Executing executions?
Incrementalism aims to ultimately undo death penalty
The U.S. Supreme Court’s docket for the coming term includes a case challenging Kentucky’s use of lethal injection as a means of carrying out death penalties. The court recently blocked a Texas inmate’s lethal injection execution, indicating the Kentucky case might produce a broad statement about the widely used method of exacting punishment in the most heinous cases.
In recent years the court has inexplicably appeared to be mesmerized by the concept of globalism as it pertains to interpreting law, looking to Europe for guidance on strictly American matters.
Europeans, who brought us public beheadings via the bloody guillotine, are now aghast at imposing the death penalty. The European Union is opposed to the death penalty in all cases. The EU written declaration states,: “The EU is deeply concerned about the increasing number of executions in the United States of America (USA), all the more since the great majority of executions since reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976 have been carried out in the 1990s.”
Lethal injection became accepted practice since imposition of death penalties by gas chamber, electric chair, hangings and firing squads were viewed by some within the criminal justice community as “cruel and unusual.” That term should, in fact, apply to the hideous acts that warrant such punishment, rather than the punishment itself.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg addressing the American Constitution Society said, “Your perspective on constitutional law should encompass the world.” She and Justices Breyer, Kennedy and former Justice O’Connor, have previously endorsed the practice of consulting foreign and international law. The justices have increasingly cited such laws in attempting to undo the death penalty, even though its legality is recognized.
“International law is a help in our search for a more peaceful world,” said O’Connor. Ginsburg stated, “Our island or lone-ranger mentality is beginning to change.” Justices, she added, “are becoming more open to comparative and international law perspectives.”
The concept of ceding U.S. legal authority to the Hague rather than following our own Constitution should alarm every thinking American citizen.
October 12, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Agree with the line about “cruel and unusual.” When poster writes: That term should, in fact, apply to the hideous acts that warrant such punishment, rather than the punishment itself, it hit the nail on the head.
The death penalty is warranted in cases involving extreme violence. It has Biblical roots and I support its use when necessary. Some people seem to think that all criminals can be rehabilitated. That is not the case. But society doesn’t like to admit that retribution is also a facet of punishment for evil acts.
There is nothing in the world wrong with wanting justice done. Forgiveness comes from the Lord.
October 12, 2007 at 10:38 pm
The criminals who face the ultimate penalty won’t reoffend. That’s okay with me.
October 13, 2007 at 6:10 pm
These days we execute criminals by the same process that is called humane euthanasia when it’s applied to our pets. Yet some so-called progressives insist it is “cruel and unusual?”
If executing criminals is to serve as a deterrent to future criminal acts, it needs to be both public and brutal. If this be the case, the governments need to choose carefully who is executed and for what crime, lest it begin looking like a pogrom is in progress.
If, on the other hand, the most heinous criminals are to be euthanized for the purpose of saving the money it would require to house and care for them indefinitely, then the process needs to be applied more frequently, and with less shilly-shallying in the appeals courts.
Allowing the surviving families of murder victims to stone to death their convicted murderers seems like appropriate and proportional justice. If said families lack the stomach for the job, then the criminal might be imprisoned forever.
When a convict’s death is brought about by the government, by whatever means, we should be concerned that we have ceded too much power to that government.
October 14, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Lethal injection is too good for vicious criminals. They should be given the same death senatence they gave their victims.