The Death Penalty
I have always been a supporter of the death penalty. In fact, I have felt that it is has not been used often enough. It has been referred to as “the ultimate punishment for the ultimate crime”, and “killing criminals that kill”, and “an eye for an eye” … it has not seemed unreasonable to me. I have even thought that those who ruin the lives of others should be put to death, i.e., rapists, child abusers, molesters, abductors, arsonists, and thieves. I have recently added those that ruin the financial lives of old people and retirees. There are “buts” coming … but wait. Remember Enron and Bernie Maddoff? … they stole the financial future and security from thousands of people. I’ll bet if you asked some of the people whose lives have been ruined, more than a few would like to see the ultimate punishment used in their cases. I know that will never happen, but there should be a very harsh punishment for them.
What brings this up you ask? Former Texas Governor Mark White said in an interview published in the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News that the death penalty no longer deters murder, that long delays between convictions and executions show there is no swift justice and that he's increasingly concerned the law isn't administered fairly. I agree with him that the law is not administered fairly, but that’s nothing new. The law is not blind and The Golden Rule often comes into play … . you know it … “he who has the gold, rules”. If you have enough money or have a case that is high profile enough, the best lawyers line up to take the case. Some do it for the fee that can be fetched from the criminal (think back to OJ and his Dream Team) and others do it for the potential fees that will come from taking on a high profile case.
Mr. White is wrong about the death penalty being a deterrent. In fact, I’m not sure it has ever been a successful deterrent. I view the death penalty as punishment, pure and simple. Criminal punishment deters very little crime; if it did, there would be no need for jails and prisons. No one would steal, sell drugs, rape, extort, or (quite simply) break the law. Humans are not that nice. Mr. White is right about the death penalty not being administered fairly. How would you feel if you were on death row and you heard about a woman drowning all five of her children and getting away with it due to insanity? I think I’d say that justice was not served and that the death penalty is not fair.
You either have to be rich or crazy to get away with murder or avoid being put to death. When justice is not served, it shows a calloused disregard for the victims who have been killed by the criminally insane. If someone considered criminally insane broke into your house, robbed a bank, shop lifted, or crashed into your car guess what would happen? They’d be expected to pay for the crime or the damage … no one would let them off because they’re insane and therefore can’t be held responsible for their actions.
The times that we do hear of the innocent being unfairly convicted (whether it involves the death penalty or incarceration), is when improper or illegal actions are taken by a District Attorney or Law Enforcement investigators. I recommend reading John Grisham’s book The Innocent Man … it is the only non-fiction book he has written. It gives us a glance at how law enforcement and a willing district attorney can ruin people’s lives. Remember the alleged rape by three Duke University lacrosse team players of an exotic dancer? They were wrongfully accused by District Attorney Mike Nifong. It was found that Mr. Nifong was trying to use the case to advance his political career. Fortunately, that was discovered before he could send the players to prison. The players were eventually acquitted, but not before their reputations (and the reputations of their families) were severely damaged and they were forced to pay the high financial cost of putting up a defense. Even Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton became involved in this case. In the end, the district attorney was disbarred and had to spend one day in jail … how harsh. We have a legal system that requires regulation and over site and perhaps even an overhaul, but not the sentences given to punish criminals. While theses cases did not occur in Texas, we have our share of them that go undiscovered.
Mr. White should be more concerned about keeping innocent people from being wrongfully charged and convicted instead of having the death penalty done away with. If he has changed his mind on the death penalty for personal reasons, he should just say so rather than disguising his concern for innocent people being executed.
I don’t know if the State of Texas has actually executed someone that is innocent. If we have, then restitution should be paid to the families and charges brought against the wrong-doers in law enforcement, the court system, and anyone else that was knowingly involved in the injustice. If mistakes were made causing some innocent person to be executed, we still owe the family restitution and to clear the name of the accused so that they may at least rest in peace.
My mind has not changed. I believe that there are those that should be put to death for their actions … including those that claim insanity (because they, too, have executed the innocent). For those that have been wrongfully executed or incarcerated, the government must pay to make amends … but we must also hold ourselves accountable for electing prosecutors of poor/low morals and integrity, for electing judges that pay little attention to our laws (and even less attention in the courtroom), and for not keeping a watchful eye on law enforcement. It is our job as citizens (and human beings) to protect ourselves from government and to force government to control itself.
There you have it.
Pass it on if you like or let me know if don’t have a clue.
Eddie
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Health Care
Health Care
I’ve been thinking about health care. I don’t know anyone who was so worried about health care coverage that it was number one on their list of government objectives. I don’t think that involving government in health care anymore than it already is makes sense or is a good idea. Government health care will not be free. Businesses and individuals will be forced to buy coverage that they either don’t want or can’t afford … requiring them to buy it will not make it any less of a burden on them. We have a government option already in place with the public hospital systems that are supposed to be a safety net for the needy. Health care is expensive and always has been. We do need to control cost, but government has never been successful at that.
I have an idea … why don’t they take over electric distribution? It’s already run by government - the infrastructure is built and it is something that would be hard to mess up.
It is cheaper than health care and when we have power failures they are always fixed. Hospitals have back-up power, so we don’t have to worry about the government leaving them in the dark. Now then, here is what we do … we let the rich, BIG Business and labor unions pay for electrical power for all the rest of us so that we can buy health care coverage. But why stop there? Why not let them pay for all of our utilities? … electricity, water, sewer, telephone and (in this day and age) television and internet service … then we will really save money. I’m sure once the rich are paying for all of that, and they see how well the poor (those making less than $250,000 a year) are doing, they will be motivated to pay for even more things: housing, education, infrastructure, defense, government … after all, they have a never-ending supply of money. Wait a minute! … they don’t have a never ending supply and they already pay for most of those things.
Healthcare is a responsibility and there has been irresponsible activity in healthcare with billing, pricing, and use. When spending money that is not your own, the effects is not felt … but there are still consequences (and run away cost is one of them). The only place government should be involved is to make sure crimes are not committed and that regulations are followed. Government (or I should say politicians and bureaucrats) are not qualified to take over the running of even the insurance component of healthcare. Public pressure and dissatisfaction with the price of health care will be what brings cost back under control … the more government gets involved, the longer it will take to correct. Government-run health care is not about health or care, it’s about control … control of the population and of the industry. Insurance companies, hospitals, and doctors are getting the message to correct health care cost or be run out of business and be put under government control. I can’t believe that they want that.
There you have it.
Pass it on if you like or let me know if I don’t have a clue.
Eddie
I’ve been thinking about health care. I don’t know anyone who was so worried about health care coverage that it was number one on their list of government objectives. I don’t think that involving government in health care anymore than it already is makes sense or is a good idea. Government health care will not be free. Businesses and individuals will be forced to buy coverage that they either don’t want or can’t afford … requiring them to buy it will not make it any less of a burden on them. We have a government option already in place with the public hospital systems that are supposed to be a safety net for the needy. Health care is expensive and always has been. We do need to control cost, but government has never been successful at that.
I have an idea … why don’t they take over electric distribution? It’s already run by government - the infrastructure is built and it is something that would be hard to mess up.
It is cheaper than health care and when we have power failures they are always fixed. Hospitals have back-up power, so we don’t have to worry about the government leaving them in the dark. Now then, here is what we do … we let the rich, BIG Business and labor unions pay for electrical power for all the rest of us so that we can buy health care coverage. But why stop there? Why not let them pay for all of our utilities? … electricity, water, sewer, telephone and (in this day and age) television and internet service … then we will really save money. I’m sure once the rich are paying for all of that, and they see how well the poor (those making less than $250,000 a year) are doing, they will be motivated to pay for even more things: housing, education, infrastructure, defense, government … after all, they have a never-ending supply of money. Wait a minute! … they don’t have a never ending supply and they already pay for most of those things.
Healthcare is a responsibility and there has been irresponsible activity in healthcare with billing, pricing, and use. When spending money that is not your own, the effects is not felt … but there are still consequences (and run away cost is one of them). The only place government should be involved is to make sure crimes are not committed and that regulations are followed. Government (or I should say politicians and bureaucrats) are not qualified to take over the running of even the insurance component of healthcare. Public pressure and dissatisfaction with the price of health care will be what brings cost back under control … the more government gets involved, the longer it will take to correct. Government-run health care is not about health or care, it’s about control … control of the population and of the industry. Insurance companies, hospitals, and doctors are getting the message to correct health care cost or be run out of business and be put under government control. I can’t believe that they want that.
There you have it.
Pass it on if you like or let me know if I don’t have a clue.
Eddie
Saturday, October 10, 2009
What are we doing in Afgahnistan
WHAT ARE WE DOING IN AFGHANISTAN?
What are we doing in Afghanistan? Why does our country continue to fight wars with one hand tied behind our back? Why do we try and fight limited wars, when our past experience tells us that limited wars are not successful? By now we should have learned the lessons of Korea, Vietnam, and the 1st Gulf War, that limited war has only delivered us the loss of young American lives and treasure without victory.
Last week eight soldiers were killed in Afghanistan as they were overrun by the enemy … they were simply out-numbered. We’ve asked our military to “do more with less” and still comply with highly restrictive rules of engagement … this has put them and coalition soldiers in a vulnerable position. They have to preserve their lives and provide for their safety, all while worrying about media reaction to their actions and the possibility of facing criminal charges for defending and protecting themselves. For reasons that I don’t understand, General McChrystal’s request for reinforcements has been met with reluctance and indecision by the President.
We have now been fighting in Afghanistan on the cheap for eight years. I’ve been reading the book Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell, a Navy SEAL from Texas. He tells about an operation in which a team of four (that’s right, four) Navy SEALs are sent on that ends up being jeopardized because they are stumbled upon by some unarmed, unsuspecting sheep herders. The SEALs were observing a village for a high profile leader when they were found. Realizing the rules of engagement do not allow the killing of unarmed civilians (even if they are suspected to be the enemy), they made a decision that day that cost three of them their lives because they were devoted to the cause of upholding their honor over preserving their lives. They knew the best military option they had that day was to kill the sheep herders to protect their concealment … but they did not … they let them go. They knew that once word got back that unarmed civilians were killed, the media would vilify them and that they would be charged as murderers. They knew they were not murderers, but they also knew that they left themselves exposed by letting them go. You’ll have to read the book to get the rest of the story, but these four men were sent out to do an impossible mission without a guaranteed plan of extraction and too few men. They were attacked by a group of more than one hundred … maybe just one more SEAL may have spotted the sheep herders before they ever got too close. They fought for their lives valiantly while they were wounded and dying. Mr. Luttrell, by God’s grace, survived and has now told their story.
The day that we started bombing in Afghanistan is still fresh in my mind because it happened on the same day that we celebrated our daughter’s first birthday (October 8th ) … she just turned nine years old. We are still engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, but now we will not call it a war on terror even though we have our military personnel fighting and dying. I wonder if they still think we are at war. I watched the 60 Minutes interview with General McChrystal and was left bewildered and confused. He spoke about sharing and trusting and not showing an aggressive face to a people whose culture pays close attention to symbolism. He said that we have to show that we trust and respect them. Trust and respect has to be earned by those that have given aid and shelter to a movement that is trying to kill you and me. I am not an expert in foreign affairs or the science of war, but something just does not seem right with me about how we are doing things in Afghanistan.
There you have it.
Pass it on if you like, or let me know if I don’t have a clue.
Eddie
What are we doing in Afghanistan? Why does our country continue to fight wars with one hand tied behind our back? Why do we try and fight limited wars, when our past experience tells us that limited wars are not successful? By now we should have learned the lessons of Korea, Vietnam, and the 1st Gulf War, that limited war has only delivered us the loss of young American lives and treasure without victory.
Last week eight soldiers were killed in Afghanistan as they were overrun by the enemy … they were simply out-numbered. We’ve asked our military to “do more with less” and still comply with highly restrictive rules of engagement … this has put them and coalition soldiers in a vulnerable position. They have to preserve their lives and provide for their safety, all while worrying about media reaction to their actions and the possibility of facing criminal charges for defending and protecting themselves. For reasons that I don’t understand, General McChrystal’s request for reinforcements has been met with reluctance and indecision by the President.
We have now been fighting in Afghanistan on the cheap for eight years. I’ve been reading the book Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell, a Navy SEAL from Texas. He tells about an operation in which a team of four (that’s right, four) Navy SEALs are sent on that ends up being jeopardized because they are stumbled upon by some unarmed, unsuspecting sheep herders. The SEALs were observing a village for a high profile leader when they were found. Realizing the rules of engagement do not allow the killing of unarmed civilians (even if they are suspected to be the enemy), they made a decision that day that cost three of them their lives because they were devoted to the cause of upholding their honor over preserving their lives. They knew the best military option they had that day was to kill the sheep herders to protect their concealment … but they did not … they let them go. They knew that once word got back that unarmed civilians were killed, the media would vilify them and that they would be charged as murderers. They knew they were not murderers, but they also knew that they left themselves exposed by letting them go. You’ll have to read the book to get the rest of the story, but these four men were sent out to do an impossible mission without a guaranteed plan of extraction and too few men. They were attacked by a group of more than one hundred … maybe just one more SEAL may have spotted the sheep herders before they ever got too close. They fought for their lives valiantly while they were wounded and dying. Mr. Luttrell, by God’s grace, survived and has now told their story.
The day that we started bombing in Afghanistan is still fresh in my mind because it happened on the same day that we celebrated our daughter’s first birthday (October 8th ) … she just turned nine years old. We are still engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, but now we will not call it a war on terror even though we have our military personnel fighting and dying. I wonder if they still think we are at war. I watched the 60 Minutes interview with General McChrystal and was left bewildered and confused. He spoke about sharing and trusting and not showing an aggressive face to a people whose culture pays close attention to symbolism. He said that we have to show that we trust and respect them. Trust and respect has to be earned by those that have given aid and shelter to a movement that is trying to kill you and me. I am not an expert in foreign affairs or the science of war, but something just does not seem right with me about how we are doing things in Afghanistan.
There you have it.
Pass it on if you like, or let me know if I don’t have a clue.
Eddie
Friday, October 2, 2009
Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel
I have a feeling that President Obama is asleep at the wheel. Has he forgotten that he is the Chief Executive of our country and not for the entire world? Last week he spent time at the U. N. blaming his country for the world’s troubles for everything from climate change (global warming) to terrorism. He basically accused his country of torture by stating that we would no longer torture. He was praised by dictators and tyrants alike - how nice. The Libyan Dictator even said that he hoped Obama would be our President forever. Hugo Chavez loves him! I don’t know about you, but that troubles me.
It took Obama 10 months to have a meeting with his top military commander in Afghanistan and he has not answered his request for additional troops (I like to call them reinforcements) that he believes are needed to win the war. He drags his feet on the most critical job he has, but flies off to Copenhagen to lobby the Olympic Games to be held in Chicago (in which he was unsuccessful). I don’t believe the Olympic Games are a high propriety for the country (they are not even a high priority for Chicagoans - certainly it is not a job for the President of the United States). Again, asleep at the wheel!
He continues to apologize about America, when no apology is necessary. We have a right to defend ourselves and avenge the attacks of 9-11 by what ever means is at our disposal … but we don’t. We have been even-handed, careful and deliberate, which is why millions have not been killed at the hands of the United States, but have been liberated from tyrants and oppression in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We are the world” to steal a line from Michael Jackson. Not long after 9-11, I met a woman whose husband flies helicopters for Saudi Oil. Her husband said that a Saudi Arabian newspaper described Americans as “people of every race, from every country on every continent, every religion and every ethnic group on earth” … that sounds pretty good to me. Yet Obama apologizes to a body of nations that cannot make the same claim - that is shameful of him. He must wake up and take a stand for the Unites States - his country! The greatest nation the world has ever known.
There you have it.
Pass it on if you like or let me know if I don’t have a clue.
Eddie
I have a feeling that President Obama is asleep at the wheel. Has he forgotten that he is the Chief Executive of our country and not for the entire world? Last week he spent time at the U. N. blaming his country for the world’s troubles for everything from climate change (global warming) to terrorism. He basically accused his country of torture by stating that we would no longer torture. He was praised by dictators and tyrants alike - how nice. The Libyan Dictator even said that he hoped Obama would be our President forever. Hugo Chavez loves him! I don’t know about you, but that troubles me.
It took Obama 10 months to have a meeting with his top military commander in Afghanistan and he has not answered his request for additional troops (I like to call them reinforcements) that he believes are needed to win the war. He drags his feet on the most critical job he has, but flies off to Copenhagen to lobby the Olympic Games to be held in Chicago (in which he was unsuccessful). I don’t believe the Olympic Games are a high propriety for the country (they are not even a high priority for Chicagoans - certainly it is not a job for the President of the United States). Again, asleep at the wheel!
He continues to apologize about America, when no apology is necessary. We have a right to defend ourselves and avenge the attacks of 9-11 by what ever means is at our disposal … but we don’t. We have been even-handed, careful and deliberate, which is why millions have not been killed at the hands of the United States, but have been liberated from tyrants and oppression in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We are the world” to steal a line from Michael Jackson. Not long after 9-11, I met a woman whose husband flies helicopters for Saudi Oil. Her husband said that a Saudi Arabian newspaper described Americans as “people of every race, from every country on every continent, every religion and every ethnic group on earth” … that sounds pretty good to me. Yet Obama apologizes to a body of nations that cannot make the same claim - that is shameful of him. He must wake up and take a stand for the Unites States - his country! The greatest nation the world has ever known.
There you have it.
Pass it on if you like or let me know if I don’t have a clue.
Eddie
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