In response to Steve Skutnik’s letter of Jan. 26:

Social contract or not, I believe that killing is wrong.

The government has no right to do anything that it condemns its citizens for.

For example, if in a gang war, one gang went to avenge the death of one of their own by killing a member of the rival gang, the people and the government would universally condemn that as wrong.

Support of capital punishment means that the state would be free from its own laws — indeed, the government would be above itself.

Why should it be that when the state kills, it’s acceptable or maybe even laudable?

Pope “J.P. Deuce” didn’t come right out and say capital punishment is wrong recently.

It’s been part of Catholic doctrine for many, many years.

The Church, like me, believes that killing in all forms is wrong.

Finally, the remark that “intelligent research” is needed for this topic isn’t appropriate. The ideas contained in the Federalist Papers and the founding documents of the United States are just that: ideas, not facts.

People can intelligently research these documents, but all they will get are ideas, not facts.

This argument can’t be resolved with simple facts.

It’s a very emotional argument which deals with the fundamentals of “right” and “wrong.”

It’s something a person believes, not something he quotes from a book of facts.

Michael Falk

Junior

Meteorology