August 14, 2007

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM A PURITAN NATION?:

Bush's lethal legacy: more executions: The US already kills more of its prisoners than almost any other country. Now the White House plans to cut the right of appeal of death row inmates... (Andrew Gumbel, 15 August 2007, Independent)

The Bush administration is preparing to speed up the executions of criminals who are on death row across the United States, in effect, cutting out several layers of appeals in the federal courts so that prisoners can be "fast-tracked" to their deaths.

With less than 18 months to go to secure a presidential legacy, President Bush has turned to an issue he has specialised in since approving a record number of executions while Governor of Texas.

The US Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales - Mr Bush's top legal adviser during the spree of executions in Texas in the 1990s - is putting finishing touches to regulations, inspired by recent anti-terrorism legislation, that would allow states to turn to the Justice Department, instead of the federal courts, as a key arbiter in deciding whether prisoners live or die.

The US is already among the top six countries worldwide in terms of the numbers of its own citizens that it puts to death.


It's always amusing when European elites get in high dudgeon over our rather minimal use of the death penalty when most of their own countrymen wish they still had it too.

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 14, 2007 7:00 PM
Comments

When the numbers of criminals killed in the US reaches the number of innocents killed in the last century by Europe, then we will consider a change in policy.

Until then, Europe, we do not need your input.

Posted by: Stormy70 at August 14, 2007 7:18 PM

How ignorant can the reporter be? Heard of separation of power between the states and the Fed, and between the three branches of our govt.? No matter how evil the executive is, he cannot claim power from the judiciary. The Fed has no jurisdiction over a state's criminal system. Appeals to the federal court can only be made on the ground that the sentence violates the US Constitution, or certain procedures were violated during the trial. The evil president couldn't even order the evacuation of a drowning New Orleans without the consent of its very incompetent mayor and the state's governor. Yet he can grab power from the court and the legislature using new regulations?
The reporter is hinting that Bush is trying to grab power like Hitler did in the 30's. What does he think we are, a bunch of Euros?

Posted by: ic at August 14, 2007 9:19 PM

In the top six?

Let's see - China, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Venezuela, Cuba, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Congo, Serbia, Kosovo, Pakistan, Iran, Gaza, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey.

That's 24 right there. Sure, many of the state-sponsored deaths in these countries are extra-judicial. But shouldn't that make Mr. Gumbel's outrage even stronger?

Posted by: jim hamlen at August 14, 2007 9:57 PM

A "spree of executions"? Well, Mr. Gumbel, there wouldn't be that spree if there hadn't been a "spree of murders" before them.

Funny how that is always forgotten.

Posted by: Mikey [TypeKey Profile Page] at August 15, 2007 7:51 AM

Well what's wrong with working to be in the top five?

Posted by: Genecis at August 15, 2007 10:25 AM
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