Is Rick Perry Killing His Way To The White House?

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Last night, Texas governor Rick Perry ignored the pleas of President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush and gave the green light for the execution of Humberto Leal Garcia, the Mexican who raped and killed a 16-year-old girl. Now, we are told that the evidence against Leal Garcia is enough to be almost certain that he did it and, whether you agree or disagree with the death penalty, few will mourn his demise. But that's not the issue here. First of all, “almost certain” or “probably did it” isn't the same as “100 percent, iron clad certain”. If somebody is getting the lethal injection, there shouldn't be even the slightest, minutest chance of doubt. Not possible in a criminal case? Then the death penalty is immoral. Better 100,000 guilty men walk free than one innocent man suffers, let alone dies. But more importantly, is Perry genuinely executing Leal Garcia, and the other 200-plus people that have been killed-by-justice on his watch, for the right reasons? He has overseen the execution of more people than any other governor in US history. He has done this because he knows that right wing voters in Texas love the “hard line” approach. He knows that this stance plays well with the Tea Party and the rest of the American right. The fact that he is fiercely anti-abortion and gay marriage doesn't do his cause any harm with those guys either. Does Perry know for certain that he hasn't executed any mentally challenged or mentally ill people while on his rampage? Probably not. Is he 100 percent certain that all of the people that he's given the syringe to are guilty? How can he be? If it later comes to light that one of the people that he has killed was innocent, will he volunteer for a dose of death serum himself? Doubtful. The death penalty is a very difficult issue. Some go with the “eye for an eye” argument, while others think that to take the life of a murderer brings society down to the murderer's level. As Gandhi said, “an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” Either way, both sides agree that the motives for the death penalty have to at least be pure. Does Perry really believe that he's making the streets safer by killing these people? Maybe, but it is hard not to believe that his primary concern is for his polling data.
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Posted In: PoliticsGeneral
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