Confession 8.0

I am a Democrat and I believe in the death penalty.

I just had to put in the "Democrat" part, because a lot of people think that all Democrats are against the death penalty, but if they had a lick of sense in their brain, they would know how wrong they are.

I was reading an article in the Statesman today about the latest execution here in Texas. People like to make fun of Texas because of the amount of people executed, but seriously - look at California. Their death row inmates sit there waiting to die for decades. Most of them will probably die of natural causes before being given their punishment. Even that freak who kidnapped his neighbor's little girl, raped and killed her - that piece of shit will die in prison before being put to death for what he did.

I understand on some levels the people who believe that the death punishment is wrong. I understand that they believe that it is only God's place to decide a person's fate. I can see how someone would think that. I don't agree, but I can understand how one would think that. What I don't understand is the people who think that the death penalty is cruel and inhumane, that it shows a lack of civility. Excuse me? These people are on death row because they themselves are cruel and inhumane and lack civility. Why should we show them more mercy than they would show us? These people are killers. And not just your run of the mill killers - it takes a special person to get themselves sent to death row. They deserve not one ounce of my pity.

I believe that there should be only three appeals given to death row inmates, max. I also believe that all death row inmates that were convicted before the use of DNA should have their cases checked against the crime (if evidence still exists) so that we don't wrongly put someone to death. I hear people who say that the death penalty should be abolished because even one person wrongly accused is to much, and to that I say bullshit. Nothing is perfect. Believe me, the justice system is far from perfect, and will be forever, as long a human beings run the show. We should not throw out the system because it's not perfect, because nearly every person who has broken the law tries to get out of it, tries to say they are innocent. Even the stumbling drunks pulled over for DWI try to say they weren't drunk. I don't think most people will lay down and say, "Yeah, I murdered them. Put me to death."

One state (Utah?) gives the condemned their choice of method of death. Bullet, hanging, lethal injection. I think that's a good idea in theory, but it would take a special person to be the executioner. I wonder if they do it like in the old days - give a row of executioners rifles at random, with only one of them loaded with an actual bullet. They all fire, but no one knows who actually fired the shot that killed.

For anyone interested in getting info on Texas' Death Row, TDCJ has an excellent website with the condemned info, including their last statements:

http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/executedoffenders.htm

There is also a website that I found one night whilst googling that kept a list of different states' death row inmates' last meals. I thought it was interesting, but then I am into all that kind of morbid stuff.

That was the same night I was looking at crime scene photos, and was finding all kinds of gnarly stuff, like that Chris Farley's body.

Eww.