Brain differences in political orientation

[Beowulf]

There is no need to feel offended at having different wiring. My family and dear friends are that way and of course we get along great.

 

[jillio]

I'm the last person who would support the death penalty wholeheartedly. In fact, I believe the system is deeply flawed and needs to be overhauled. However, I believe the same as you do. There are SOME people who cannot be rehabilitated and should NOT have the priviledge to breathe the same air we do. Manson is one such person. The fact that he is bat crap crazy notwithstanding, he is SO instititionalized that he CAN'T be rehabilitated. He will likely die in prison, but there are many others like him who WILL be released given the fact that they have sentences that leaves open the chance of parole. That's a freaking scary thought in my mind.

While I can't disagree that there are those that need to be separated from society for the rest of their lives, who exactly gets to decide who is worthy of drawing another breath and who isn't? Drawing breath was not a privilege the last time I checked. But since you seem to classify it that way, who gets to bestow this privilege on some but not all? Who, as a human, is so infallible and so perfect in their own character and behavior that they are granted the right to decide who lives and who dies?

That fear is disproportionate to the actual risk. People like Manson are not released into society. They spend their lives locked away from society. And how many Mansons are there that are at risk for being released. Because criminals such as Manson, or Dahmer, or any other criminal that has become the stuff media paychecks are made of, are so much in the public eye (thanks to the media), people have a very distorted idea of how many criminals of that ilk actually exist. The publicity alone makes it appear to occur far, far more often than it actually does. That is why an emotional foundation for justice is just not acceptable.

 

[jillio]

Not dictating (that would be impossible anyway). Just observing (as you claim to do).

No, that was dictating. You often do it without realizing you are.

 

[saywhatkid]

Not a trick at all. Pure observation based on your response. So far, you haven't presented any facts to deny. But you do seem to get quite upset when the facts that you present are clarified using your own link.

I'm seeing evidence of greater volume in someone's amygdala. Soo how you take a thread off topic with those personally directed emotional responses?

Blame me for the Manson comment.

In fact, I think this DP debate clearly shows what the OP intended. If you prefer a justice system of logic only, that is you. There are more things in life than being logically driven. Emotions are not a terrible thing. Might be something to consider. I certainly will not become a robot in order to be politically correct.

 

[jillio]

Jillio,

Do you have any idea where the term, "an eye for an eye" came from? It is from the Bible and that is what most of our justice was framed from such as the ten commandments.

Yes, I know where it came from. And it is in direct contradiction of the death penalty being used in the case of any crime where a murder has not occurred.

No, our justice system was not framed on the Bible. None of the 3 types of justice have anything to do with Christian religion. Please using every opportunity to preach on this forum.

 

[jillio]

Of course you don't see it. That is one of the points.

 

[jillio]

well, in that case then, a guy who kills a guy should be murdered, a guy who raped a woman should be raped, a woman who robbed should be robbed, a little boy who assaulted should be assaulted.

Eye for an eye is not the most ideal way to mete out justice.

and please stop bringing up the bible, religious discussions are not allowed on AD and secondly, I think we can all safely assume by now that you are a follower of the bible so no need to remind us of that in every post.

Exactly. They do not see the contradictions in their own justifications. But then, that is typical of an emotional oriented thought process.

 

[saywhatkid]

Yes, I know where it came from. And it is in direct contradiction of the death penalty being used in the case of any crime where a murder has not occurred.

No, our justice system was not framed on the Bible. None of the 3 types of justice have anything to do with Christian religion.

Just curious, why do they have witnesses swear on a Bible? I don't follow court anymore, since OJ hurdled those bodies without the poorly fitting gloves. But I was always amazed that this practice continues, in light of all the anti-Christian people.

 

[jillio]

Right. I have more times than I can count. I now consider myself a liberal leaning moderate. So, I don't know what this study says about someone who considers themselves a centrist.

Are you a liberal centrist or a conservative centrist?

It amazes me how many people are missing the whole point brought out in the research.

 

[jillio]

It's in there too but is generally taken out of context. Not meaning to let someone assault you.

Everything from the Bible is taken out of context, most particuarly the 'eye for an eye" quote. People seem to have a tendency to selectively choose and ignore context when trying to use the Bible as support for an argument.

 

[jillio]

Just curious, why do they have witnesses swear on a Bible? I don't follow court anymore, since OJ hurdled those bodies without the poorly fitting gloves. But I was always amazed that this practice continues, in light of all the anti-Christian people.

That was going to be my question. How many courtrooms have you been in lately? I have the privilege of actually being in court rooms as part of my SART training and as work with my DV clients. I have not seen an actual Bible produced and someone asked to lay their left hand on it for quite some time. It is generally just "Raise your right hand and repeat after me." And even prior, anyone was free to refuse to use the Bible as part of their sworn testimony. Personally, I don't want a non-Christian swearing on the Bible. It won't mean anything at all, but it will give the false appearance that we can accept their testimony as infallible truth.

See, there you go again with that dichotomy. Just because someone chooses a belief system other than Christian for themself does not mean that they are "anti-Christian". I would think you would have learned not to do that by participating in the CI threads where anyone who chooses not to have a CI is labled anti-CI by the "true believers".

 

[DeafCaroline]

The publicity alone makes it appear to occur far, far more often than it actually does. That is why an emotional foundation for justice is just not acceptable.

I remember Oprah had a show where someone came on and put things into perspective by reciting statistics and probabilities such as a child is more likely to be struck by lightning than kidnapped. Headlines do stir up fear and tend to distort reality. Never underestimate the persuasive powers of the media. That Oprah episode was a major reality check.

 

[Oceanbreeze]

While I can't disagree that there are those that need to be separated from society for the rest of their lives, who exactly gets to decide who is worthy of drawing another breath and who isn't? Drawing breath was not a privilege the last time I checked. But since you seem to classify it that way, who gets to bestow this privilege on some but not all? Who, as a human, is so infallible and so perfect in their own character and behavior that they are granted the right to decide who lives and who dies?

That fear is disproportionate to the actual risk. People like Manson are not released into society. They spend their lives locked away from society. And how many Mansons are there that are at risk for being released. Because criminals such as Manson, or Dahmer, or any other criminal that has become the stuff media paychecks are made of, are so much in the public eye (thanks to the media), people have a very distorted idea of how many criminals of that ilk actually exist. The publicity alone makes it appear to occur far, far more often than it actually does. That is why an emotional foundation for justice is just not acceptable.

Ah, but I'm not being ruled by fear. I have no fear of Mason getting out of prison. Anyone with half a brain knows he won't. We also saw what happened with Dahmer. He lasted two years in prison, I believe, before he was killed by another inmate. Those people are/were psychopaths whose crimes were obviously so abhorrent there's no way in the world they would have been let out. But, there are people who are sociopaths who committed multiple crimes before they finally committed the one crime that sent them to death row. If you want a list:

Wayne Gacy
Richard Allen Davis (killer of Polly Klaas)
Ted Bundy
Karla Tucker
... and others.

There are also people who are sociopaths who are sentenced to parolable sentences. Its these people that I'm worried about. Even if they are in the minority, all it takes is ONE to wreck havoc on a family or community. I also don't know of any therapeutic modality that will fix a sociopath. Do you?

You can't fix someone without a conscience or a soul.

 

[jillio]

I remember Oprah had a show where someone came on and put things into perspective by reciting statistics and probabilities such as a child is more likely to be struck by lightning than kidnapped. Headlines do stir up fear and tend to distort reality. Never underestimate the persuasive powers of the media. That Oprah episode was a major reality check.

Exactly. Our perception is not always accurate, especially when it is coming from an emotionally charged perspective. What we "think" we know is often quite different from the actual reality of the situation. People tend to confuse something they "feel" with something that is "known".

 

[jillio]

Ah, but I'm not being ruled by fear. I have no fear of Mason getting out of prison. Anyone with half a brain knows he won't. We also saw what happened with Dahmer. He lasted two years in prison, I believe, before he was killed by another inmate. Those people are/were psychopaths whose crimes were obviously so abhorrent there's no way in the world they would have been let out. But, there are people who are sociopaths who committed multiple crimes before they finally committed the one crime that sent them to death row. If you want a list:

Wayne Gacy
Richard Allen Davis (killer of Polly Klaas)
Ted Bundy
Karla Tucker
... and others.

There are also people who are sociopaths who are sentenced to parolable sentences. Its these people that I'm worried about. Even if they are in the minority, all it takes is ONE to wreck havoc on a family or community. I also don't know of any therapeutic modality that will fix a sociopath. Do you?

You can't fix someone without a conscience or a soul.

I know of several models that can alter sociopathic behaviors and cognitions.

You have named 4 people out of how many billions in the U.S. See how rare these instances are?
So, instead, you separate them from society for the remainder of their lives.

 

[Sunshine]

i know of several models that can alter sociopathic behaviors and cognitions.

You have named 4 people out of how many billions in the u.s. See how rare these instances are?
So, instead, you separate them from society for the remainder of their lives.

300,000,000

 

[saywhatkid]

See, there you go again with that dichotomy. Just because someone chooses a belief system other than Christian for themself does not mean that they are "anti-Christian". I would think you would have learned not to do that by participating in the CI threads where anyone who chooses not to have a CI is labled anti-CI by the "true believers".

Oh? If someone makes a Biblical reference, the chorus shrieks "No religion!" There is not a huge movement of people that choose "no God" in their lives. I am simply saying a lot of those "No thanks to God" folks make a whole lotta noise about their rights to breathe God-free air.

I will leave you with this; there is absolutely no logic in throwing your life into a faith-based world. You believe because you believe. Nothing logical about it. I was just like you, until...well, you know my story.

Love live death row inmates!

 

[jillio]

300,000,000

And to increase the rareity, they don't all occur at the same time. We are talking a period of years at the minimum, decades and centuries at the maximum. People still bring up Jack the Ripper.

 

[jillio]

Oh? If someone makes a Biblical reference, the chorus shrieks "No religion!" There is not a huge movement of people that choose "no God" in their lives. I am simply saying a lot of those "No thanks to God" folks make a whole lotta noise about their rights to breathe God-free air.

I will leave you with this; there is absolutely no logic in throwing your life into a faith-based world. You believe because you believe. Nothing logical about it. I was just like you, until...well, you know my story.

Love live death row inmates!

You are free to choose and practice any religion you so choose. That is the beauty of living in this country. However, the other side of that coin is that people who choose differently have just as much a right. You are not free to infringe on the rights of others.

Exactly. You believe based on what you "feel". That is my point.

 

[Reba]

Not a trick at all. Pure observation based on your response. So far, you haven't presented any facts to deny. But you do seem to get quite upset when the facts that you present are clarified using your own link.

I'm seeing evidence of greater volume in someone's amygdala. Soo how you take a thread off topic with those personally directed emotional responses?

You have got the worst case of denial that I've seen here.