Auto-SummaryTexas faced the excusal of over 20 individuals from Death Row due to issues with the state's capital punishment laws. George W. Bush, as the governor of Texas, has been criticized for his opposition to changes in clemency procedures and his support for the death penalty, even for individuals with low IQs. During his tenure, Texas executed 152 people, making Bush the most-killing governor in U.S. history. The state also ranks last in social services while leading in executions, despite having poor-funded programs for the mentally ill and opposition to life without parole for those with low IQs. Critics argue that the death penalty is not a deterrent and can lead to the execution of innocent individuals, with the cost of executing someone being higher than housing them for life. The author suggests eliminating the death penalty and keeping offenders in prison for life, emphasizing the importance of practicality over vengeance.
Texas recently had to excuse 20+ kids from Death Row because of this. :http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistor...opolitan/306403
and i find Texas to be the funniest and most important case about our capital punishment laws in this country.. ya know since they are "the leader" and all when it comes to zapping people.
Capital punishment in Texas is horrendous, it didn't get much better when Bush was governor there either.
Quoted from elsewhere:
The reeling Bush 2000 campaign pulled out all the stops to show that Shrub is not only a true leader of men, but a warm soul. ``He's had to sit in the chair,'' cried Gov. Carroll Campbell of South Carolina, whose state faced a Feb. 19 primary that was touted as crucial for Bush. ``He's had to make life-and-death decisions.'' ``He has a human touch, a personal touch that most candidates don't have,'' an aide whispered to the New York Times. But it was hard to reinvent W. at that late hour, when most Americans access his warmth through bulletins of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, announcing executions in the months ahead.
It must be said that George W. Bush is not responsible for the increased pace of executions that occured in TX, nor did he create Texas' arcane clemency procedures. But it cannot be denied that Bush has steadfastly opposed changing the clemency procedures in the face of stinging criticism by the courts.
Bush has even opposed simple safeguards like holding open meetings. The Texas governor has vetoed legislation which would have provided funding for basic indigent defense. He called that bill, which had bipartisan support, "a threat to public safety." Bush also opposed legislation instituting life without parole and banning the execution of people with IQ's less than 65. In general, he has been a leading spokesperson in favor of the death penalty. Even when it came to killing retarded people.
As of 7:30pm EDT, December 7, 2000, 152 people have been executed during Bush's tenure as governor. This makes Texas Gov Bush the most-killing Governor, in the history of the United States of America.
Under the leadership of. Bush, TX continued to rank dead last in virtually every social service area, yet first in executions. Texas has some of the poorest funded programs to help the mentally ill (who account for a good number of the prison population). Bush's response to this dead last ranking was to insist that the legislature pass a $5 billion tax cut. And as much as I hate taxes, I think someone's priorities are fucked up.
What I find hilarious is that the majority who supports capital punishment is the religious right. And somehow I don't think this is what Jesus would do. The New Testament undid a lot of the violence the Old Testament required. Instead of a a vengeful and pissed off god, we were taught to learn forgiveness. And Bush, as Governor, opposed protection for, not the lame "insanity plea" cases, but for literal mental deficients. But it's not like his hypocrisy between religion and political opinion isn't well known. Hell most of America is like this. And again, I don't get it.
Whenever we hear about the futility of the death penalty from the liberal oracles of neo-modernism, they always conclude by saying that capital punishment has been around for a long time but has not stopped people from committing murder. A common tactic of liberals is to use every dilatory tactic available to keep a law from being enforced, after which they will characterize the law as ineffective because it ?doesn?t work.?
But the fact is, the death penalty never has and never will act as a deterent. In fact, you'll find that in places such as Texas when the capital punishment rate increases, the murder rate quickly follows suit. I'm not going to try to draw a definite conclusion here but it could have something to do with the fact that it's a sociological stamp of approval thtn killing actually solves something.
But my tax dollars!!! Yeah yeah. Guess what? It costs far more to execute an individual than to house them and feed them. With the trial after trial, appeal after appeal, the 10+ years that person sits on death row.. you've chewed up more money than what it would've cost to keep them there for 30. And what happens if you simplify and disassemble the current system we have. What if you take away all these safe guards? The chance that more innocent people get convicted and die because they were wrongly accused of a crime. Even in this day and age of DNA testing, it still happens.
Sure murderers, rapists, child molestors.. they all deserve to die in my opinion. But I think the rest of their life in prison would be far more torture. Especially if prisons were how they should be. Lets rip out the televisions and radios. Take away their damned computer access. If they want books, fine. But let people donate them. Not on my dollar. Take away their exercise equipment. They can do pushups and situps if they feel the need to workout. I've been to a prison. It had a better gym than what i can afford. That's bullshit. My suggestion, quit wasting tax dollars on their luxuries. Get rid of the death penalty. And lets keep them there for life. If you raped ONCE, molested a child ONCE, or murdered ONCE, you belong as a ward of the state as far as I?m concerned.
I mean what sounds better? Lowering the funds to the prison system by gutting luxuries, saving money by housing them rather than killing them, and you don?t put a stamp of approval on killing someone. Or do you like the idea of spending more money to see someone die, with the possibility that my little theory that capital punishment actually elevates an sociological atmosphere of hostility. I get vengeful too. I get pissed. The stupid fucks are living on my dollar because they couldn?t abide by the law and ended up severely damaging or ending someone else?s life. But practicality, in my opinion, is a better approach rather than allowing your emotions get the best of you.
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