As an attorney, I feel that capital punishment should be avoided as much as possible as the consequences are irreversible and while the law is impartial, there may be cases where the court has not seen the full picture and made a wrong judgment.

JDmysticDJ, this is why I still support the death penalty - This guy, a convicted of murder and who openly admits it, has become another one of those darlings of the left - a white guy who wrote a screenplay (being able to write seems to be the key to getting out of prison ) who touched all the right bases and garnered the support of the NAACP and now is in law school at Tulane, his victim as far as we know is still dead.

This is the stuff that so-called journalists like Scheer and Robinson won’t write about, especially when they kill again, it doesn’t fit thier narrative.

http://abovethelaw.com/2011/09/new-tulane-1l-is-an-advocate-a-writer-and-a-murderer/

JDmysticDJ, I knew that, I think most people do. Henri linked to the article that served his purpose, whatever that is ?

I think we’ve wondered off topic a bit—to a liberals favorite refuge after the name calling, the ” minutia ” I’m outty.

Robert Scheer,          9/26/2011
    I think,this has more to do with remnants of the
Inquisition being maintained and incorporated within
the political/social arena of some States.
    Thanking you for the opportunity to comment-
    James M. de Laurier

“First they came for the Communists,
  and I didn’t speak up,
  because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
  and I didn’t speak up,
  because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
  and I didn’t speak up,
  because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
  and by that time there was no one
  left to speak up for me.”
by Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

“A few weeks ago, someone on alt.activism asked who said these words and what had happened to him. First, the version above is taken from an article on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of WW II that appeared in TIME Magazine, Aug 28, 1989. There are many versions of this poem floating around… by no means is this the authorative one. Similarly, the author of the poem is often not mentioned. On one level, that is not important. Indeed, Martin Niemoller was an outspoken advocate for accepting the burden of collective guilt for WW II as a means of atonement for the suffering that the German nation (through the Nazis) had caused before and during WW II.”

“First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

A brief search shows that the quotation and many variations in different contexts have been used.

As I understand it, first they came for the mentally challenged, perceived deviants, gypsies (Roma), and eventually anyone and everyone of little significance, or of some significance, who were perceived to be a threat to Arian genetic purity and the Nazi Party.

A brief study of the life of Niemoller should be undertaken by everyone who wishes to understand right-wing philosophy. Niemoller was a German U-boat commander in the First World War, a Protestant Minister, an early supporter of the Nazis, and an author endorsed by the Nazis. When Jews who had converted to Christianity were persecuted by the Nazis Niemoller spoke out against the persecution which landed him in Dachau prison.

Europeans, having suffered through the Holocaust and the ravages of the Second World War in Europe have a better understanding of what occurred, thus the popularity of liberal social democracy in Germany and in other European nations.

JDmysticDJ—My apologies, but the article itself gave no indication we were relying on facts here.

Just don’t report me to Attack Watch, okay buddy.

JDmysticDJ, note that in the version (http://www.martin-niemoeller-stiftung.de/4/daszitat/a31) found on the Martin Niemöller Stiftung website, the order is 1) Communists, 2) Social-Democrats, and 3) trade unionists. Neither Jews nor Roma are mentioned….

Henri

RE: jayman, September 24 at 6:44 pm

“…like the skin head in Texas, that they quietly would admit behind closed doors, they would have gladly executed themselves.”

You further expose yourself as being an ignorant cretin not moved by facts and reason. What do you base the above comment on? Unless you have some evidence to support the above, it’s just a figment of your frightened, hateful, bigoted, vengeful, and deranged mind.

“America’s “new” left is dangerously hypocritical and neurotic. They are not against killing, murder, or injustice, nor do they support equal rights, peace, justice, and freedom…”

Politics does make strange bedfellows. You as a reactionary right wing hate monger are in bed with the likes of David J. Cyr, who is a left-wing radical, with your diatribe against the “new left.”

“Be very afraid, when you hear the old saying “when “they” came for the Jews, I said nothing” these people are the “they” they are referring ...”

You are oblivious to the lessons of history. The “they” Pastor Martin Niemoller was referring to were the Nazis, murderous, war mongering, right wing-lunatics. Note that, according to Niemoller the Gypsies were the first victims, the communists came next, then the Jews, and then he himself. The Nazis hated liberals, democratic socialists, and anyone else that did not ascribe to their right wing lunacy: the belief in Arian supremacy, and the ordained destiny of Arians to subjugate the lesser peoples of the world, such is the essence of American exceptionalism, Neo-con philosophy, and fundamentalist ideologues of all stripes.

“Freedom now is defined by how “free” terrorists, criminals, gangsters, and thugs are to push their way into places they are not wanted, and commit mayhem.”

The above statement by you is true by my appraisal. Protecting freedom is the rationale used by terrorists, criminals, gangsters, and thugs to push their way into places they are not wanted, but the terrorists, criminals, gangsters, and thugs are right-wing lunatics supported by ignoramuses and sycophants such as you, not people from the Left.

stevepesceca, the fact that the anti death penalty movement must cherry pick it’s causes is proof in itself they have no legitimate case.

They must rally around a black man in Georgia who denies he is guilty because it fits the narrative they want to push, while ignoring scores of other monsters, like the skin head in Texas, that they quietly would admit behind closed doors, they would have gladly executed themselves. Their justice is NOT blind it is highly selective and depends very much on whom the perpetrators and victims are.

America’s “new” left is dangerously hypocritical and neurotic. They are not against killing, murder, or injustice, nor do they support equal rights, peace, justice, and freedom, they are highly selective in parsing out their versions of “truth” and “justice” and supporting only those people and those causes that support them, financially, and ideologically.

Be very afraid, when you hear the old saying “when “they” came for the Jews, I said nothing” these people are the “they” they are referring to - Look no further than to Obama’s Dept of Selective Justice to see our future.

Truth, justice for the hard working honest people be damned. It’s the criminal and terrorist that carry the day in America’s “new” wacky left - Just look around you the proof is ubiquitous - Freedom now is defined by how “free”  terrorists, criminals, gangsters, and thugs are to push their way into places they are not wanted, and commit mayhem. This movement has disaster written all over it, and is no more fair, than this guy was innocent. It’s a game, of tactics, not principle.

The cherry picking is what gives it away.

QUOTE, of an avatar being a painting in many (D)evious shades of blue:

“The very facts of our existence show that politics has been drifting evermore to the Right and the reality that confronts us is that of Corporatist neo-fascism, plutocracy, a global de facto neo-feudalism, imperialism, whatever, call it what you will, it is our reality and any opposition to this rightward shift, no matter how weak, is preferable to no opposition.”
_______________

Every vote for Democrats has diminished the possibility for a true political alternative to develop, and has MovedOn America further Right.

When will your “preponderance of Democrats” close down their John F. Kennedy University (The School of the America’s) that has provided advanced degrees of education for the military officers of foreign dictatorships for near 50 years now — a liberal arts school still perfecting the methods of exterminating democratic insurgencies by disappearing good people who stand in opposition to oppression?

There’s nothing more disgustingly disingenuous, nor as deeply depraved as liberals are. They vote for whatever they say they oppose and against whatever they say they are for.

The only votes that were not wasted were the protest votes… against the corporate (R) & (D) party.

http://www.chenangogreens.org

By David J. Cyr, September 24 at 5:18 am Link to this comment
QUOTE, of an avatar being a painting in many (D)evious shades of blue:
“The killing of psychopathic individuals legitimizes killing and leads to a social pathology that legitimizes killing”
__________________
Not nearly as much as the millions of maniac liberals voting to have “dumb” wars be (D) relabeled “necessary” and “humanitarian” does.
How many civilians have the Obama wars you voted for murdered today?

*********************************************************

David J. Cyr quotes me directly, uses the word “you,” accuses me of something most vile, and reverts to his anti-Democrat mantra. As if a preference for Democrats is an endorsement or an approval of war. No David J. Cyr I did not vote for “Obama wars,” I voted against McCain Republican wars. An accurate political acuity shows that the preponderance of Democrats supported the Vietnam War until the preponderance of Democrats finally voted to cut off funding for the Vietnam War. That cut off of funding was opposed by Republicans. The preponderance of Democrats supported Ronald Reagan’s murderous policies in Central America until the preponderance of Democrats finally cut off funding for Ronald Reagan’s murderous “Freedom Fighters.” Again, that cut off of funding was opposed by Republicans and that cut off of funding was criminally circumvented by Republicans with criminal activities that went essentially unpunished. After the 9/11 war hysteria subsided it was Democrats who opposed Republican war policies. Today it is Democrats who oppose Obama’s war policies.

I , here at truthdig, have called Obama a war criminal, I believe that Obama is guilty of war crimes and I have said so many times here at truthdig and elsewhere. I opposed NATO involvement in Libya and have condemned Western intrusions into Muslim lands. My preference for Democrats is not an approval of war, and saying so is the worst kind of demagoguery.

The dichotomy between Democrats and Republicans on war policy is woefully, nearly non-existent, but the preponderance of opposition to war policy comes from Democrats and not from Republicans. It is possible to loathe war policies and still prefer Democrats to Republicans; not only is it possible it is rational.

Political realities are what they are, and they can not be changed by angry, counter productive, emotionalism.  I loathed Lyndon Johnson’s Vietnam war policy and went to jail protesting those policies, I faced two years imprisonment in a Federal Prison and I have sacrificed and been ostracized for my anti-war beliefs and vocalized opinions . I have been held back from advancement and terminated from employment for voicing my anti-war opinions, and I have become alienated from my family because of my anti-war opinions, but I supported Lyndon Johnson’s domestic policies, and I voted for Hubert Humphrey and George McGovern, but what the nation got was Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, and the “Mad Man Theory of War.” Uncounted millions died as a result of Richard Nixon’s war policies.

The very facts of our existence show that politics has been drifting evermore to the Right and the reality that confronts us is that of Corporatist neo-fascism, plutocracy, a global de facto neo-feudalism, imperialism, whatever, call it what you will, it is our reality and any opposition to this rightward shift, no matter how weak, is preferable to no opposition.

A cursory glance at the national polls shows that a mere 2% of our citizenry consider the wars to be the most important issue facing us today. I believe that these war policies are the single most important issue that we face today, and that these war policies have a tragic negative impact on every aspect of our national welfare, but condemnation of Democrats will not serve to end these wars, quite the contrary. Condemning Democrats only serves the interests of the Right.

(More below)

(Continued from above)

Anti-Democrat fanaticism, such as David J. Cyr’s, will lead to no good end, accomplish nothing, and can only be perceived as counter productive to the rational mind. Obama has betrayed us is the angry chant, true enough, but there are greater betrayals. Betrayals that serve the interests of our worst enemies, divide the opposition to our worst enemies, and make us politically impotent. Hear the mindless statements coming from the Right, the drumbeat for war policies continues and is only diminished by cogent voices from the Left, including voices from within the Democratic Party. The Left is best served by more political power for Democrats, not less. Removing the Democrats from political power serves no good purpose, not in the near future, or in the more distant future.  Will there be a coalescence of political thought sometime in the future? What that coalescence of political thought might be is a question worth asking, and a question worthy of consideration.

QUOTE, of an avatar being a painting in many (D)evious shades of blue:

“The killing of psychopathic individuals legitimizes killing and leads to a social pathology that legitimizes killing”
__________________

Not nearly as much as the millions of maniac liberals voting to have “dumb” wars be (D) relabeled “necessary” and “humanitarian” does.

How many civilians have the Obama wars you voted for murdered today?

http://www.chenangogreens.org

Interesting, that each time I blog the following info, about
the Bush political line-up for 2012, JdmysticDJ dumps in two
pages of copied material that moves my blog below visibility. 

Nevertheless, why is the Bush home page found under the
family name of Scherf?
And, why is one high visibility Republican omitted from the
line-up?
Click down the list to see the line-up.  Who is missing ?
I wonder why?
http://scherf.com/club.htm

E: jayman, September 22 at 4:19 pm

Beyond any reasonable doubt, debating this issue with you is an exercise in futility. My only motivation for responding to you pertains to this being a public forum and I can not in good conscience allow your harmful dialectic to go unchallenged.

There are psychological differences between left-leaning individuals and right-leaning individuals and philosophical differences between Left and Right. The most obvious difference between Left and Right is that as a general rule the Left opposes killing as a solution to social and political problems, while the Right is in favor of killing as a solution to social and political problems e.g. war and conflict between nations and peoples. An anomaly to this “General rule” might be the issue of abortion, but a discussion of abortion is beyond the scope here. I am one leftist who finds himself at odds with leftist thinking about abortion, such an admission by me is not personally expedient in terms of having credibility with leftist compatriots, but it is honest… I digress.

Note that Robert Scheer begins his article by writing, “I don’t know if Troy Davis was innocent…” Scheer goes on to say that the evidence against Davis was suspect and that it needed to be re-examined, but the crux of his argument here is dialectic against the death penalty, regardless of guilt or innocence, and the political ramifications of supporting or opposing the death, or the participation in, or authorization of killing.

All data, as well as the preponderance of global thinking is that the death penalty serves no good purpose, unless one considers revenge as being a good purpose. The data and the irrational rationales are manifest. The argument that killing debases a society and leads to more killing is a sound argument in my opinion. A society that justifies killing, justifies killing. Death is inevitable, what is important is the quality of the lives we live. The way we choose to live our lives is a simple matter of philosophy, and there are conflicting modes of philosophical thinking. Social Darwinism, Ayn Randian self interest as the only legitimate morality, altruism, individualism versus collectivist community, etc. All of these modes of philosophical thinking are espoused as being be the best means of organizing society. Collectivist thinking is condemned by the Right, but the thinking that killing individuals within a society serves the interests of society is in my opinion a deranged kind of collectivist thinking.

The most effective way to combat violence and crime is to diminish the conditions that propagate violence and crime. Perceptions of social injustice will result in strife, turmoil, violence, crime, insurrection, revolution, persecution, and ultimately to quasi or real genocidal thinking. Such is the historical reality, as well as the current reality.

A more rational collectivist thinking would be that individuals irreparably pathologically damaged must be isolated from society and isolated from the basics of human interaction in some cases. The killing of psychopathic individuals legitimizes killing and leads to a social pathology that legitimizes killing; not just the killing of psychopaths but also the killing of those who are perceived as being a threat to said society.

Murder is a strong word, and perhaps inappropriately used here, but lawful killing is a murderous kind of law. Murder, Definition #4 Random House Dictionary (Slang): “To spoil or mar through incompetence.” Lawful killing is “Bad Justice,” AND “Bad Politics,” Bad politics on many levels, including that of being arguably immoral, cowardly, or incompetent. Political expedience may be politically expedient, or it might be considered a serving of the interests of constituents, but I can not believe that the death penalty is expeditious in any sense; I can only believe that institutionalized killing only expedites more killing.

(More Below)

RE: jayman, September 22 at 4:19 pm #2

Finally:

“Years of longitudinal data have consistently confirmed that, in American states with the death penalty, the murder rate is in fact significantly higher than in states in which the death penalty has been abolished. The FBI’s study, “Crime in the United States,” noted that in the years between 1996 and 2006, in states retaining the death penalty, the murder rate ranged from a low of 5.7 per 100,000 people in 2000, to a high of 7.72 per 100,000.

During that period the murder rate peaked in abolitionist states at 5.36 per 100,000 in 1996. In terms of percentage, the murder rate ranged from 28% to 46% higher in states that retain the death penalty in the period studied.”

Statistics are questionable, but the above statistics certainly don’t indicate that the death penalty is a deterrent to murder.

Murder is a form of removal, as is omission.

I find the Bush family line-up for 2012 very interesting.
Especially the republican the Scherf-Bush family omitted. 
And, why is the home-page found under the family name of Scherf?
Click down the list to see the line-up.  Who is missing ?
http://scherf.com/club.htm 
I wonder why - - .

allowing human logic to compensate for life via death…
requires a state of mind too biased for sound judgment…
whether it be an original crime or a subsequent punishment…
both relinquish reasoning’s guide to ill-founded entrustment…

Too many politicians are the lowest of the low. Those responsible for death, like Rick Perry, for example, play to the basest part of humankind. In the last debate, he reveled in his role as executioner, without a modicum of empathy.

Is that what you want leading our country?

Troy Davis got a better trial than those in Guantanamo.

He wasn’t renditioned, waterboarded or extrajudically whacked.

I do think that given the clamor over his ‘death sentence’ cooler heads should have prevailed and thrown the masses a bone.

ron hansing, they won’t read the facts, notice the writer knew that to get the job done here, he didn’t need them, in fact they would have only gotten in the way of his “truth”.

Crying about a criminal put to death for a murder they have convinced themselves he did not do ( by reading about it on the internet), or at least wasn’t the one holding the gun, makes them “feel good” and that’s all that is important to them. And this story fits the political narrative that they want to push.

Remember when they were against war, killing babies, and American soldiers dying, that is until a democratic president was doing it…then silence—The hypocrisy stinks.

JDmysticDJ, after reading the article I am not sure whether the writer is against the death penalty in general, this death penalty, or only death penalties that pull at his heart strings, or death penalties in China and N.Korea ?

As far as differences between left and right, the main difference that annoys me is the fact that far too many of the left are afflicted with a delusion of moral superiority that gives them the special right to circumvent the laws and play the system because they know the “truth”

If you want to do away with the death penalty fine, do it legally, don’t get criminals off the hook, by playing the system, and getting them released into society to do it again—I love consistency but I rarely see it from the party before country, tactics before principles, liberals in America.

The cost of keeping them in prison for life is NOT the only concern. It’s also the fact there are an army of activists, and lawyers out there ready to take on the “feel good”  job of getting the really good story tellers, heart string pullers, retrials and released to do it again.

Very curious. When questioned about the ongoing mistreatment of Bradley Manning, the dear POTUS essentially indicated that, sans benefit of trial, he was guilty of whatever charges and deserved his less than humane and probably illegal treatment. Where was the ever so ready to comment Obama last night when Troy Davis was being murdered? I guess Georgia must be a crucial re-election state.

It is impossible to hurt others without hurting oneself, without hardening ones heart.

This is how we become detached from humanity, and develop the belief that we are
sperate from our actions.

Mercy would have cost us nothing, but without the quality of mercy we are nothing at all.

If he was guilty he could of just remained in prison, in time he would of died anyway. But
not by our collective hands.

SoleProp:  Exactly! Which means the country is in the hands of fools—for reasons of insufficient public information, insufficient common sense,abd insufficient willingness to publicly oppose the insufficient ethical standards of fools.

“Murder Is Good Politics, Bad Justice” As is going to
war for insufficient reason, letting the planet fry for
insufficient reason, fixing the financial system on the
backs of the poor for insufficient reason. I’d go on,
but I’m becoming depressed saying this, for more
than sufficient reason.

Justice delayed is justice denied.. for the convicted and the victim.

We don’t know that man was innocent.. we see the case against him could not stand without question under the scrutiny of 20 years by those that loved him… and those who took up his cause for their own larger political and social goals.

The Progressive left seized upon this case. And how they engendered much hope among themselves and the family of the executed man.. This was their new Obama moment.. There’s so very many of us! .. Tweeting and Face-booking, and talking mercy and justice and.. we hope so much’!  .. ‘can’t you see
we REALLY believe’? .. ‘this is going to change things.. for the better’!

The courts were not interested in how much the memories or the beliefs of the original witnesses had changed. Or how much the man claimed innocence or how his family loved him.. only if applicable law had been followed.. They determined the sentence would stand.. This caused much anguish, chest beating, hair-pulling and even tears among the ‘Save Davis’ camp.. Was this for Davis? .. or the evidence of their own impotence?

The refusal to stay the execution was based on the rule of law. As was proper..  What would we have? .. a thumbs-up or thumbs-down public verdict.. maybe via Twitter? All together now.. text SAVE if you want Davis to live or PUNISH for him to die!

And oh yes.. the death penalty is barbaric and disproportionately applied to poor people and people of color.. This man was convicted of killing one man and died for that.. Our heads of government admit to the killing of many thousands of children, women and innocents and are celebrated for that. It’s unfair and rude and inhumane..

Here it is: Meaningful employment at a living wage for all that will work.. THAT will empty our prisons and make moot the question of punishment.

Adios!

Politically motivated, expedient, even justifiable (if
one is an ambitious politician seeking high office in
America.)  Governor Bill Clinton on the campaign trail
for president rushed back to Arkansas to ‘sign-off’ on
the execution the next morning of Ricky Ray Roberts.

Roberts was so mentally retarded that the evening
before his execution the next morning he asked his
jailer to ‘save’ his pecan pie, he’d eat it the next
night for dinner.  Bill Clinton knew this.  Bill
Clinton killed him anyway.

Whats the view from the inside these days?  -Bill in Canada

- the USA is the first car hooked onto the GHWBushSr/Zionist locomotive, Canada is the second.  (and too few inhabitants of either recognize it)

RE; Leefeller, September 22 at 8:06 am

“This being a Christian Nation, according to the Christians means we as a Nation do the tooth for a tooth dance and I suppose why we are in constant wars.  I mean religion seems just the bonding catalyst for the manipulative opportunism’s we see day to day.”

******************************************************************

This article seems to be the catalyst for opportunities for the opportunism’s we see here today.

Apparently some people use their brains to sit on, the antithesis of reason pervades when over ridden by the weight of stupidity. Especially when people portray themselves as profits professors of the future the uttered what ifs… and may haves… once again permeating all of us with the stench of imbecilic stupidity….(redundant, but required)

What if Obama was white, may have changed the outcome of what really happened! What if pigs could fly, pork barrels may be hard to catch. What if I happened to be rich and not so damn poor?  (I may invest in a tequila dispenser)

RE: jayman, September 22 at 7:11 am

Thank you for illustrating the dichotomy between Left and Right. The “rubbish” here is you.

RE: jayman, September 22 at 7:11 am

Thank you for illustrating the dichotomy between Left and Right. The “rubbish” here is you.

Death and taxes seem to be an emotional topic for most people above the age of puberty. This being a Christian Nation, according to the Christians means we as a Nation do the tooth for a tooth dance and I suppose why we are in constant wars.  I mean religion seems just the bonding catalyst for the manipulative opportunism’s we see day to day.

What else can we expect from mad barking dogs other than dogmas! 

Every time someone ceases to exist the world seems a bit more empty, we as humans worry a lot about it as individuals especially when opportunists and manipulators take advantage of it, even profit in many different ways.

Executing people seem so barbaric, but so does seem, water boarding, stoning, beheading and endless wars!

Sadly compassion seems limited only to those who have little or no say or power in its utilization’s. Civilization seems only one more empty word like so many others.

Did someone say political opportunism?

By David J. Cyr, September 22 at 5:54 am

“The reality of this ‘post-racial’ Obamanation is that if Troy Davis were white Obama would have happily granted him a presidential pardon.”

A pathetic, irrational, fanatic falls short of being an accurate description of you David J. Cyr. You turn this discussion of the death penalty into another opportunity for a hateful mindless criticism of Obama and Democrats. I’d say that you are a sick little puppy, but a sick little puppy is deserving of some compassion, you are not.

Henri, the writer is not only indulging in a bit of pandering, he is flaming the fires of the race bait game for political capital. You can tell by some of the comments already he struck the exact chord he was looking for.

Really, now we are comparable to China and N.Korea, I have lived and worked in China, not by a long shot. Pulling at our heart strings and not offering even so much as simple fact, or rationale why this execution pulls his heart strings, but the murder of an of police officer, Army Ranger Veteran Macphail, shot and killed while attempting to assist a black male being assailed over a beer in a Burger King parking lot at 1:45 in the morning, hardly reliable witnesses in the case, barely gets a mention.

This is a tired old game. The evidence was solid and while a couple of witnesses recanted, many solid witnesses did not. Judges are very aware of false testimony and how pressure can be applied to produce it, by community activists, such as anti death penalty activists, they are also aware that pressure is a two sided coin and they must consider both sides of it and how that may effect credibility. the evidence was such that Davis could not prevail. It was fair trial, even the Supreme Court gave him a rare hearing to prove his innocence.

This guy’s claims of innocence are rubbish from start to finish.

Again the criminals become the victims, and the victims become the criminals

The reality of this “post-racial” Obamanation is that if Troy Davis were white Obama would have happily granted him a presidential pardon.

Obama apologists can claim that he wouldn’t have, but their faith-based belief could only come true because Troy Davis wouldn’t have been convicted if he had been white.

http://www.chenangogreens.org

«From my own experience as a journalist covering this issue, the vast majority of politicians who defend capital punishment do so out of rank opportunism, which they demonstrate, particularly when the conversation is off the record, by citing polling numbers rather than evidence of the death penalty as a capital crime deterrent.» Yes, indeed, Robert, but are you not indulging in a bit of pandering yourself, when you compare the US to China, Iran, North Korea, and Yemen (you don’t miss a button, do you ?) and go one to write that «[t]here is something stunningly disgraceful about the company we keep on this issue» ? What do the four countries you mention have to do with the issue of capital punishment in the United States ? are you - or anyone else, for that matter - seriously suggesting that it is their practices according to which state governmental policies on this matter are modelled in the US ? The basis for capital punishment in the US is not to be found abroad, but must be sought in the country itself, just like the basis for the incredible incarceration rates obtaining among the US population, which far exceed those in, say, China. And don’t forget, while the four countries above must accept being lumped with the United States when it comes to capital punishment of citizens and residents, none of them come even close to the US record when it comes to murdering people abroad ; there, indeed, the US stands in a class by itself (although admittedly, it does obtain help from such loyal regimes as those running Britain or Poland or, to my shame, my own Sweden). Personally, I find this particular first place in a race in which none of the other countries you mention seem to be interested in running no less «stunningly disgraceful» than the US record on domestic capital punishment….

Henri

Tends to remind one of the several death row victims when Junor Bush occupied the Texas
governorship.  He denied review for several.  Years later, DNA and improved techniques proved several of them to be innocent.  Among them were Black men accused of raping White women.

I wonder where Junior Bush was and what he was doing?
“Bush, the son of a billioniare, was strangely living in the most impoverished place in America, Brownsville. Bush was living nearby to and also inside the headquarters of a Satanic Cult of which he was a member. Bush disappeared for three days during which ALL of the other of his fellow Cult Members were slaughtered. After he reappeared he could not explain where he had been.  http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/01/308911.shtml ” 

Seventeen people were murdered and skinned, ritual style.  Unsolved.
Making lampshades of human skin was a favorite of top level NAZIs during WW II.

Check out the lampshades, next time you are in the Bush libraries.

Will it take a constitutional amendment to end The Death Penalty? Amy
Goodman in tears. I’m ashamed to be American.