Death Penalty: Edward Koch Vs David Bruck

Suppose you live under someone else's command: Night and day, they are the one who have the privilege of deciding when or what you eat, sleep, wake up, what to wear, and where to go. Suppose this other person even gets to decide when and how you die. Who gives them this right? Who instilled in them this power? The death penalty – an extremely controversial issue – seems to be a topic great debate in the 1980's. Two writers who held strong points of view relating to the issue of the death penalty were Edward Koch and David Bruck. Both held opposing stances, but one might unfold to seem more realistic than the other. Edward Koch – Mayor of New York City from 1978-1989 – wrote the essay "Death and Justice: How Capital Punishment Affirms Life" to justify his pro-death penalty ideology. He argues that his twenty-two years in service have shown him the "pros and cons of capital punishment expressed with some special intensity" (Koch 484). Continuing, he clarifies his stance even more by writing:
I have represented constituencies generally throughout as a liberal. Because I support the death penalty for heinous crimes of murder, I have sometimes been the subject of emotional and outraged attacks by voters who find my position reprehensible or worse... I still support the death penalty (Koch 484).

In reality, the judicial system does not set a good example to the world by allowing one executioner to execute another, because in that case, the system is just giving birth to another murderer. The only difference is that one is being punished for his actions and the other is not, since he has justification for his actions. In this case, they are what Koch may refer to as licensed killers, on page 485. But then, can we assume that some murders can be justified? Well, according to