Texas Evades EU Call to Conscience (Tx. Gov. opens mouth)

[donsu]

http://counterpunch.com/moses08242007.html


A Cruel and Unusual Excuse


In order to stop the killing at Texas death row, the European Union on Tuesday, through the office of its Presidency, asked the Governor of Texas to declare a death-penalty moratorium. But the Governor's reply was quick and flippant. He did nothing to stop the 400th killing Wednesday evening, and it is becoming horribly apparent that he will do nothing to intervene in the three executions scheduled for next week -- not even for Kenneth Foster who never killed anyone.

"We believe that elimination of the death penalty is fundamental to the protection of human dignity, and to the progressive development of human rights," argued the EU. "We further consider this punishment to be cruel and inhumane. There is no evidence to suggest that the use of the death penalty serves as a deterrent against violent crime and the irreversibility of the punishment means that miscarriages of justice - which are inevitable in all legal systems ­ cannot be redressed. Consequently, the death penalty has been abolished throughout the European Union."

In reply to the EU's four carefully worded reasons, the Texas Governor answered that "Texans are doing just fine governing Texas."

"Texans long ago decided that the death penalty is a just and appropriate punishment for the most horrible crimes committed against our citizens," said the Governor in an oddly titled "Statement by Robert Black." Does the Governor have in mind some joking reference to the film, "Meet Joe Black"? Speaking for the Governor, Mr. Black reminded the EU that the USA was born out of a revolution "to throw off the yoke of a European monarch."
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arrogant creep

[Gman]

1. I often wonder

what color the sky is in these freaks' world.

[jpljr77]

2. They absolutely love killing people, don't they?

It's weird...Texas is one of the most paradoxical government entities I've ever seen. In one breath, they stress "rugged individualism" in an almost libertarian kind of way, and in another they heavily advocate the most egregious display of statist powers: government-backed executions.

Weird place.

[flashl]

3. Interesting ...

in a state with a majority-minority population who are disproportionately represented on death.