Re "The Justice Americans Demand" (Op-Ed, Feb. 4), by David Frum, on popular support for the death penalty: The success of American institutions does not derive from adherence to "the popular will"; rather, it derives from an unflinching devotion to basic principles of human decency and human rights, including the right to life.
The law, and more importantly the most basic concepts of human decency and human dignity demand it.
Your loving sentiments shine a ray of light into the dark expanse of fear and ignorance and reaffirm my faith in the basic decency of the human race.
Israel's commitment to the rule of law, basic freedoms and human decency distinguishes it from every other country and non-state actor in the Middle East.
But in public, especially in the pre-election phase, the one thing he did a lot of was failure to show basic human decency, and most of us seem to understand what basic human decency is.
I am a lawyer, a former civil servant, a citizen, and a military officer, and even if I was none of those things, I am a human deserving of basic human decency and respect.
(One exception is American public education, which Yusuf bitterly opposes, insisting that it ignores "basic human decency" and produces "no more than functional literates".
But when someone is hurt and suffering, we have to balance our instincts as professionals with basic human decency and care.
This is not "sticking their noses where they have no business", just basic human decency and good business sense.Paul King Chief executive Hammersmith & Fulham MIND LondonPreferable premiumsSIR – Readers in America are likely to be envious of the "sky-high" premiums Italians pay for car insurance ("Claim and misfortune", July 10th).
