Vengeance is mine saith the Lord (and the state of Texas!)

Originally posted Friday, October 20, 2006 on Myspace

The latest in my ongoing dialog with my cousin the reporter.....Today's topic: The Death Penalty
First, my cousins thoughts........
His Second Execution... (Seriously)

Bobby Wilcher, convicted murderer went through the execution process today. Again. This time, it took.He was convicted in 84 for violently killing two women. After twenty plus years of appeals, his execution date was set.. July 2006. 48 hours before his scheduled execution, he was moved into a holding cell. It was nineteen footsteps from the "death chamber". 24 hours prior to the execution, the entire facility went on emergency lock down.. 30 minutes before the execution.. The supreme court of the United States said... "hmmm, let's think about this some more" and the execution was called off.His last meal eaten, his last phone calls made, his life was saved... temporarily... That's how we've arrived at today. After the supreme court stopped the execution.. They refused to listen to his case.. So the execution was re-scheduled. That means, back to the holding room, facility on lock down, last meal, last shower, last phone call, and this time... last breath.Do I agree or disagree with the death penalty? I haven't decided. Seems like an easy yea or nay thing.. But I think my problems come with the pomp and circumstance that comes with an execution rather than the actual act of it.Reporters have to practically phut their names in a hat in a raffle-esque kinda thing to view the execution.. This I refused to do. Then, days before the execution, media receives packets full of iteneraries, and menu request. Like it's a damn coctail party. The day of the execution, news stations are breaking into programming to tell people.. "he's now eating his last meal.. when he's done, he'll shower..." There are hourly reports on his mood.I'm not an advocate of criminals being afforded the rights and priviledges of good none crime committing people. However, I'm also not an advocate of watching nor participating in the indignity of making death an event.Fact is, this man served the last twenty plus years quietly behind bars. Most not related to his crime forgot he was even there. Shouldn't his death then been the same way? Quiet without the festivities of a media circus?I'll set the scene.. A group of people sitting in an observation room, checking their watches, wondering if this execution is going to start on time. At the same time, in the holding room, there are no clocks. All the condemned has to go on are the sounds of steel toed boots coming closer. At 5:40 you're strapped into a table with straps strong enough to hold a Kentucky derby winner in the starting gate. Like an outpatient surgery, you feel the anesthetic going in. A tightening of the neck muscles, back heating up, you fight to keep your eyes open. Your breathing heavy. Some bald man in uniform asks if you have any last words.. The phrases you've rehearsed in your head for the last twenty years escape you. You convince yourself you're going to heaven, but deep down, still wonder if hell is where you'll find yourself in eleven minutes.Like him or love him.. even if he killed your mother.. would this ending truely do anything for you? And if it would... What?

Now my response....

Vengeance is mine saith the Lord (and the state of Texas!)....Amen! I live in the state that leads the country in executions. Yippee! Funny, the crime rate has not slowed down a bit....things that make you go hmmmm. :)

o.k. Let's talk about this Death Penalty thing......

Let's start by saying that I am no bleeding heart when it comes to criminals. Some people have done things so awful that I can't figure out why they bothered with a trial (o.k. I don't really mean that, I'm all about the right to a fair trial), but you know what I mean. There are some seriously evil folk roaming around.

It seems that your blog is really about the inconsistency of the death penalty, and the lack of immediacy. If there were certain crimes for which the penalty was always death then the penalty could truly be seen as a deterrent, and it might even be deemed useful. As it is now, the penalty is at best arbitrary and literally non-existent for those with the money to hire a good lawyer.

The worst thing is the lack of immediacy. The guy you talked about in your blog was on death row for over 20 years! Are they serious!? Who but the family cares about his case anymore? By this time, people outside of the case forget the awful thing he did and start to sympathize with the criminal. Does the family deserve retribution? I suppose, but why the delay? Did it really do anybody (including the prisoner) any good to be in limbo for so long? The guy was convicted by a jury of his peers (at least we hope so). Does he have a right to appeal? Heck yeah! If there is a legitimate reason to overturn the conviction get moving and find it. Death penalty appeals should be moved to the head of the list because it's about life and death, but there should be a very short window of time (under 5 years or less) for appeals. Over 20 is just ridiculous!

As for the spectacle of it all, I agree it all seems absurd, but I think they should make it VERY public. As far as I am concerned executions should be shown on TV live. Not as a hype thing, but as a way to expose the public to the brutal consequences. Don't make it a carnival, but don't shield it from the public. There is no way to "tastefully" kill somebody. If you are going to do something that takes a life, do it, do it quickly, do it dispassionately. Get it over with, but don't do it in secret, or simply witnessed by a few "lucky" reporters. Let the people see what WE sanctioned, and then, let US do the right thing whatever that may be.

All this sounds like I am for the death penalty.....actually, I am not, certainly not in it's current form. What we do now is cowardly. It does nothing to deter crime and it is most certainly bias toward minorities and the poor. The minute a rich person gets executed, then I will start believing that the law sees everyone as equals, and maybe there will be a rational reason to support it. Until then, I see no reason to support such a useless penalty.

There you go cousin, my opinion.