AT last justice is done - in Iraq, at least. It is better to have a dead martyr like Saddam Hussein than a living one.

At home, though, things are much different. Our weak "do-gooders" in power (and those waiting in the wings) don't believe in the death penalty. In the days of advanced DNA, there are no justifiable reasons not to reinstate it for murder and other horrendous crimes.

By not having capital punishment we are insulting all the grieved families and friends of the victim. In addition, of course, many of those murdered would still be alive if capital punishment were reinstated (it's a deterrent).

As a taxpayer I strongly object to paying for all the low life (convicted of these horrendous crimes every day, it seems) to be kept in comfort for years.

It's time to form a new party.

John Booth, White House Gardens, York.


I WONDERED how long it would be before the hand-wringing brigade came out of their corner, bleating about Saddam's execution. What was supposed to happen? Should he have been jailed for life? Who would be expected to clothe and feed him for the next maybe 20 years? Would these people have preferred it if he had been brought to Britain to languish in comfort at our expense?

We have enough home-grown murderers, who are treated better than the elderly because the bleeding hearts are against hanging.

So I have an idea. Why don't these do-gooders adopt a convicted murderer or two, or maybe even three. There are plenty of these low-lifers to go around. They could provide food, clothing, TVs, even computers out of their own pocket, or maybe club together to build new prisons, because it seems prison is so good they fill up very quickly.

All the taxpayers' money that is saved could be put towards hospitals and schools. There would be no compensation claims, because the only people there would be to moan about would be their mentors. Executed murderers do not expect to be fed, clothed, and entertained, therefore a substantial saving would be made for the law-abiding taxpayer, in this country or any other.

Carol Mitchell, West Nooks, Haxby, York.