It's official Texas death law changed!

[Richardols]

beckers:

People live in this state because of the beauty of the land

If you think so, and I’ll not deny you your opinion, but General Sherman once said that if he owned Texas and Hell, he’d rather live in Hell and rent out Texas.

The beauty of the land, it seems, is in the eye of the beholder. As for me, I’ll spread my bedroll near General Sherman’s.

 

[TarAshly]

Richardols:

Is it? I say “To **** with Texas!” The state with a bloodlust so great that it has executed more people than did the Inquisition and which has executed more people than any other state in the Union.

I actually pack a cooler on the rare occasions when I must go to Texas. I wouldn’t spend a nickel in that death-loving place.

No parole. No hope. No option that a man, even a young man, might be turned around and have a possibility of joining society again. A wonderful bunch of people there, huh?

Actually, Im from Texas. we are a GREAT bunch of people. we are just not a bunch of bleedin heart liberals. you do the crime you do the time.

 

[pnewton]

Richardols:

General Sherman once said that if he owned Texas and Hell, he’d rather live in Hell and rent out Texas. As for me, I’ll spread my bedroll near General Sherman’s.

Be careful what you ask for. Clinging to such hatred can put you there as easy as any other sin.

 

[pnewton]

Let me out a different spin on our resident Texas-hater. Many of us Texans invest a lot of our identity and patriotism in the Lone Star State. Those from the west coast and up north may not be able to relate to how we feel. Let me requote what was said and change one word to make it more relatedable.

Say a person from France or Germany made the following statements:

"Is it? I say “To **** with* America*!”

“General xxx once said that if he owned *America *and Hell, he’d rather live in Hell and rent out America. As for me, I’ll spread my bedroll near General xxx’s.”

“And, yes, the American legal system is a disgrace to *… *jurisprudence.Why Catholics who live there can abide that sytem is beyond me.”

Perhaps (I hope) our poster does not realize how offensive he is being. I hope such remarks are made out of ignorance and not a deliberate attempt to anger people.

 

[Hildebrand]

beckers:

Opponents of the change argued the current parole option gives convicts a reason to behave in prison if good behavior will help them get out. Supporters preferred to call it “truth in sentencing” since convicts sentenced to life are guaranteed never to be freed.

Oh please! No reason to behave…

Then how about the idea of sentencing prisoners, with very poor behavior, to solitary confinement for many years? Will the liberals oppose it? :yup: They’ll say solitary confinement is worse than Gitmo, and it probably is. So what?

 

[pnewton]

Hildebrand:

Oh please! No reason to behave…

Then how about the idea of sentencing prisoners, with very poor behavior, to solitary confinement for many years?

You speak the truth. I can tell you from personal experience that the inmates who misbehave seldom think beyond the next day, much less think in terms or years and shortening sentence. Only immediate and strong discipline is effective (a lot like children).

 

[1ke]

Richardols:

And, yes, the Texas legal system is a disgrace to American jurisprudence.

Why Catholics who live there can abide that state’s sytem is beyond me.

I don’t see you revoking your American citizenship based on the fact that you are a Catholic who abhors abortion and the US legal system allows abortion.

Might I remind you, Richardols, that every state has some morally offensive laws on their books. While I do not support the death penalty, I’d rather live in Texas where murderers are executed than states that are attacking innocent human life with liberal abortion, stem cell research, and the family with homosexual marriage.

It is every Catholic’s responsibility to work for justice, and you clearly have a blanket opinion of Catholics in Texas as if we just sit idly by and do nothing. I invite you out to the Houston Planned Parenthood on a Saturday morning in July when it is 100 degrees outside in our attempt to save babies or to join in the Archdiocesan campaign against the death penalty.

Get off your high horse and put your words into action as many of us Texas Catholics do. Better look at the plank in your own eye before poking at the speck in ours.

 

[Nan_S]

GOD BLESS TEXAS!!! SEE Y’ALL THERE SOON!!!

 

[pnewton]

Nan S:

GOD BLESS TEXAS!!! SEE Y’ALL THERE SOON!!!

Thank you very kindly. We’ll keep the porch light on.

 

[didymus]

Richardols:

If you can call it a reform. The denial of any chance of rehabilitation is absolutely unchristian and certainly uncatholic. And, yes, the Texas legal system is a disgrace to American jurisprudence.

Why Catholics who live there can abide that state’s sytem is beyond me.

As a Catholic I would never deny the possibility of rehabilitation but in the real world it’s awfully rare. I would hate to be on a parole board trying to decide which psychopath to unleash back into society.

 

[Adonis33]

Richardols:

Is it? I say “To **** with Texas!” The state with a bloodlust so great that it has executed more people than did the Inquisition and which has executed more people than any other state in the Union.

I actually pack a cooler on the rare occasions when I must go to Texas. I wouldn’t spend a nickel in that death-loving place.

No parole. No hope. No option that a man, even a young man, might be turned around and have a possibility of joining society again. A wonderful bunch of people there, huh?

What an absurd thing to say. Your diatribe only shows your incredible ignorance. If you don’t like Texas - stay out.

If you do ot like the Texas justice system - don’t break the law.

 

[Adonis33]

Adonis33:

What an absurd thing to say. Your diatribe only shows your incredible ignorance. If you don’t like Texas - stay out.

If you do ot like the Texas justice system - don’t break the law.

I apologize for being uncharatable (spelling). I get a little upset when somebody spouts such hate about my state.

 

[pnewton]

Adonis33:

I apologize for being uncharatable (spelling). I get a little upset when somebody spouts such hate about my state.

You made me feel a little better I had the same uncharitable reaction when I read those posts yesterday. I, too, apoogize.

 

[Orogeny]

You know, to me the worst thing about Richardols attitude is that it has the opposite effect that he seems to want. I am on the fence regarding the death penalty. Life without parole is very important, in my opinion, as an alternative to death.

When someone such as Richardols begins spewing his ignorance and intolerance, he has the effect of hardening the opposition to his viewpoint. I suspect that he doesn’t care, but I get the impression that he would just as soon see no punishment for crimes. I pity him. What a twisted mind.

Peace

Tim

 

[Lisa_N]

35 or 40 years in the lock-up won’t protect the innocent from that murderer?

The problem with “life” sentences in the past is that they were not life, nor were they even a decade in some cases. We had a guy in Oregon whose idea of fun was cutting off women’s arms. He got a life sentence but did something like ten years and as soon as he got out, he cut off another woman’s arms. Ten years was not enough.

I agree if someone is put away at age 30 and is in prison for 40 years, likely he’s not going to be too dangerous. OTOH that same 30 year old who does “life” that morphs into ten years or so, may well reoffend. Think about some of our favorites who have “life” Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez, or more recently the Green River Killer who murdered something like 60 women. Do you really want them out EVER?

Lisa N

 

[Mom_of_one]

Good, but when is Texas going to offer “guilty by reason of insanity”? I’ve read(but please correct me if I am misinformed)that the jury for Andrea Yates said that if they had that option, they would have chosen it. As it is, that woman is seriously mentally ill and jail is not where she needs to be.

 

[Lisa_N]

Momofone:

Good, but when is Texas going to offer “guilty by reason of insanity”? I’ve read(but please correct me if I am misinformed)that the jury for Andrea Yates said that if they had that option, they would have chosen it. As it is, that woman is seriously mentally ill and jail is not where she needs to be.

While I totally agree she belongs in a mental institution, it wasn’t the lack of a law allowing an insanity defense. Instead as I understand Mrs Yates was found to NOT be insane. Hard to believe but she was determined to be sane under the definition for such cases. I think it has to do with understanding the magnitude of her actions at the time.

Lisa N

 

[Mom_of_one]

Lisa N:

While I totally agree she belongs in a mental institution, it wasn’t the lack of a law allowing an insanity defense. Instead as I understand Mrs Yates was found to NOT be insane. Hard to believe but she was determined to be sane under the definition for such cases. I think it has to do with understanding the magnitude of her actions at the time.

Lisa N

The jury did believe that she was insane, but they couldn’t convict her(guilty by reason of insanity) because of how the law was written, because she understood her actions. Now I remember. Thanks, Lisa.

 

[Traditional_Ang]

35 or 40 years in the lock-up won’t protect the innocent from that murderer?

Richard:

It won’t protect the INNOCENT from a particularly heinous and skillful anti-social murderer who manages to fool a parole board and goes out and MURDERS AGAIN AND AGAIN!

The Israeli government recently set free “The Refrigerator Bomber” who slaughtered some 20+ people with a bomb he placed inside a refrigerator at a mall where young people gathered. He spent 30 years in jail and was sent free as a result of the “Roadmap to Peace” and the demand by the Palestinian Authority for a “Goodwill Gesture”.

The man is in his late 50’s and is dedicated to the often stated Palestinain Cause of destroying the “Illegitimate Zionist Entity” we know as the State of Israel. He’s still an expert bomb-maker who’s still dangerous.

I don’t see how setting him free protects anyone.

I’ll say the same thing for incorrigible and heinous murderers in Texas. I just don’t see how letting someone out who’s already proven that he believes he has the right to take the lives of his fellow humans if they get in his way is going to make those people safer.

The state’s job is to keep law abiding citizens safe from marauding predators who mean to murder, batter or rape them or rob from them.

It’s our job as members of the Church to visit those predators and to write them while they’re in prison.

It’s not our job to try to set them free so they can commit the same crimes on other innocent people. I’m sorry, but I just can’t see how freeing murderers so they can reoffend (that’s murder again) is contributing to the cause of justice and peace or demonstrating Christian Charity to or protecting the INNOCENT!

Blessed are they who act to save the INNOCENT. Michael

 

[pnewton]

Momofone:

The jury did believe that she was insane, but they couldn’t convict her(guilty by reason of insanity) because of how the law was written, because she understood her actions. Now I remember. Thanks, Lisa.

Insanity is not a black and white issue. The more specific issue that must be determined for an insanity plea is whether or not the person understood the act to be wrong and had controls of one’s actions. I Mrs. Yates case, it was determined that she did.