I've never really understood the idea of the Death Penalty being some ultimate punishment. I mean, what better way to get out of doing a life sentence than to be killed so you don't have to suffer it?

Isn't it more torturous to keep someone alive as long as possible, away from the society which we crave as a species? As a side note, this is also why I need to make sure i have a DNR if I ever get cancer, or lose one of my arms.

I've said this a few time around the web, but when someone asks "What is the point of prison?" there are usually two answers: Punishment and Rehabilitation. If you're in for rehabilitation (as I generally am), then you're probably against the death penalty. If you're in for punishment, why cut the "punishment" short?

Some of the most gruesome torture scenes we see in horror movies are the ones where we ask "How is that person still alive?" At some level, we culturally see death as a release, regardless of whether or not we see judgement on the other side.

So... How does the death penalty fit into that? My only thought is that it is not punishment, it is vengeance. But then, it's not even very good vengeance - Who opts for short term, quick vengeance when long term, slow vengeance will be "better" (in quotations because i don't know if you can consider it better from a moral standpoint, or just more effective)