http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/1/22/103832/768 As the <a href="http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2008/images/01/17/press.advisory.pdf">MP</a>s (PDF), the <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/alert/laurean_ca.htm">FBI</a>, and <a href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0801/21/ng.01.html">various talking heads</a> chase the accused murderer of Lance Cpl. <a href="http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/CRIME/01/21/missing.marine/art.lauterbach.jpg">Maria Lauterbach</a>, a new angle in the case may block the thirst for blood. The suspect is believed to have fled the country en-us Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:51:18 EST Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:53:10 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/1/22/103832/768#7 One significant difference between state killing in war and state killing in executions is that it is illegal to kill a prisoner in war, whereas an execution, by definition, is of a prisoner.  In war, the purpose of killing is to prevent the enemy fro Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:53:10 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/1/22/103832/768#6 <em>South Africa wasn't a democracy - when over half your population doesn't have political rights, it's a whole 'nother ballgame. International pressure was completely justified in that case. The US system, with all its flaws, doesn't even come close to b Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:10:55 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/1/22/103832/768#5 Of course it's when killing is justified and when it's not that we're talking about. The part of your post I took issue with was "from a moral standpoint there's not all that much difference between executions and war." I asserted that from a moral standpo Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:59:04 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/1/22/103832/768#4 <i>But there is. A true war of self-defense (not "Eyerack has teh WMDeez, let' s git um!") is carried out to protect the physical, political, and cultural integrity of a nation, not to mention the lives of its people. The circumstances leading to a war of Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:36:05 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/1/22/103832/768#3 <em>I feel the state should, and indeed needs to have the right to sanction the killing of people - and really, everyone does - nobody would suggest that a war of self-defense is illegal, but from a moral standpoint there's not all that much difference bet Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:28:30 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/1/22/103832/768#2 <i>I think too many people are innocently convicted of crimes, and that the penalty is unequally applied (although, I think this is more of an issue of sex and class - or the ability to afford a good lawyer - than of race). Given these flaws, I'd like to s Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:59:24 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/1/22/103832/768#1 I do not oppose the death penalty on principle. I feel the state should, and indeed needs to have the right to sanction the killing of people - and really, everyone does - nobody would suggest that a war of self-defense is illegal, but from a moral standp Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:13:38 EST string http://www.treesandthings.com/search/