[speaker001:] well actually uh I I don't think I'm in the uh uh majority of in in Texas I don't think I agree with no uh I wouldn't say that I think I would have said that a few years ago when I was younger I thought it was a
[speaker002:] oh really you don't believe in it
[speaker001:] a sign of a civilized society if you didn't have uh capital punishment but um uh maybe slowly changing my opinion
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] I'm not thoroughly opposed to it I still think it's sort of true that a a more civilized society wouldn't have to use capital punishment but I'm beginning to believe this is less civilized society than I thought
[speaker002:] you sound a lot like a friend of mine a a girl I hang out with she has very
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] very black and white opinions you know there's no gray in her opinions you know she she probably would agree more with you but but I don't know I think I would rather a person go ahead and be put down than give them the opportunity to get out and do it again I've never had a a punishment or a a crime like a murder touch my immediate family but I still feel very strongly that capital punishment is a good way to to punish especially criminals who seem to have absolutely no remorse for what they've done and we see that more and more like in our state right now there's a fourteen year old boy who
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] raped and then killed a seven year old girl you know that's fourteen years old what's he going to be doing when he turns into an adult
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah I certainly don't uh advocate turning people like that loose
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] I'm not sure executing them uh does anymore than keeping them in jail but uh
[speaker002:] no it doesn't but it costs less
[speaker001:] yeah that's a factor
[speaker002:] and yeah to me it is I mean I work and I pay my taxes and I lived out in Texas for a little while and they're it that's a pretty heavy state compared to Georgia I mean you guys are are a lot more uh for to each his own even than we are in Georgia but even in Georgia that's the attitude for the most part if I work and pay my dues you work and pay your dues and we'd get along just fine
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah
[speaker002:] but when I've got to work to pay my dues and your dues
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] then I don't like you very much anymore
[speaker001:] yeah well I the cost is something but it's I think it's relatively unimportant compared to what's the most effective way of dealing with crime and I guess uh I would like I don't know the European countries certainly uh none of them have capital punishment and they don't have a they don't have a crime problem either no you can't they don't execute anybody in Britain
[speaker002:] oh really
[speaker001:] or France and I don't believe they do in Germany or Italy either and they don't have the crime problems we do I don't really think that there is too much of a relationship between the two
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] I guess what worries me about capital punishment is uh when I see people enthusiastic about it and uh uh sort of bloodthirsty I think it brings out the worst in the in the people who do the punishing and the that that bothers me but it but uh
[speaker002:] you might be right I mean I I'd hate to be the person to pull the switch you know I would never in a million years want that job but I do believe it's necessary and I on the one hand I I guess I admire the person who has the
[speaker001:] hum yeah
[speaker002:] guts to do it because I couldn't I couldn't stand behind a gun and shoot somebody for nothing and I couldn't pull the switch but I
[speaker001:] huh well actually I what the other thing that bothers me is when it becomes a political issue because I don't really think it uh I don't really think it's a subject um very important aspect of fighting crime or law and order or anything else I think it just becomes a uh symbolic I'm tougher than you are type of emotional issue for politicians so
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] I would like for it to be settled once for all and uh get in the background while the more important issues get discussed uh uh like I said some years ago I think I would have said there's no place for capital punishment in the
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] civilized western country now I'm I'm not so sure of that I'm I I wouldn't vote against somebody just because it was for capital punishment and nor the other way around
[speaker002:] uh-huh what what's making you become more convinced that it might be a
[speaker001:] uh I guess I'm I'm my view of
[speaker002:] good way of punishing
[speaker001:] uh my I'm beginning to believe that some people are simply not rehabilitatable and that uh uh costs and other factors justify uh um executing people maybe it's more a symbolic gesture that um um than anything else and uh
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] I've also never been a victim although I have some I have two friends whose wives were murdered and uh
[speaker002:] oh gosh yes if it ever touched my family
[speaker001:] I can imagine that uh uh for some people it would be the only form of justice in that case