[Vision2020] Duncan plea deal

g. crabtree jampot at adelphia.net
Sat Oct 21 15:43:34 PDT 2006


Joe, how does your "main point' stack up in the following scenario. A father 
grounds his son for a month for misbehavior. Another father gives his son a 
merciless beating that goes on for 15 min. for the same transgression. Is 
the first father a harsher disciplinarian? Once the beating stops, the 
suffering ends. Thus a son grounded for a month suffers more then a son 
grounded for a weekend. After all his punishment goes on far longer then the 
other mans does. A month, a weekend,  or 15 minutes? You make the call. 
Personally, I think that your comparing apples and oil filters.

Why do you suppose that the prisoners don't realize what a quick and easy 
out the death penalty is. Do you suppose that they know something that you 
don't? Seriously, which would you opt for?

gc
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Campbell" <joekc at adelphia.net>
To: "g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net>
Cc: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 1:52 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Duncan plea deal


> Gary,
>
> Just to clarify, the main point that I was trying to make is a simple one. 
> Once someone is dead, there is no longer any suffering. Thus, a person in 
> prison for, say, 20 years suffers more than a person who is in prison for 
> 5 years -- he suffers for 15 addition years!
>
> Best, Joe
>
> ---- "g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net> wrote:
>
> =============
> Bruce, I am not currently arguing the deterrent effect of the death 
> penalty with Joe. I am simply trying to figure where he comes by the 
> notion that "A long life in prison is far worse than a short death" 
> considering the seeming evidence to the contrary. Your input and expertise 
> on this topic is much appreciated.
>
> As I have said before on this forum, I find it difficult to believe that 
> no angry or disgruntled potential killer has been given pause in his 
> actions by the thought of harsh punishment. I find it hard to envision the 
> method by which you could prove this type of negative.
>
> Even if it were determined beyond all shadow of a doubt that there was no 
> deterrent effect in the death penalty I would still be in favor of capital 
> punishment for a very select few, Duncan being a prime example. Confessed, 
> remorseless, multiple murdering deviants such as him (along with Malvo, 
> Creech, Ridgeway, Rader, etc.) should be put down as expeditiously as 
> possible for, among other reasons, the danger they present to prison 
> guards and fellow prisoners to say nothing of the general population, 
> should they manage to get loose. If the argument is brought up that it's 
> cheaper to sentence these offenders to LWOP, I would suggest that perhaps 
> the appeal and review process should be streamlined to hasten these 
> vermin's passing. When wild animals wantonly kill a human we do not lock 
> them up for the rest of their natural lives. We destroy them as quickly 
> and humanely as possible. I do not believe that these types of killers 
> should be shown any greater courtesy.
>
>
> gc
>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: Bruce and Jean Livingston
>  To: g. crabtree ; Joe Campbell
>  Cc: vision2020
>  Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 6:04 PM
>  Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Duncan plea deal
>
>
>  Funny that I crossed in the mail with Gary on this one.
>
>  Let me say that I do not disagree with Mr. Sharp on the huge number of 
> folks, proportionately, who get sentenced to death and choose life in 
> prison over death.  I think that is an accurate statement, regardless of 
> whether the real numbers may be 99 % or 95 %.  I have known a number of 
> convicted murderers who instructed their attorneys not to appeal the death 
> sentence, but then reconsidered and sought to avoid the death sentence and 
> not just the guilty verdict.
>
>  However, I would question the logic that concludes that because people 
> fear death and would choose LWOP over execution, (if they could), that 
> therefore the death penalty has a significant deterrent effect.  For the 
> most part, I think that those thoughts about preferring LWOP to execution 
> only occur after the person has been caught.
>
>  Bruce Livingston
>    ----- Original Message ----- 
>    From: g. crabtree
>    To: Joe Campbell
>    Cc: vision2020
>    Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 5:46 PM
>    Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Duncan plea deal
>
>
>    Joe, thank you for the clarification. I will readily concede that the 
> single statistic does not in and of itself totally support the conclusion. 
> I obviously excerpted the quote from a larger work and, perhaps, should 
> have excised the conclusion or included the entire argument. Either way, 
> to throw Mr. Sharp under the bus as a charlatan because of my imprecision 
> is to do him a serious disservice. A cursory look at his bio/CV reveals 
> that he is indeed extremely knowledgeable in his field. This combined with 
> the fact that you do not dispute the pertinent statistic causes me to 
> disregard your charge on the appeal to authority fallacy.
>
>    Mr. Sharp's scholarship and my lack of logical thinking aside, lets 
> return to your original premise "A long life in prison is far worse than a 
> short death." You've done a masterful job of tap dancing on my meager 
> reasons for doubting your claim. Now how about you take on the more 
> difficult task of providing some evidence to support why it is that you 
> believe that 98.8% of inmates sentenced to death fight to remain alive if 
> your contention is correct? What is it that you base your assertion on?
>
>    gc
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>    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: Thursday, October 19, 2006 9:03 AM
>    Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Duncan plea deal
>
>
>    > Dear Gary,
>    >
>    > Let me try to make the point more clearly.
>    >
>    > Your "expert" said: "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."
>    >
>    > Here is the argument:
>    > 1. 98.8% of inmates sentenced to death since 1973 have not waived 
> appeals.
>    > 2. Therefore, murderers would rather live on death row than die.
>    >
>    > How exactly does (1) support (2)? This is an invalid argument since 
> conclusion (2) makes speculative claims about the will to live of 
> murderers whereas premise (1) merely reports the percentage of folks who 
> have and have not waved appeals.
>    >
>    > The content of the conclusion is substantially different from the 
> content of the premise. No social scientist worth his salt would be so 
> bold as to draw such a speculative conclusion based on such unrelated 
> "facts." Your "expert" is no expert at all. Thus, you are guilty of the 
> fallacy of appeal to authority.
>    >
>    > Does this make sense now?
>    >
>    > --
>    > Joe Campbell
>    >
>    > ---- "g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net> wrote:
>    >
>    > =============
>    > Well so much for the reasoned response. What I'm not finding  in the 
> usual
>    > reply is anything to support your original contention. You seem to 
> object to
>    > any facts presented with no rational explanation. You style yourself 
> an
>    > expert and then present no expertise. You bluster and blather and 
> attempt to
>    > shift the discussion to different ground presumably because you find 
> it
>    > difficult, perhaps impossible to make your case. I guess I'll just 
> have to
>    > assume that you have nothing to back up your original assertion and 
> that
>    > this is the very best you can do. How surprising. I guess it's time 
> to let
>    > this sorry topic die. (after your disjointed, wounded, and yet 
> strangely
>    > self congratulatory, reply of course.)
>    >
>    > gc
>    > 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: Wednesday, October 18, 2006 4:21 PM
>    > Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Duncan plea deal
>    >
>    >
>    > Thank you, Locksmith Crabtree! The recent cold has been getting me 
> down, so
>    > I much appreciate the large dose of hot air coming from your 
> direction!
>    >
>    > I did not dispute the "facts" noted by your "expert." What I disputed 
> was
>    > his opinionated conclusion and the suggestion that it followed from 
> the
>    > "facts."
>    >
>    > Your "expert" said: "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."
>    >
>    > The facts do not support the conclusion; the inference is hogwash. 
> Believe
>    > me, for I'm an expert! As you noted, I teach logic in my day job! You 
> seem
>    > to be a bit selective in who you choose to lable "expert," though, so 
> it is
>    > doubtful that this will impress you. (The key factor appears to be 
> that the
>    > "expert" happens to agree with you.)
>    >
>    > Suppose I say that (1) Mike Rogers claims that Larry Craig cheats on 
> his
>    > wife and add that (2) Mike Rodges is an expert who supports his views 
> with
>    > "facts." Can I pass this off as evidence and argument, too?
>    >
>    > You need to tell me how it is that your "expert" gets to his 
> conclusion from
>    > the scant facts that you've presented. If you can do this, his 
> expertise
>    > won't matter, for I know a good argument when I see it. Moreover, 
> you'll
>    > have convinced me that your view IS supported by facts and inference. 
> As it
>    > is it appears to be based on the false assumption that all of our 
> problems
>    > will go away once we start killing more people.
>    >
>    > --
>    > Joe Campbell
>    >
>    > ---- "g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net> wrote:
>    >
>    > =============
>    > 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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>    >>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>    >>>>               http://www.fsr.net
>    >>>>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>    >>>> =======================================================
>    >>>>
>    >>>> =======================================================
>    >>>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
>    >>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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>    >>>>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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>    >>>>
>    >>>> =======================================================
>    >>>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
>    >>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>    >>>>               http://www.fsr.net
>    >>>>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>    >>>> =======================================================
>    >>>>
>    >>>
>    >>>
>    >>>
>    >>>
>    >>
>    >
>    >
>    >
>    >
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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>     serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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