h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Green Mile------A Great FIlm With A Message. - A2931996
Author: oldvillageidiot - U680327

This was one of the first pieces I ever wrote. Thought I'd write about a film I had enjoyed.

Nice summary of a very long film. As Mr. King is one of my favorite authors, and that movie adaptations of his works are usually horrid, I approached this one with some trepidation. However, I was totally enthralled by the second hour and was quite astounded at the masterful performance by it's cast. Wonderful movie, one I will definately see agian.

As for the morality, would you want the person responsible for the cold blooded murder of someone you loved to live? Would you want to shoulder the responsibility for caring for that person should they be allowed to live? My answer to both is no. If a person willfully and coherantly kills another human, then they should die as well. There can be no room in society for those that care so little for life. Of course, I believe that the execution should be exactly what was done by the murderer.

Don't mean to offend, I just thought that you wanted other opinions by the way the end was worded. Good effort for a first, hope to see more.

I will agree to disagree with you on your point about taking out a revenge on persons who kill. For that is what it is. When someone, for whatever reason has killed another human being, in my view they should have the more suitable punishment of life in prison. And before you come back with, 'the prisons these days are like holiday camps, some prisoners lead a better life behind bars than they did before being convicted'. Please tell me how they do? Unless we go back to the way prisons were before, 'Elizabeth Fry' the prison reformer helped change things for the better,..... all in one overcrowded cell, with slop to eat and straw to sleep on, not forgetting the floor being used as a latrine. Would that be good enough for you? Even with most of the basic things we all take for granted, a life sentence, and I mean one such as Ian Brady is serving, is more of a punishment than any form of capitol punishment. Imagine not being able to walk where you want, sit and look at a wonderful scene, get up when you like, go to bed when you like, buy whatever you want from a shop, make love to a woman or man. The list is endless and so it should be. A quick death, administered by the state is far less painful in my view. Think of the murderers who have decided to take the easy way out and kill themselves because a life behind bars was the harder punishment. As for 'a life for a life' should we not start healing society by saying, 'we the law abiding, upstanding members of society, are not going to condone killing, to punish a person who has killed' That makes us no better than the murderer.

My view on the death sentance is just a logical continuance of my view on punishment in general. Essentially the punishment should be the crime. If a person steals something, they should have everything taken from them. If they peddle drugs, they should be forced to become addicted to that same drug, then of course rehabilitated in the finest tradition of the state. If they murder, then they should be murdered. If a person knows that what they do will be done to them, they will not chose to harm quite so often. The problem is that the crimes that do harm are not punished severly enough, and those that harm none are punished far to severly.

Granted my approach would take a while to actually show any improvement at all in crimes, but it will eventually sink in. Even if it is too idealistic to ever become a reality.

I think this has FM potential and would like to propose the <./>writing-fleamarket</.>.

<BB<

Seconded