Ted Rall for June 30, 2015

Funny toon Teddy, but there’s a good reason why we have the death penalty. Ask the people of Up-State New York that have had to deal with weeks of terror from the escapees…..RICHARD MATT

Date of birth: June 25, 1966

Hometown: Tonawanda, New York

Convicted of: First-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery.

“Richard Matt’s former fiancee, a step-brother and co-defendant took turns at Matt’s trial providing details of the 1997 kidnap, torture and hacksaw dismemberment of Matt’s 76-year-old former boss, whose body was found in pieces in the Niagara River.

William Rickerson spent 27 hours on a snowy December night in the trunk of a car in pajamas while his killers drove from New York to Ohio and back, angry because he wouldn’t tell them the location of the large sums of money Matt was convinced Rickerson kept on hand.

Co-defendant Lee Bates described how Matt at one point opened the trunk and bent the duct tape-bound elderly man’s fingers back until they broke. After driving some more, Matt snapped Rickerson’s neck with his bare hands."Oh and then he killed a guy in Mexico.

And he faces a stiff penalty for brazenly ignoring the “gun-free zone” sign. Playing nice with terrorists usually ends badly. Please note, Mr. Kerry.

What about all the innocent people that have been executed? A few minutes of research can uncover a lot of scary facts about innocent people convicted of crimes. The death penalty is nothing but institutionalized vengeance and does not deter crime. You can look that up too. If you want to punish someone, life in a cage is far more punishment. Escapes from maximum security prisons are exceedingly rare, and the people of upstate NY are not cowering in fear of two rats in a hole somewhere in the deep woods. Violence is the first refuge of the incompetent. I’ve more to say but my 3 year old son is climbing up my butt this morning.

The death penalty has been imposed on the innocent. Every level of government has prosecutors who don’t seek justice. Instead they seek to add notches to their belt. It’s how they climb their career ladder. This tilts the system and from time to time innocent people have been put to death. This should be unacceptable. Life without parole accomplishes at least two laudable objectives. First, if guilty, they have to sit in a miserable jail the rest of their days. Second, if innocent, there’s a chance they could be proven innocent by the Innocence Project or by other means. It is amazing to me that the same people who deem our governments to be incompetent have so much faith in prosecutorial justice. Believe it or not, the prosecutors rarely care about the truth. Their “incompetence” is grounded in the system. At least we can make sure we don’t execute innocent people through avid encouragement of systemic prosecutorial zeal.

How can you really know that the death penalty doesn’t deter crime? Isn’t it true, then, that prison doesn’t deter crime? Jail doesn’t deter crime? Probation doesn’t deter crime? So, maybe we should just let criminals go their merry way?

Can we send Ted Bundy over to your house for supper?

Actually at least in England back in the day certain criminals were first hung until almost dead, then disemboweled and their entrails burned while they watched, then when they were dead they would be drawn and quartered.

I remember reading in A Distant Mirror that, during the early days of Western Culture, a donkey used in the commission of a capital crime (that is, most of them), would be hanged.And those are my ancestors. I’d rather have an ancestor who was hanged as a horse thief, than one who would hang the horse. Or donkey. Or dog..Back on point, I’ve had a similar reaction on reading of an 80-year sentence for a 50-year old, 5 life sentences, etc. It just seems stupid.

When one claims to use logic, he or she most likely means “agreeing with me”.

And what is “rational logic”? Logic on steroids?

Try comparing the crime rate in states that have capital punishment with the crime rate in states that do not. I know from experience that there are many people in maximum security prisons who belong in a cage, some for the rest of their life. The vast majority of them will remain in a cage for the rest of their life. Ask Charles Manson. There are also many who are capable of redemption and some who are innocent. Comparing execution with incarceration and/or supervision is not a valid comparison. The death penalty is stupid. BTW, Ted Bundy is dead.

Animals were routinely put on trial and executed in Europe up to the 18th century if not later. Typical would be a pig convicted and killed for being a witch. Not sure about Romans cutting down trees but there are numerous examples in ancient Greek history of inanimate objects like bones and animals being punished in the legal courts.

And the very word scapegoat comes from the ancient tradition (Jewish I think) of writing a one’s sins on a placard, placing it around a goat’s neck and then running it out of town.

@John LockeWho appointed you the ultimate judge? http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/executed-possibly-innocent

Just another Crusading Avenger. I’m sure he never even exceeds the speed limit. It must be nice to be perfect.

It’s an interesting comment on our society that the state and federal government will prosecute that dumb kid to the point of overkill, yet do nothing to change or even challenge institutionalized racism.

Nit-picking history buff here: the sentenced was hung by the neck until almost dead, then taken down, placed on a platform or the ground, then while he recovered slightly they would cut off his goolies, slice him open and drag out his entrails, cauterising the ends with a hot implement, then they would be beheaded then have their limbs cut off (quartered). And it was used mostly for traitors.

…lots of bullshit in the comments section, as usual…