McAz wrote:I suspect we agree on quite a lot, but where's the fun in that?
I don't partake of DS but his/her view is not one I share - to wantonly and knowingly destroy that which cannot be replaced overrides all other considerations.
Uhuh.
The most worrying thing, for me, is that if you're going to apply that kind of thinking then you're pretty much allowing everybody to abdicate responsibility for their own actions.
"Hey, if you felt like you needed to [insert crime here] then you
must be mentally unwell and you need help rather than punishment"
The whole reason we need to HAVE laws is because people can't be trusted to follow James May's First Law (Don't be a cock) of their own volition.
If somebody's bonkers enough that they don't realise that they've actually ended another person's life, fair enough.
Bung 'em in a padded cell and give 'em some good drugs.
Other than that, I don't really care if you murdered somebody cos they were muslims, tories, Black, White or cos they walked on the cracks in the pavement or insisted on whistling Miley Cyrus songs.
You still knew you were killing somebody so you deserve whatever punishment that crime dictates.