reading and my thouhts

First reading, i had made it my rather unremarkable goal to read 12 books this year.  I had got a nook and was making decent progress.  I had a nook is an important thing to say, i no longer have a nook, and I've not been reading as much because of it.

It is so nice to be able to just sit down when you have ten minutes and the thing opens up to exactly where you were.  This year I had read, 4 to 6 books, I am not sure exactly I should add a couple to my tally just to make an effort.  Besides if Splat the Cat counts, I am way way way way over.

Last time i asked for book requests, I read the short bus. 

So i am asking again, any book ideas?

Insert section divide here

I had a conversation at work the other day which really really troubles me.

Remember Anders Behring Breivik?  He is the crazy dude that killed somewhere around 80 folks in Norway.  We were talking about him and comparing him to the US death penalty.   In the US dude would likely get the death penalty.  In Norway he'll likely get like 20 year.  The point of our discussion was is the US right or is Norway right?

I found myself stunningly on the Norwegian side, not because i think this guy should be kept alive, but because if you are judging comparing and contrasting societies and awarding points, who wins.  The society that is judged by most of the world as murderous for the death penalty policy, or the society judged by the rest of the world as being too compassionate?

I also don't think the death penalty is in anyway, helpful.   So dude kills someone and 16 years later is put to death.  Does that erase his/her sins?  Does that some how atone for the doing?  And does it make us safer at all? 

According to the innocence project 273 people have been exonerated because of DNA of those 13 had been on death row. That is only since 1989.   That is about 1 once a year.  How many people has the US killed that were innocent?

If we don't protect the lives of people are we as a society any different from those members that kill?  

My co workers called me a liberal, pinko commie. I am like seriously, you think it is wrong to not want to protect innocent people from the death penalty even at the risk of subjecting not innocent people to the paradise that is life without parole.