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December 13, 2005
Tookie Williams.
Tookie Williams was executed in California this morning. My own views on the matter are simple. There are two reasons or times when it is morally permissible to kill someone. In immediate self-defense or in the course of a Just War. The definitions of immediate and Just are obviously problems but they equally obviously do not include execution....or as I refer to it, judicial murder.
For a more practical reason to oppose the death penalty you might want to read Radley Balko about his investigation into the Cory Maye case. Just keep scrolling.
Now, having got the important stuff out of the way how about a properly British way to deal with the state sponsored slaughter of one of our fellow human beings?
Make bad jokes about it. Via George:
And he offers a suggestion for one of the songs they might have sung.
"The Crip gets the Drip".
As it isn’t on Amazon we’ll have to decide upon the rest of the playlist as well.
The Road to Hell?
Tag tookie tookie williams cory maye
December 13, 2005 | Permalink
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Comments
How about the state authorising the killing of 180k unborn people?
Posted by: sean morris | Dec 13, 2005 8:15:46 PM
Perhaps more to the point, it appears that Conan has a shoddy grasp of the concept of clemency and wasn't certain that this man was guilty anyway. However he was perfectly happy to take a chance on that.
http://militantpinemarten.blogspot.com/2005/12/you-dont-need-justification-for.html
Posted by: The Militant Pine Marten | Dec 14, 2005 10:41:55 AM
..To recieve mercy, first you have to admit your guilt, which he did not.
24 years of legal process has established the guilt.
At least the californian system has credibiltiy, which is more than you can say about our "envy of the world" lack of justice system.
I once recieved a death threat when I was serving on a jury, it was put to me that I had roughly 45 years of life left, and someone would pay 10 years of theirs for a fee, and they would have a 50/50 chance of not getting caught.
Ill take my chances with Capital Punishment if you dont mind.
Posted by: sean morris | Dec 14, 2005 12:06:12 PM
Whether he was guilty or not isn't certain. He always maintained that he wasn't, which is consistent with not apologising. However this is the main objective problem with the death penalty: it's an irreversible punishment based on uncertain facts ("beyond reasonable doubt" is different from "with certainty").
If you say that you'll take your chances with capital punishment, you're saying that you will gamble with someone else's life. But maybe you're happy with that.
Posted by: The Militant Pine Marten | Dec 14, 2005 2:03:24 PM
well lets see now, I have a 1 in 7500 chance as a motorist of dying in a motor accident, so as the risk is comparable high, should be do away with the advantage of motor transport?
The idea of absolute truth is a myth, we live in a world where we take risk in order to gain advantage.
What advantage as a citizen do I get of having a legal system that has lost credibility?
By taking a life for a life, we give life a value, this is not immoral, it is moral, its also natural justice, and without the link of natural justice to man made law, then the system breaks..as it is doing.
Power flows up from the people.
So lets have referendum with a 10 year sunset clause, and a moratorium on the use of CP, so in that 10 year period we can see how the justice system fairs and people will get a final say in 10 years time, then we can start giving life a value again.
Posted by: sean morris | Dec 14, 2005 2:23:24 PM
Taking a life for a life is not 'moral'; it's hypocrisy.
What the governator is saying is basically: "You killed. Killing is wrong. So we're going to kill you."
Accepting Capital Punishment means accepting that the State is above the law, be it artificial or natural.
Posted by: Chris White | Dec 15, 2005 2:26:29 PM
whats it got to do with the state?
I think you will find in a republic such as the United States, its The People versus Williams.
"For if justice and righteousness perish, human life would no longer have any value in the world"
Prof. Immanuel Kant
Posted by: sean morris | Dec 15, 2005 6:34:30 PM
What is exercising us on NHS BLOG DOCTOR may seem pedantic, indeed rather academic, but who acutally gives the injections? The injection protocol is a complicated medical procedure. Surely to God, they can't find a doctor to get it all done?
And one hears it took 20 minutes for them to find a vein in the poor bugger.
So how is this not cruel and unnatural?
Posted by: Dr Crippen | Dec 17, 2005 4:50:10 PM
>>So how is this not cruel and unnatural?<<
Maybe we should blow his face off with gun, like he did not his prey?
No one ever said death was easy.
Or we can leave him to be Prisoner for the rest of his days, which to my mind is also cruel and unnatural..thats why 20% of all those on death row at some point waive their appeals and just get on with it.
Posted by: sean morris | Dec 18, 2005 9:49:41 PM
HI TOOKIE PLEASE POST UP HERE FROM SARA HARRIS
Posted by: SARA HARRIS | Dec 19, 2005 3:19:50 AM
