Let him rot in prison. (Uh, you consider that a wimpy punishment, especially for someone who killed a 4 year old girl?)

Mike, the issue is the assumption of "rotting" in prison. There's growing consensus in the psych field (even among those who oppose the death penalthy) that murderers ENJOY sitting in a cell and mentally playing back their kill.

Many years ago Don Imus interviewed a psychologist on this very issue, and was talking about a specific killer. Imus said, "just toss the guy in a cell and give him bread and water and let him sit and think about what he did for the next 50 years"....to which the psychologist replied, "that's an interesting reward you're giving him - those who murder are very likely to celebrate their "kill" in their mind, over and over and over again".

Add to that the # of murderers who injure/kill prison guards.

Though ironically, in the case I referenced, the strange moral code of inmates may sort things out anyway....since men in prison for raping or killing children are sometimes brutalized or killed by other inmates. It's the oddest moral code I've ever seen, but hey, if it ain't broke...

The argument about "we don't want to be on the same list as country XYZ" is a bogus stance. Our system of justice, while not perfect, is supremely better than monstrous nations (like Iran) that put people to death for actions that fall WAY short of first-degree murder.