Last night, two men were forcibly injected with drugs that would end thier lives.
First, sodium thiopental, a fast acting barbiturate, which should keep the unconscious and feeling no pain. Should.
Second, pancuronium bromide, which paralyzes the man.
Third, potassium chloride, which stops the heart.
In Texas, Lawrence Brewer was executed at 6:21 for the racially motivated dragging death of James Byrd. He claimed he was not guilty, but confessed to other prisoners. His last meal was two chicken fried steaks, a triple bacon cheeseburger, a pound of barbecue mix, and a pound of ice cream, amongst other things. He did not touch any of it. Texas ended the last meal program today. Unjustified, I think.
In Georgia, Troy Davis was executed at 11:08, for the murder of police officer Mark MacPhail at a Burger King. After shooting him in the side of the chest and the leg, which hes vest could not stop. He could not get to his pistol. Smiling and laughing, Davis then shot him in the face. Like Brewer, he maintained he was not guilty, but confessed to other prisoners.
Brewer said that he had no regrets and would do it again. Davis told the still grieving family of his victim he was innocent.
You might have heard that of nine witnesses, seven recanted, and there was no physical evidence. If so, you bought three lies. Only two actually recanted, and they were not considered credible. The other five changed thier stories, but still implicated Davis. Also, the prosecution called 34 witnesses, not nine. The physical evidence consisted of the shells his pistol dropped when he was shooting at a car at a party earlier.
Both men are guilty of murder, racially motivated. Guilty as sin, without a doubt. They were parasites upon society, and needed to be eliminated.
If you read my blogs, then you know I am a conservative.
So, you might find it hard to believe that I oppose capital punishment.
NOT IN MY NAME! No killing in my name.
Throw these people in a deep, dark hole, never let them out and forget about them.
I want to go a bit deeper. Why punish anyone? There are only a few reasons.
Retribution: Capital punishment certainly does that. These were both horrendous killings, and I do want revenge. I will not slander those who agree with me here are "primitive" because they feel that vengeance is a part of justice. It alwasy has been. Men are not angels, which is why we read The Republic and live by The Prince.
Rehabilitation: Capital punishment gives up on this. These two could never be rehabilitated.
Incapacitation: This is the strongest argument for capital punishment. If you kill someone, they will never do it again.
Deterrence: This is the crux of my argument. If you could show me one person was deterred by capital punishment, I would cease all opposition. Nobody can prove this, however. Further, it does not make sense. These people do not believe they will be caught. A crime of passion is done without reason. Some people do not know the difference between right and wrong. Others do, but do not see how it applies to them.
Several years ago, I was driving back from Mardi Gras and had a long discussion with my girlfriend about this. She described herself as a "Yankee feminist socialist." So, you might think she agreed with me. Not at all. Her background was in law enforcement. Her entire argument was incapacitation. As I noted above, that is inarguable.
I will say that when some damn Yankee starts talking about Texas and "frontier justice" without trying to understand how punishment works in Texas, for it is different than other states, I change my mind. We have two gurneys, lots of people on death row, might as well get rid of all today.
Only for a while.
One of the things we must all understand is, that in a constitutional democratic republic, the majority might disagree with us. While the majority might not exactly rule, it does, and should have, a great role in the body politic. The majority of the people, the dread sovereign of the United States, likes capital punishment.
A murderer, no matter how foul, must be acknowledged as a human being. Let us kill them, if we must, as a man. Lethal injection may not be painless, as the barbiturates may not be powerful enough to do the job, or last through the execution, which would be excruciating. The gas chamber and electrocution are hideous. Treat them like men.
Hang them. Shoot them.
Better yet, throw them in hole and forget them.
First, sodium thiopental, a fast acting barbiturate, which should keep the unconscious and feeling no pain. Should.
Second, pancuronium bromide, which paralyzes the man.
Third, potassium chloride, which stops the heart.
In Texas, Lawrence Brewer was executed at 6:21 for the racially motivated dragging death of James Byrd. He claimed he was not guilty, but confessed to other prisoners. His last meal was two chicken fried steaks, a triple bacon cheeseburger, a pound of barbecue mix, and a pound of ice cream, amongst other things. He did not touch any of it. Texas ended the last meal program today. Unjustified, I think.
In Georgia, Troy Davis was executed at 11:08, for the murder of police officer Mark MacPhail at a Burger King. After shooting him in the side of the chest and the leg, which hes vest could not stop. He could not get to his pistol. Smiling and laughing, Davis then shot him in the face. Like Brewer, he maintained he was not guilty, but confessed to other prisoners.
Brewer said that he had no regrets and would do it again. Davis told the still grieving family of his victim he was innocent.
You might have heard that of nine witnesses, seven recanted, and there was no physical evidence. If so, you bought three lies. Only two actually recanted, and they were not considered credible. The other five changed thier stories, but still implicated Davis. Also, the prosecution called 34 witnesses, not nine. The physical evidence consisted of the shells his pistol dropped when he was shooting at a car at a party earlier.
Both men are guilty of murder, racially motivated. Guilty as sin, without a doubt. They were parasites upon society, and needed to be eliminated.
If you read my blogs, then you know I am a conservative.
So, you might find it hard to believe that I oppose capital punishment.
NOT IN MY NAME! No killing in my name.
Throw these people in a deep, dark hole, never let them out and forget about them.
I want to go a bit deeper. Why punish anyone? There are only a few reasons.
Retribution: Capital punishment certainly does that. These were both horrendous killings, and I do want revenge. I will not slander those who agree with me here are "primitive" because they feel that vengeance is a part of justice. It alwasy has been. Men are not angels, which is why we read The Republic and live by The Prince.
Rehabilitation: Capital punishment gives up on this. These two could never be rehabilitated.
Incapacitation: This is the strongest argument for capital punishment. If you kill someone, they will never do it again.
Deterrence: This is the crux of my argument. If you could show me one person was deterred by capital punishment, I would cease all opposition. Nobody can prove this, however. Further, it does not make sense. These people do not believe they will be caught. A crime of passion is done without reason. Some people do not know the difference between right and wrong. Others do, but do not see how it applies to them.
Several years ago, I was driving back from Mardi Gras and had a long discussion with my girlfriend about this. She described herself as a "Yankee feminist socialist." So, you might think she agreed with me. Not at all. Her background was in law enforcement. Her entire argument was incapacitation. As I noted above, that is inarguable.
I will say that when some damn Yankee starts talking about Texas and "frontier justice" without trying to understand how punishment works in Texas, for it is different than other states, I change my mind. We have two gurneys, lots of people on death row, might as well get rid of all today.
Only for a while.
One of the things we must all understand is, that in a constitutional democratic republic, the majority might disagree with us. While the majority might not exactly rule, it does, and should have, a great role in the body politic. The majority of the people, the dread sovereign of the United States, likes capital punishment.
A murderer, no matter how foul, must be acknowledged as a human being. Let us kill them, if we must, as a man. Lethal injection may not be painless, as the barbiturates may not be powerful enough to do the job, or last through the execution, which would be excruciating. The gas chamber and electrocution are hideous. Treat them like men.
Hang them. Shoot them.
Better yet, throw them in hole and forget them.
