I'm not going to say much about the fourth GOP debate. Jon Huntsman was relatively rational yet irrelevant, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich added nothing, Herman Cain's 15 minutes of fame are up, Ron Paul is still overrated, and Michele Bachmann underperformed. The only two people who shone were Mitt Romney and Rick Perry.
Anyway, the most shocking part of the night for me was when one of the MSNBC moderators actually asked Rick Perry a question about his grueling statistics on state-funded execution in Texas. He responded with the normal nonsense about it being justice served. This may be terrible in its own regard, but it gets much worse.
But, Texas isn't your average state with legalized executions: remember that everything is bigger in Texas. ThinkProgress reports on the style of Texas execution:
That's not to say that killing is always unjustified. Killing, as an absolute last resort, for defense purposes can clearly be reconciled with this view. Most people would then ask me what I think about war; call me old fashioned, but war should generally only be used for defense purposes, no? Therefore, certain wars can be entirely justified.
Rick Perry worries me in part because he clearly lacks a respect for human dignity. While he may retort that, since the accused killer had no respect for those s/he murdered, the government has no reason to respect his life, I believe that the government does have an interest in not cheapening how we view humanity.
The governor of Texas fits the mold perfectly. Aside from Rick Perry's infatuation with weapons, threatening Ben Bernanke, and threatening to secede, Rick Perry's views on execution are just one more item in a staggering list of actions that display a certain disregard for human life. As Perry continues to shoot to the top of polling, this type of outdated worldview is deeply problematic.
Anyway, the most shocking part of the night for me was when one of the MSNBC moderators actually asked Rick Perry a question about his grueling statistics on state-funded execution in Texas. He responded with the normal nonsense about it being justice served. This may be terrible in its own regard, but it gets much worse.
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| A replica of where children in Texas have sat. |
But, Texas isn't your average state with legalized executions: remember that everything is bigger in Texas. ThinkProgress reports on the style of Texas execution:
JUVENILES: According to the Tribune, three people who were juveniles at the time of their crime were executed between 2000, when Perry took office, and 2005, when the Supreme Court banned the execution of juveniles. Before Napoleon Beazley, who committed a murder at 17, was executed, 18 state legislators wrote Perry asking him to grant clemency, and the trial judge who eventually had to sign his execution order asked Perry to commute the sentence to life in prison. Perry’s response: “To delay his punishment is to delay justice.”
MENTALLY DISABLED: Ten executions during Perry’s tenure have involved serious questions about the prisoner’s mental health and stability. One was Kelsey Patterson, who was judged as mentally fit by a doctor known as “Dr. Death” because he rarely found patients mentally unfit for trial. During his trial, Patterson testified about having devices planted in his head by the military, and once in prison, he sent incoherent letters to courts. The Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended to Perry that he grant clemency, but Perry rejected the recommendation. Another was James Clark, whose final statement was, “Howdy.” Two Texas prisoners with mental health concerns have been executed in 2011.
INADEQUATE COUNSEL: Five men executed since 2000 have had major questions about the adequacy of their legal counsel, including Leonard Uresti Rojas. The appellate attorney appointed to Rojas was on probation with the state bar,suffered from mental illness and missed multiple deadlines to file appeals on Rojas’ behalf. New attorneys took Rojas’ case before the Court of Appeals asked Perry to stay the execution but were denied. After the execution, an appeals court judge wrote a dissenting opinion against the court, saying Rojas’ attorney had “neglected his duties.”There's a certain argument that I didn't discuss much in my February 2011 Hartford Courant article, namely, that simply viewing execution as a viable option inherently cheapens the outlook that many people have toward humanity. This, of course, has its various tolls on society, such as a quickness to aggression, an animosity toward diplomacy, and apathy toward human dignity.
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| Yep, that's Gov. Rick Perry. |
That's not to say that killing is always unjustified. Killing, as an absolute last resort, for defense purposes can clearly be reconciled with this view. Most people would then ask me what I think about war; call me old fashioned, but war should generally only be used for defense purposes, no? Therefore, certain wars can be entirely justified.
Rick Perry worries me in part because he clearly lacks a respect for human dignity. While he may retort that, since the accused killer had no respect for those s/he murdered, the government has no reason to respect his life, I believe that the government does have an interest in not cheapening how we view humanity.
The governor of Texas fits the mold perfectly. Aside from Rick Perry's infatuation with weapons, threatening Ben Bernanke, and threatening to secede, Rick Perry's views on execution are just one more item in a staggering list of actions that display a certain disregard for human life. As Perry continues to shoot to the top of polling, this type of outdated worldview is deeply problematic.
