Republicans Applauding Executions

[jsteele]

I guess we are not that far removed from the days in which people gathered in the town square to watch an execution as a form of entertainment. At last night's Republican Presidential Primary Debate, the audience applauded when Governor Perry's execution record was mentioned. While I understand that many people support the death penalty, I don't understand why they would applaud the fact that over 200 people were killed by the state of Texas. Republicans generally don't believe the government has the right to tax people, yet they cheer the government killing them? Are all Republicans this blood thirsty, or was this simply an unusual crowd?

Edit: I forgot to add. This is particularly revolting given the evidence that at least one of Perry's victims was innocent.

[Anonymous]

Lots of people are that bloodthirsty. Sadly, most people don't really think this issue through. As someone who has had to (my cousin was murdered in a botched robbery), I have my own perspective on it - which is that the state/government should never be allowed to kill people. Put them away in prison for good, definitely. Should prison be like a spa? Definitely not. Forced work gangs, fine with me. But our government should never, ever be allowed to kill us. Sadly, this is not how most people think of it. Too driven by the desire for revenge.

[takoma]

The audience reaction surprised me, but did not shock me as much as the fact that Perry would admit in public, with pride if I am not mistaken, that he did not suffer any qualms as he okayed executions. I would think even the toughest of capital punishment supporters would claim to take a moment to pray that he was doing the right thing.

[Anonymous]

The republican partyy is scaring the hell out of me to be completely honest.
This new round of candidates seems to make George W Bush seem fairly liberal, reasonable, and even smart!

[TheManWithAUsername]

I don't think it's all bloodthirst. They see themselves as in a philosophical war with death penalty opponents, and they're psyched up to applaud a "win" for their side, without taking the time to consider that it's not that simple a question.

It's like when a Democratic governor brags about the number of abortions in his state, and everyone cheers.

Wait - what was I saying again?

[Anonymous]

takoma wrote:The audience reaction surprised me, but did not shock me as much as the fact that Perry would admit in public, with pride if I am not mistaken, that he did not suffer any qualms as he okayed executions. I would think even the toughest of capital punishment supporters would claim to take a moment to pray that he was doing the right thing.

I honestly thought this was a gottcha question all around, and I read the applause as support that Perry did not back down from his convictions. I might not share them, but I understand. The questions as a whole were so bad that all the candidates looked good.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
I honestly thought this was a gottcha question all around, and I read the applause as support that Perry did not back down from his convictions. I might not share them, but I understand. The questions as a whole were so bad that all the candidates looked good.

Watch the Youtube clip I embedded in the first post. The audience started applauding at the mere mention that 230 some people had been executed while Perry was governor. He hadn't said a word yet and there was no way the audience would know whether he would or would not back down from his convictions. It was a reaction that might have been expected if the questioner had mentioned that a candidate had cut taxes 20 times or something like that. The audience clearly considered killing over 200 people to be a positive achievement.

[Anonymous]

Golf clap here- I am all for the executions, sure there are mistakes but that happens in all sorts of things. doctors botch a surgery, a bus driver crashes, etc, all could be prevented but things happen.

is that what you think the election should be based on?

[Anonymous]

I applauded for the 200 victims and their families of heinous crimes who deserved justice.
You can't put yourself in the shoes of someone who had to bury a son or daughter at the hands of some evil monster?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I applauded for the 200 victims and their families of heinous crimes who deserved justice.
You can't put yourself in the shoes of someone who had to bury a son or daughter at the hands of some evil monster?

I can't put myself in their shoes, but you can? Are you special?

Anonymous wrote:Golf clap here- I am all for the executions, sure there are mistakes but that happens in all sorts of things. doctors botch a surgery, a bus driver crashes, etc, all could be prevented but things happen.

When doctors botch surgeries, they express remorse and/or get sued. Generally, mistakes are regretted rather than celebrated. Perry has very likely had an innocent man executed. He then interfered with investigations of that incident. He claims to have have no regrets. To use your analogy, there were over 230 bus crashes in Texas and one of them appears to been deliberately caused by the driver. Rather than this being a cause for concern, people are applauding.

I can understand death penalty supporters arguing that the law was followed and that this is a grim but necessary result. But, I can't see it being something that you actually applaud -- and that's if there is scientific proof that every executed person was absolutely guilty and that the death penalty was always applied fairly, which of course is not the case. Given the reality of the death penalty today -- remember Illinois reduced the sentence of everyone on death row because so many case of faked evidence and wrongful convictions were discovered -- I can't see anyone being totally comfortable with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I applauded for the 200 victims and their families of heinous crimes who deserved justice.
You can't put yourself in the shoes of someone who had to bury a son or daughter at the hands of some evil monster?

I'm the poster whose family member (a much beloved cousin and truly wonderful young man) was murdered at the age of 26. You have no idea what it feels like, but I can assure you that there is absolutely nothing that fills that void, least of all another death. You've got it all wrong. There's much, much, much more comfort in watching the monster rot in prison knowing that he'll never get out. I'd be even happier to see him on a prison chain gang, miserable and working in the hot sun for hours on end, praying for death. I'm no angel, obviously, but I sure know that equating the death penalty with justice is utterly laughable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I applauded for the 200 victims and their families of heinous crimes who deserved justice.
You can't put yourself in the shoes of someone who had to bury a son or daughter at the hands of some evil monster?

You can't put yourself in the shoes of someone who was executed for a crime they did not commit?

[Anonymous]

The death penalty question that (the overrated) Brian Williams asked Gov. Perry was superficial, even softball. The real question is why Perry suddenly replaced three members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission at a time when the commission was about to issue findings what would have called into question the guilt of Todd Willingham who was executed on Perry's watch.

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-10-01/justice/texas.execution.probe_1_willingham-case-cameron-todd-willingham-execution?_s=PM:CRIME

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/07/090907fa_fact_grann?currentPage=1

[Anonymous]

I am 14:45. I don't think I am special. I think I sometimes make myself sick reading stories about what other parents of crime victims have gone through, not to mention the victims themselves. (William Petit's experience for example.) I do agree that a miserable life sentence, hopefully with lots of repeated, harsh prison justice thrown in, is a fair punishment. But executions are legal and I am for them. Can't we respectully agree to disagree? Jeff asked why people in the audiuence applauded. And my sincere answer is that at least for me, I think of people like William Petit and his wife and daughters, and it just comes down to I don't have a problem with executions for guilty people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 14:45. I don't think I am special. I think I sometimes make myself sick reading stories about what other parents of crime victims have gone through, not to mention the victims themselves. (William Petit's experience for example.) I do agree that a miserable life sentence, hopefully with lots of repeated, harsh prison justice thrown in, is a fair punishment. But executions are legal and I am for them. Can't we respectully agree to disagree? Jeff asked why people in the audiuence applauded. And my sincere answer is that at least for me, I think of people like William Petit and his wife and daughters, and it just comes down to I don't have a problem with executions for guilty and not guilty people.

There. Fixed that for you.