Sonicrusk Blog

This is something I have been wondering about ever since I wrote a post on Tookie Williams. In that entry, I stated that I was, if anything, indifferent to the use of the death penalty. If it is used, fine. If it is commuted to life without parole for whatever reason, that’s fine too. I tried to show why some inmates are executed – ghastly crimes.

Support for the death penalty should go against the standard liberal beliefs. I am a liberal, and support the liberal stance on most issues. My friend Adjanc, who often comments on this blog, is pro death penalty as well. He is so liberal that he sometimes thinks that Barbara Boxer is not liberal enough.

I have another friend that is against the War in Iraq and a number of foreign policy issues. He has spent many years outside of the US and is concerned with how we appear to the rest of the world. He is pro-choice. He considers himself a moderate Republican.

I know a man that parallels me on just about every social issue, judging from my conversations with him. But he is a Republican, and I assume he votes for the Republican candidate for every election. The only thing that I can think that makes him a true Republican is that he is tough on crime. Well, I’m tough on crime too, and I’m a Democrat. We agree on most other things.

Are we all moderates and just don’t know it? What makes a moderate, to buck the trend in one area? I’ve met Republicans who are conservative on many issues but pro-choice. Is party affiliation or political ideology that capricious, more of a gut feeling?

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