion as to lead up to the highest type of
Christian manhood and womanhood.”
Those who were training to become the
highest Christian ministers/preachers
wanted to help those in need, and set a
good example for their “fellows.” We
follow their tradition in many ways;
however Brevard College should keep
its focus on the ideal that to kill is mur
der; no matter what shape or form it may
take. It is not our choice to decide who
lives and who dies. The death penalty
only allows us to extend the pain; it pro
vokes anger and only forces us to be
the sight of another murder. The death
penalty only creates more victims. I
have always been taught that two
wrongs don’t make a right no matter
what the circumstances may be. Do you
setting a good example by saying it is
wrong to kill and then turning around
and killing another human being. Not
only is it wrong but capitol punishment
is being used for the wrong purpose. It
is being used for revenge rather than
deterrence. Killing someone is a ben
efit to nobody but the executioner.
Innocence is a right that can’t
be taken away without proof of guilt.
Americans know very little about who
is being executed as an innocent man.
One can spend up to ten years on death
row waiting for their time. Whether or
not this person is guilty by a burden of
proof called “beyond reasonable doubt”
this person may still be innocent. No
matter how careful courts are the possi
bility of human error still remain. It has
been proven that the death penalty can
and has been inflicted on innocent
people. The Stanford law review states
that between 1900 and 1988, at least
twenty-three innocent Americans were
executed. Besides “ an eye for an eye
only makes the whole world go blind”
One works hard to make a liv
ing, but is it fair for the state to take
taxes.fxom your i«tfdTeaiTied.Tnoney.to
kill a human being? A study done by
the Sacramento Bee argued that Cali
fornia would save 90 million a year if it
were to abolish the death penalty. The
average cost of a capitol trial is $3.2
million; three times the cost to incar
cerate an individual for 40 years. Ex
ecutions are expensive! The Susintinal
states that it costs 20,440 a year to house
an inmate in a Florida maximum-secu-
rity prison. Warehousing an inmate for
forty years is more than one million
dollars cheaper than putting him to
death.
There is not one good reason
why the death penalty should be used.
It has been proven that there is no con
clusive evidence that capital punishment
shows deterrence. One can clearly see
that murder is murder no matter what
shape or form it may take. The expenses
for an inmate to be imprisoned rather
than killed by Capital punishment are
significantly cheaper. Capital punish
ment can and has been inflicted on in
nocent people. From the reasons given
it is fare to say that because of its un
ethical nature and its ineffectiveness
. .capit^poivishmCTt'sboukibe polished.
“to live responsibly before God and
there fellows.” Are we really living re-
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