[Vision2020] Duncan plea deal

g. crabtree jampot at adelphia.net
Wed Oct 18 13:16:33 PDT 2006


Professor Campbell, let me see if I understand you correctly. You claim that I have committed the logical fallacy of appeal to authority and then provide nothing to backup your assertion. I would think that to make your charge stick you would have to A. Provide some evidence that Mr.Sharp is not knowledgeable on the topic being discussed  or B. (and more importantly) that the statistics he cites are in error, Or C. That I am misapplying Mr. Sharp's expertise or statistics. Quoting an person knowledgeable in the field who is referencing verifiable statistics is NOT a logical fallacy. (You actually teach logic? As your "day job?") It would seem that you've achieved the enlightened  state of "I'm right and facts be damned." With that in mind, I guess I would enjoy seeing what you can come up with by way of "neat quotes in favor of your position." I would hope that they might contain a scrap of fact rather then the usual emotion and fallacious statement that has been characteristic of your previous responses. What empirical data or statistic can you provide to support your assertion that "A long life in prison is far worse than a short death?" What pearl of reason will you come up with to counter the pesky fact (in bold below) that, statistically, murderers prefer to be behind bars rather then answering to their Maker? I would have thought that as man who pridefully proclaims  "I am an expert about KNOWLEDGE." you should surely be able to set me straight in short order.  Instead all I'm seeing is fallacy followed by mistake. I look forward to a reasoned response. Baring that, I guess I'll have to settle for your usual reply.

gc
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Campbell" <joekc at adelphia.net>
To: "g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net>
Cc: "Pat Kraut" <pkraut at moscow.com>; "vision2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 8:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Duncan plea deal


> Sorry for not responding to your wonderful example of an appeal to authority earlier, Gary, but I've been busy with my day job.
> 
> Here is my response: Your comments below commit the fallacy of appeal to authority. Do you really think that I can't find some neat quotes on the web in favor of my position?
> 
> --
> Joe Campbell
> 
> ---- "g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net> wrote: 
> 
> =============
> Actually Joe, if by empirical you meant "derived from or guided by experience or observation" I would have no choice but to disagree. I would think that just about everyone who has given even the most fleeting attention to the news for the last few years could cite five or more instances of murderers fighting to avoid the death penalty for every one that embraces that option. According to the folks at DPINFO.COM (death penalty information) what appears to be an unbiased clearinghouse for this type of information. 
> 
> "At every level of the criminal justice process, virtually all criminals do everything they can to lessen possible punishments.  I estimate that less than 1% of all convicted capital murderers request a death sentence in the punishment phase of their trial.  The apprehended criminals' desire for lesser punishments is overwhelming and unchallenged.
> 
>Of the 7300 inmates sentenced to death since 1973, 85, or 1.2% have waived remaining appeals and been executed. 98.8% have not waived appeals.   The evidence is overwhelming that murderers would rather live on death row than die.  Why?  The survival effect -- life is preferred over death and death is feared more than life.  Even on death row, that is the rule."       Dudley Sharp, Resource Director, Justice For All
> 
> With this in mind, I would contend that your assertion that "It is not as if your view has any more empirical support than mine!" is, once again, wrong. 
> 
> gc
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joe Campbell" <joekc at adelphia.net>
> To: "g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net>
> Cc: "Pat Kraut" <pkraut at moscow.com>; "vision2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
> Sent: Sunday, October 15, 2006 7:50 AM
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Duncan plea deal
> 
> 
>> Gary,
>> 
>> It is not as if your view has any more empirical support than mine!
>> 
>> --
>> Joe Campbell
>> 
>> ---- "g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net> wrote: 
>> 
>> =============
>> Reason #3: A long life in prison is far worse than a short death.
>> 
>> If this is truly the case, why do you suppose so many vermin such as Duncan 
>> prefer/fight for the life sentence? For the most part this, is true of all 
>> convicted killers. What do you base your contention on? I can't imagine that 
>> it's even how you, personally, would feel should you ever be in a similar 
>> circumstance. (not that you would, of course) This "long life in prison is 
>> worse than death." mantra seems to be bandied about as a truism with 
>> precious little supporting evidence. In fact, most evidence points the other 
>> way.
>> 
>> gc
>> From: "Joe Campbell" <joekc at adelphia.net>
>> To: "Pat Kraut" <pkraut at moscow.com>
>> Cc: "vision2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>> Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2006 6:33 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Duncan plea deal
>> 
>> 
>>> Pat,
>>>
>>> Unfortunately, the fact is that you and I will pay more if he is 
>>> (eventually) put to death. Yet another reason not to have the death 
>>> penalty.
>>>
>>> Reason #3: .A long life in prison is far worse than a short death
>>>
>>> --
>>> Joe Campbell
>>>
>>> ---- Pat Kraut <pkraut at moscow.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> =============
>>> But why do I have to pay for him to continue to have life in any form?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> If we do discover a complete theory..of everything...we shall all,
>>> philosophers, scientists and just ordinary people,
>>> be able to take part in the discussion of why it is that we and the 
>>> universe
>>> exist if we find the answer to that,
>>> it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason...for then we would know
>>> the mind of God.
>>> Stephen Hawking
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: <whayman at adelphia.net>
>>> To: "Andreas Schou" <ophite at gmail.com>
>>> Cc: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>>> Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 3:09 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Duncan plea deal
>>>
>>>
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> I would agree with anyone that Duncan tests the limits much more than even
>>> more than Malvo in the DC area. What Duncan apparently did lies outside 
>>> the
>>> human scope of sympathy. But even within this absolutely and disgustingly
>>> twisted psychopathic scenario, I still cannot advocate a penalty of death
>>> for anyone. Duncan included.
>>>
>>> Killing, as we all know, brings back no one. The argument of the death
>>> penalty as resolution and closure I find closer to vengeance than justice.
>>>
>>> Please don't take me wrong; I don't think rehab etc. is the issue in this
>>> case. I do hope that the rest of his life is spent anonymously and ignobly
>>> incarcerated.
>>>
>>> Warren Hayman
>>>
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>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>
>
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