Argumentative Essay Sample on Death Penalty

Argumentative Essay Sample on Death Penalty The death penalty has been used throughout history, and has evolved from stoning women to death in Afghanistan for committing adultery to giving lethal injections in the U.S. to serial killers (Amnesty International). Today, the death penalty is reserved only for the absolute worst criminals, but that could change if the anti-death penalty fanatics that are so prominent in today’s media have their way. They claim that the death penalty is barbaric, unconstitutional, and should be banned. This view is the most prominent in the media when in fact 75% of Americans support the use of the death penalty (Koch 561). So why is the anti-death penalty movement so prominent today? Members of this movement take an activist position and are trying to change the laws, while pro-death penalty people take a more passive stance. They know that the death penalty is the law and they expect it to be carried out. The arguments that the anti-death penalty activists use look good on the surface, but upon close inspection they really don’t amount to much of anything. The anti-death penalty activists in this country would have you believe that every time a murderer is executed the justice system has just committed murder as well. They would have you believe that every person on death row is a victim. What they don’t talk about is what that person did to get onto death row. They forget about the people that where killed, and the people whose lives where affected by the murders; these are the real victims. They had a right to live just like every else in the world but their lives where snuffed out by a murderer. In my opinion, every one has a right to live, but as soon as you murder another human being you forfeit that right. I cannot see a convicted felon as some sort of victim, because it was his own actions that brought about his fate, not the actions of another person. Some people would argue that putting a murderer to death will not bring their victims back to life, or console their victims family, so what is the point? Well, putting someone in prison for the rest of their lives, or any other punishment for that matter, won’t bring their victims back to life either. So do you suggest we just don’t punish the killer for his actions? What punishment is supposed to do is prevent the killer from ever killing again, and what better way to do that than to take their own life away from them. If the most severe penalty a person can receive is to spend the rest of his/her life in jail, then what do you do when this is no longer enough? For example, a New York prisoner named Lemuel Smith, while serving six life sentences for his various crimes, including murder, strangled a female security guard, then mutilated and dismembered her body. Because New York has no death penalty, there is nothing that can be done to punish him beside another meanin gless life sentence (Koch 562). What better way to preserve innocent life than to eliminate the people that would seek to destroy it? As for consoling the victims family, true, the death of their loved ones murderer may not make them feel better, but at least they can rest easy knowing that the killer is dead and gone instead of sleeping soundly in a prison bed. What about all of the innocent people that are on death row? Before a prisoner is executed they go through a very extensive and effective appeal system. True, with new DNA evidence, we have been able to exonerate many people that were on death row, however, â€Å"there is, in fact, no proof that an innocent has been executed seance 1900†(Sharp). That’s right even with DNA testing anti-death penalty activist can’t truthfully say that America has executed an innocent person in the past 100 years. Death penalty critics would argue that the death penalty does nothing to deter people from committing violent murders. If this is true, then why do people fear the death penalty so much? Every day people confess to their crimes in the hope that they won’t get the death penalty for them. If the death penalty doesn’t deter criminals, then why did Luis Vera murder Rosa Velez? He burglarized her Brooklyn apartment then shot and killed her when she recognized him. He later admitted â€Å"Yeah, I shot her. She knew me and I knew I wouldn’t go to the chair† (Koch 561). This seems proof enough to me that the death penalty deters criminals. I think John McAdams says it best. If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call (McAdams). I think that the main thing that would boost the deterrent effect of the death penalty would be to use it more often. 5900 people where sentenced to death between 1973 and 1996. Of those 5900 people only 358 people where actually executed (DPIC). That is only one execution for every 1600 murders in the United States, which means that the possibility of someone being put to death if they kill someone is extremely low (Sharp). If we increased the possibility of being executed, then we would increase the deterrent effect that the death penalty has. What would you do if Osama Bin Laden walked into the room right now? Most people would say they would kill him for the crimes he committed against our country. This is the same thing that the family’s and friends of most murder victim’s feel about the person that took their loved one away from them. Then the anti-death penalty activists complain that the death penalty is cruel and unusual. They don’t like the quick and painless death that is awaiting the convicted murderer. They cite the way the prisoner is treated, the way he has to wait for the inevitable. I hope that this is the most terrifying experience of his/her life. While it is not possible to let victims family’s personally strangle the murderer, they will know that the killer felt, at least a small part, the fear that their victims felt just before they where brutally killed. Is the death penalty barbaric? No: raping, beating, torturing and killing people is barbaric. Fast, effective, painless e xecution of someone convicted of the aforementioned crimes is not barbaric; it is justice. In conclusion, I hope that next time you hear about a death penalty being carried out that you will be able to see through the media about the murderer being a victim, and remember who the real victim’s are. The death penalty is justice; it is not wrong. Think about the horrible crimes that the person committed to get himself on death row and remember that they brought this upon themselves. I value human life, and the best way to preserve it is to send a message to those people that would seek to destroy it; we will not tolerate murder. You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on Death Penalty topics from our professional custom essay writing company which provides high-quality custom written papers at an affordable cost.

How does the military lifestyle affect the social development and Research Paper

How does the military lifestyle affect the social development and academic motivation of adolescents in high school raised in military families during a time of war - Research Paper Example orted on their nature of adapting new places or rather new environment, control exertions, and how fast they adjust to new environment through institutionalized report toward oneself measures. For the ones who were deaf, there was a questionnaire with the same questions as those asked verbally.The results shows that adolescents living in military families reported hoisted levels of behavior issues as indicated by settled clinical standards. Be that as it may, ponder findings likewise show that control endeavors and maternal help act as critical defensive elements against the improvement of behavior issues and enthusiastic symptoms, whereas to abstain from adapting is related to more prominent enthusiastic symptoms (Marting, et al. 2000). It also shows that, those who are affected directly during the times of war are depressed and they are performing poorly in school. Descriptive statistics are utilized to portray the fundamental gimmicks of the data in a study. They give straightforward rundowns about the specimen and the measures. Together with straightforward graphics investigation, they structure the premise of essentially every quantitative examination of data. They are typically extracted from inferential statistic. It is the idea of one number that summarizes the whole measurement. Taking the gender and age as our demographic variable of the adolescents, let X denote the number of boys who were in the sample of adolescents and Y denote the number of girls in that sample. X +Y equals to the whole sample which was taken randomly as per the rules of random sampling. In central tendency, the median is the number that is at the middle of all the measurements or rather is the number at which half the measurement are exceeding that number and the other half are less than that number. The sample has to be arranged in ascending or descending order, then the number at the middle is the median. The descriptive statistics brings out the behavior of the variables

Detroit and municipal bankruptcy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Detroit and municipal bankruptcy - Research Paper Example This essay seeks to elaborate on why Detroit should pursue bankruptcy. Detroit filling of bankruptcy can follow the city’s current existing population record. According to the census record taken in 2012, Detroit hosts a population of around 700,000 residents. This number stipulates that the city stand among the highest populated cities in the state of Michigan (Rattner 15). The high population implies that the city requires relatively higher resources compared to other cities to sustain the residents within the area. Filling for bankruptcy suffices as a good course because it enables the city to maximize on the available resources from tax exemption policies within the enacted act’s provision. The unemployment rate in Detroit has elevated to significantly alarming records. Since the year 2000, the unemployment rates have changed tremendously. The high unemployment rate is evident around the metropolitan areas where it has risen by over 10% of the national average. Unemployment rate factor is directly inversed to other factors like the homicide rates within the city considering that Detroit has the highest homicide rate and is among the most dangerous cities in the United States of America. The judicial state within the city raises the significance of filing for bankruptcy. In the year 2014, only 8.5% of cases commenced were solved. This number compared to the 30.5% of the cases solved nationwide indicating that the judicial system requires redress. The security system in Detroit also begs for the filling of bankruptcy. In Detroit city, the response to the police calls averages 56 minutes compared to the 11 minutes nationwide. The faulty security and policing system in Detroit are attributive to the lack of resources. The fire trucks and police trucks conditions neglect is evident in that they are old and cannot work efficiently. Nevertheless, just like other

Ethanol Fuel Essay Example for Free

Ethanol Fuel Essay Ethanol is regarded as an attractive alternative to gasoline and other fossil fuel-based automotive energy sources because they can assist in ending dependence on foreign-based oil imports, a dependence which reaches 140 billion gallons a year in the United States alone.Gal Luft, a director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, asserts that oil dependence is problematic not just for economic reasons, but for political ones as well, maintaining that the relationship between the United States and the oil-producing Muslim nation states is strained at best (as well as noting that this political tension is probably of greater concern than any purported political instability are said to plague these oil-producing nations. )   As such, oil dependency constitutes a political liability. Furthermore, geologists have argued that oil prices are not going to get any better, what with the increasing costs of drilling current oil reserves, and ethanol is therefore an economically sound alternative. However, ethanol is not without its critics. Critics charge that the ethanol boom in the United States, which relies primarily on corn for feedstock has resulted in dramatic increases in food prices (and it is worth noting that many non-corn based food commodities utilize corn syrup). Farmers have begun to see the ethanol boom as lucrative incentive for corn production, which in its most positive sense has raised their incomes and â€Å"given new hope to flagging rural economies.† This translates to a diversion of grain-based agriculture towards fuel production, imposing dramatic impacts upon the costs of maintaining food supply for both the world’s hungry and the world’s well fed. Grunwald maintains that â€Å"the grain it takes to fill an SUV tank could feed a person for a year.†   Furthermore, research presents that the rapid expansion of corn agriculture to feed the ethanol boom holds environmental consequences. Environmental journalist Richard Manning charges that industrialized agriculture is detrimental to soil fertility.Mindy Lubber concurs, maintaining that massive land conversion of lands towards the production of corn could recreate the conditions of The Great Dust Bowl, a period in the American heartland which saw hundreds of thousands of would-be wheat farmers plow the soil to death to profit from golden grain. However, ethanol proponents are careful to remind us that it is also a renewable fuel source. Because it is derived from grain and other starch crops, and may also be obtained from cellulosic biomass such as crop residue, sugar cane bagasse and old newspapers, it is essentially a sustainable resource insofar production is concerned. Additionally, its energy potential, while being significantly less than that of gasoline, is endowed with a high octane level that gives it the power that is crucial to the operation of high compression engines such as those found in high performance automobiles. Furthermore, Khosla argues that the trajectory of ethanol development will result in continuously increasing potential for energy density and engine efficiency that would rival that of gasoline. While opponents of corn-based ethanol have charged that the energy yield barely exceeds the amount of energy used in its production, developments in cellulose-based ethanol have been promising, which may lead to a future in which the biomass and waste of any municipality could be used for ethanol production. Beyond the direct effects on corn prices, the corn-based ethanol boom also affects the price of various food commodities. Grunwald notes that the soybean market is affect to such an extent as to jack up the price of soybeans. Also, increased production of sugarcane-based ethanol, combined with sugar quotas in the U.S. ensure that domestic prices of sugar continue to inflate. As such, producers of high fructose corn syrup such as the agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland benefits in a situation where the price demand for high fructose corn syrup remains inelastic, simply because they are able to charge more for without fearing that sweetener-dependent companies will retaliate by switching to sugar.Even the price of a Starbucks latte is not immune to the effects of the corn-based ethanol boom, as diversion of crop grown to fuel production takes it away from the mouths of dairy cattle. Furthermore, the demand for ethanol has effects that reach as far as the Amazon rainforest, where the resulting expansion is leading to its deforestation. This is an overwhelmingly negative development as the rainforest is a highly biodiverse region. Grunwald reports that scientists believe that this could essentially reduce the Amazon to a savanna, or worse, a desert. Ethanol is not just an alternative fuel, but a complex distillation of political, economic and environmental issues. As such, it is difficult to reduce it to a simple either/or issue, let alone endorse it wholeheartedly as the silver bullet that will solve problems of climate change and fossil fuel dependency.

Baltimore Believe Campaign :: essays papers

Baltimore Believe Campaign The Baltimore Believe Campaign was started in April of 2002. It is a city wide campaign aimed to reduce the amount of drug use in the city. The idea of the â€Å"Believe† campaign has never been tried before. The campaign calls for Baltimore to believe, believe that drugs can be eliminated off of the streets, and drug dealers to be punished. Since the start of the campaign the idea has expanded around the country. Mayor Martin O’Malley has spread his idea around. The Believe Campaign surfaced in April of 2002. By April 14, 2002 the â€Å"Declaration of Independence from Drugs† was released in The Sun Newspaper (Wilber, The Sun). The Baltimore Police Foundation funds the campaign. All around the city there are billboards, trashcans, and bumper stickers with the word â€Å"BELIEVE† on them. The first hearing of the campaign was on April 6th, 2002. In October of 2003 Mayor O’Malley when on a trip to London, he was there to discuss the Baltimore Believe Campaign. London was interested in starting a campaign based on the believe campaign. The campaign is an ongoing part of the Baltimore City Community’s everyday actions. Mayor Martin O’Malley put the idea into motion. As said in a letter from Thomas D. Vicino, from the New York Times, â€Å"Mayor Martin O'Malley's efforts should be applauded. He has conquered the first obstacle in fighting urban decay: recognition of a problem. Keep on believing, Baltimore, because if we don't, how can anything change?† (Vicino, New York Times). There is really no other way to summarize all of the things Mayor O’Malley has done for the campaign. Another important role is the Baltimore Believe Leadership. This group works with the help number, 1-866-BELIEVE, and the campaign by setting up fundraisers and other events. Mayor O’Malley and the Baltimore Believe Leadership hold press conferences to inform the people about what goes on with the Believe Campaign’s progress and areas of concern regularly so the community stays informed on the progress. The community is another big role in the campaign. The communities of Baltimore Ci ty have taken the campaign in and â€Å"believe† it will have a positive affect on their communities. On April 6th, 2002 Mayor O’Malley announced his campaign to clean the streets of Baltimore. The Mayor had acknowledged a huge problem in the city, the drugs on the street were becoming out of control.

Empress Theodora Eulogy

Then our beloved Empress rose in political power and married Emperor Justinian. Some people called our Empress lazy and a burden, but she wasn't close to that. She was the empress hat defended and protected our nation, and influenced Emperor Justinian into keep Our nation during the Nick Revolt! She was the empress who wouldn't leave her purple and her people no matter what! She is the empress who would be the role model for future empresses!Now that our Empress has deceased she will still be respected and will be learned about for generations to come. Also, we can't forget our Empress's accomplishments during her years in power. Firstly, she has given women more rights than any other civilization. She gave women the power to own land and she allowed owed women to take income from land to pay for children needs. She also has influenced our Emperor to stay during the Nick Revolt, and take care of our Empire.Lastly, our Empress had laws expanded to protect the Neophytes, and prostitute s so they could start their lives anew. Monopolistic was a form of Christianity that believed that women should have more rights. Our Empress was the most important out of other empresses due to her influence and her outstanding accomplishments. In all, our Empress has accomplished more than any other empress achieved and without Empress Theodore the Byzantine Empire would have fallen long ago.

Female Circumcision Free Essay Example, 1500 words

Research has also identified that female circumcision is considered as an aspect of cultural identity. Notably, female circumcision to girls younger than 18 years in the United States is considered illegal. However, there is evidence that nurses in different health care institutions have handled patients who have undergone female circumcision (Berggren, Bergstrà ¶m, & Edberg, 2006). More specifically, there are reported cases of female circumcision affecting women’s reproductive functions. In the case of infibulation, childbirth becomes a difficult process, a factor that may compel medical practitioners to consider caesarean section. Nurses should Carry out Research of Cultures of Communities that Practice FGM In accordance with concepts developed by Madeleine Leininger, transcultural nursing promotes delivery of health care that conforms to the patient’s culture (Leininger, 2005). This compels nurses to undertake a rigorous study of different cultures in an effort to understand why female circumcision is a common practice. Transcultural nurses need to have diverse education on the cultural and religious beliefs that promote female circumcision. Although the practice has been considered a contravention of human rights, there is a salient need for transcultural nurses to understand the cultural views of communities that practice female circumcision. We will write a custom essay sample on Female Circumcision or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now This is especially the case when nurses are handling patients who have developed complications from the procedure, but are in full support of their cultural practices (Heatherly, 2000). Developing a clear understanding of the culture of the communities that carry out female circumcision will help nurses have a different view of their patients who have been exposed to the procedure. Moreover, nurses need to understand the complications that result from the procedures. There is evidence that many nurses are unfamiliar with complications resulting from female circumcision. This explains why they have been unable to deliver efficient care. The purpose of the transcultural nursing is to ensure that patients receive efficient care that does not contradict their cultural beliefs. Moreover, cultural belief systems determine how individuals in that society view healthcare. Individuals from societies that practice female circumcision often present unique needs that are uncommon with other patients (Heatherly, 2000). This places emphasis on the need for nurses to acquire diverse knowledge and information concerning female circumcision if they are to practice transcultural nur sing.