“Executed Man May Be Cleared in New Inquiry,” reports The New York Times. “[T]he man convicted of the killing, Larry Griffin, was executed 10 years ago.” Bummer.
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…executions. Too many people have been sitting too long on death row. Let’s do ’em the way the Chinese do ’em. A quick trial with minimal defense, followed by a public execution with a bullet in the back of the head. Ten thousand of those a year, by some estimates. Just think how much better America would be if we followed their example. True, a few innocents might go down, but, as Dennis Prager once told me, executing a few innocents is the price we pay for having a capital punishment deterrent.
This is yet another reason why I am completely against cold blooded killing. I am appalled that the US government still continues this practice and the American people support it. I wish the press would cover this practice more and show how it affects the lives of family members and friends whose relative is lined up to be murdered by the U.S. government.
Not only how it affects the lives of the victim’s family and the criminal’s family and the executed “not guilty” person’s family, but also how it affects our whole country and all of its citizens.
Also, I do not see how the distinction between “innocent life” and the guilty murderer stands up to the religious test of the fundamentalists. According to their own doctrine, a child is born into “original sin” while a convicted murderer still has a chance to repent and be “born again”. ?????
And what about “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19) ????????
I’m so glad I don’t live in Iran where they execute people, where the president has an advisory council of religious nuts, where people are tortured and beaten up in jail, where freedom of speech is squashed and where censors screen all television shows and movies to make sure nothing “obscene” gets through.
Oops I meant I’m so glad I don’t live in America, because at least in Iran they have free elections where all citizens can vote.
Pax
Come on. The Iranian election was fixed. Don’t you read statements from the Bush administration!
If I were independently wealthy (a big “if”) I would go to Texas and Florida and examine every execution dispensed by the brothers Bush. The goal? To prove that one or both executed an innocent person. The fallout? Elimination of the death penalty and the political destruction of clan Bush. Might actually work.
Oh, and to Mr. Griffin: oops.
Sigh.
If everyone would just behave, they wouldn’t have anything to worry about from
Great snark-0-licious gobs of idiosyncratic unperfidiousness, Gooserock. You are my super-hero!
I’ve noticed it helps to be white. This man was black.
My second favorite NYT op-ed columnist (sorry, Bob, but Paul’s at the top of my list these days) wrote about this last week: “Convicted, Executed, Not Guilty”.
Let’s also realize that thanks are due to the current circuit prosecutor, Jennifer Joyce, for what has to be regarded as a fairly courageous decision to reopen the case. Whatever the end result of the new investigation, she is certain to have ruffled a lot of feathers in the law enforcement community. She deserves our support. There would never have been a downside for her to have left this completely alone, but it was her conscience that would not allow that. “I just want to see the truth. I wanted to take an independent look at it, and if mistakes were made, do what I can to rectify them, recognizing that there may not be much I could do.”
Superb point, Maven. It’s so rare for prosecutors to wish to look at cases in which errors were made … and that never ceases to astonish me, and sadden me.