Immagine If You Had The Ability to Pardon

ThomWV

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Sat May-29-04 09:55 PM
Original message

Immagine If You Had The Ability to Pardon

Immagine that you are a Governor in a state that had the death penality, some place like Texas during Bush's Governorship. Could you immagine yourself going to sleep on any night an execution was scheduled, knowing a person would die that night, and do absolutly nothing to stop it?

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DS1

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Sat May-29-04 09:58 PM
Response to Original message

1. What if the prisoner chose execution?

If he turned himself in freely, was a serial killer for example.

Walked right into a Police Station and confessed with no coersion.

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ThomWV

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Sat May-29-04 10:02 PM
Response to Reply #1

2. Serial Killers

You know, if I were Governor of a state that had managed to capture and convict a true serial killer, one with a lot of scalps on his belt, I would in particular spare his life. I would hold him in jail and make him available for every psychologist and psychiatrist or any other relevant scientist until the day he died. I would never release him and I would hope that in some way society benefited from his incarceration. But I would not kill him.

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Lefty48197

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Sat May-29-04 11:05 PM
Response to Reply #2

10. It's true. We can learn a lot from criminals.

Many of them respond to the psychologists and give information that may ultimately help prevent future similar crimes by others.

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Rooktoven

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Sat May-29-04 10:02 PM
Response to Original message

3. It depends on the crime, and to some extent remorse

Not being anti-death penalty, myself. I'd be hard pressed to spare a rapist-murderer, especially if the victim was a child.

I _would_ however pardon all non-violent drug felons and stop the perpetuation of the prison industry.

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Lefty48197

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Sat May-29-04 11:07 PM
Response to Reply #3

11. I like the term "prison industry"

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Radical Activist

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Sat May-29-04 10:02 PM
Response to Original message

4. No, I couldn't....

stand by and do nothing when I knew I could save a life. Even if the person was a vile, evil murderer. I guess I'm a bleeding heart liberal.

I would also commute the sentence of first time petty drug offenders serving time in prison. They did that in Kentucky for a lot of non-violent offenders because the state didn't have any money. Pretty cool.

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elperromagico

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Sat May-29-04 10:03 PM
Response to Original message

5. It SHOULD be one of a governor's hardest tasks

to sign a death warrant on someone, no matter how terrible their crime. He/she should devote all possible time to reviewing the case and ensuring that an innocent person is not put to death. I would hope that a governor would spend more than 30 minutes glancing over the case (as a certain former governor whose name I need not mention is supposed to have done when dealing with death penalty cases).

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ThomWV

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Sat May-29-04 10:08 PM
Response to Reply #5

6. Did He Review At All

It is my understanding that all he would accept for review was a 1 page document giving some information on the case and that unless someone was there to read it to him he never even bothered to go over that little bit of paperwork. In short, as I understand it, the man never gave so much as a minute of meaningful review to any penalty of execution that took place while he was Governor of Texas.

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elperromagico

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Sat May-29-04 10:14 PM
Response to Reply #6

9. I wouldn't doubt it.

I was probably giving him more credit than he deserves.

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NightTrain

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Sat May-29-04 10:08 PM
Response to Original message

7. I oppose the death penalty under all circumstances.

I've taken some flak for that, even from self-professed liberals, but I view the death penalty as immoral and unjust, and that's that. Guess that's why I've never been elected governor of any state! :)

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Nikia

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Sat May-29-04 10:11 PM
Response to Reply #7

8. You could be elected governor of a state w/o death penalty

Wisconsin does not have the death penalty for example.

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