Since I expect a fair number of fringe right wingers visit this blog from time to time (one of them actually defended Dick Cheney!), I thought I would post this video clip from the 1970 western "Cat Ballou," which features a hanging of Jane Fonda. Perhaps, it will give me 300 hits by the time I fly to Istanbul tomorrow.
On a more serious matter, my home state of Virginia executed its 100th person last night. I have always been opposed to capital punishment, but I fully sympathize with Gov. Tim Kaine (D). He is also an opponent of capital punishment, but political realities are what they are. At least, Virginia is a distant second to Texas in this regard. And, Kaine has been criticized for stopping several of the more controversial executions, including one just last week.
I certainly feel for the family members of people who have been murdered. And, except for the likes of Sister Helen Prejean and other members of the clergy, I wish some death penalty opponents would not try to contact people on death row. It only helps the other side politically, and in most instances it certainly seems to show a sense of disregard to the victims' families.
Even though we have a fairer system of justice than most places, I am vehemently concerned that way too many people have been wrongfully executed for murder. And, there is the moral question of how can a state take a person's life if they have sentenced someone to die for the exact same action.
I have certainly questioned myself many times over my view, including most recently the brutal shooting murder of University of North Carolina student body president Eve Carson in Chapel Hill back in March, but people exonerated from death row like Earl Washington of Virginia are quickly forgotten. In fact, most states rarely offers them any form of monetary compensation for a wrongful conviction.
And, of course, there are people whose actual job is to devise and later implement a lethal injection. I have to agree with "Inside the Actor's Studio" host James Lipton who said that the job he would least one to have is that of an executioner.
I suppose cleaningtoilets would have to be a close second.
Useful Links:
http://www.vadp.org
http://www.ncadp.org
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