1000th execution in the USA

Cesar, this is a simplistic approach. Things are much more complicated. The laws of a country are there to protect it's citizens and are valid as long as the citizens accept them. The anti-death movement tries to win public support in that direction and debate that the law in wrong.

You seem to suggest that the death penalty prevents criminals from killing our "daughers/girlfriend/mother/father/best friend (btw, what about the rest of our families, like cousins/aunts/my sister-in-law's second cousin from her mother's side etc ?), what you fail to address is the fact that in most of the countries of the world that the death penalty is abolished, the crime rates are far lower than these of the US and other countries that the death penalty is active. 

Death penalty doesn't prevent crime, it simply offers revenge. Not a motive that I'd like the society I live in to based upon!

Not to mention the fact that there are proven cases of innocent people who were executed and their innocence wasn't proven until after their death. IMM nothing can justify the killing of human beings. 

The approach was deliberately simplistic. I just wanted to underline some basic elements. I know things don't work that way. I've never been to the USA so I have no direct knowledge of what is life out there. I must rely on the news, the books, the movies and the tales of those who have been out there.

The laws are to protect the citizens of a country. True, but if you ask a citizen about the laws he knows a very few of them. Law is a system. I am confronted every day with laws or, to be more specific, interpretation of legal statements. I am certain that death penalty doesn't reduce the crime rate. If those who are making the laws in the US would decide that it is useless then to the bin with it. As long as it remains ....

Most offenders of the law don't think about punishment when they break the law. They usually think that they would get away with it. Some are even not aware that they broke the law. Some others, if caught, are blaming the system for their deeds.

Death penalty is only revenge, but revenge is what most people seek when hurt. The murderer death won't bring back the victim, but those close to the victim? Are they looking for justice or revenge? Emotions and moral values don't go along fine always. I'll give you an example, something that happened to me: I was waiting for my girlfriend in Herastrau, a large park in Bucharest. It was dark and she was jumped by two thugs. I don't know if they wanted to rob her or rape her or just to have fun. All I know is I heard her screaming, rushed in and beat those two. I was in a berserk state, if she wouldn't had stopped me I might have killed one of them. I didn't stopped to tell those idiots they were breaking the law and they would be punished according to their deeds, or that what they were doing was wrong. Like I said, sometimes, emotions get in the way of civilized behaviour.

The legal system is not perfect. Not out there, in the US, not anywhere in this world. Innocents would still be punished for crimes they didn't commited. It's a fact that won't change. There can't be a perfect system. It's something like collateral damage in a war: neither the pilot who dropped the bombs or those who planned the mission intended to kill innocents. Yet it happened. It is not fine, or good, and I totally disagree it. But things like this happen. Our world is not perfect. It is good to talk about banning the war, the crime, the death penalty. Maybe someday all people will come to an agreement regarding what's right and wrong and act according to those concepts. I doubt that this will happen during my life.

As for an idealistic thought: Would the death penalty have any sense if there were no criminals?

And another: New forum on AoE - "Wars: discussions about war, something that is no more"

Thats a damn good point Genghis.

In any event, we return the favor by executing their own citizens who have murdered in our country.

btw, arent they obligated to turn over people because of extradition treaties?