I watched all of last night's rather predictable and not particularly game changing GOP presidential last night. As the dust settles, I honestly couldn't tell you who the "winner" was. I can tell you who lost, though:
Basic human decency. Not to mention America's reputation as a nation built on virtues like justice and fairness.
This shocking new low came near the end of the debate when moderator Brian Williams of NBC News asked Texas Gov. Rick Perry to defend his record of executions -- 234, more than any other governor in modern history -- during his tenure in Austin.
The mere mention that Perry had made what was once considered a solemn decision to sign off on the state-sanction deaths of 234 human beings caused the audience to break into sustained applause. Just watch the video below.
It was utterly sickening to watch. When Perry -- who recently vetoed a bill that would halt the execution of the mentally ill -- told the audience that anyone convicted of murder in the Lone Star State faces "the ultimate justice," the applause grew even louder.
I'm strongly opposed to the death penalty. I've felt that way ever since I was a young boy going to Sunday school, and I was baffled how the state could choose to put people to death when it was wrong to take any human life. Since then, everything I've learned and seen about the death penalty has strengthened my conviction that it's morally wrong. It's telling that the executions are banned in most civilized nations, but they're still carried out in repressive nations like Iran and China. At the same time, I can still respect people who make reasoned arguments for the death penalty, who claim that it's a necessary deterrent to the murder of innocents -- albeit not a deterrent we take joy in using.
What you heard echoing in the Reagan Library last night was not reason. It was bloodlust, pure and simple, and it was repulsive.
Who were these pathetic people?
Three quick observations.
First, Rick Perry's applauded quest for "the ultimate justice" has resulted in at least one and possibly more cases of the ultimate injustice: The state-sanctioned murder of an innocent man. In fact, Perry recently quashed an investigation in the 2004 Perry-sanctioned execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, amid mounting forensic evidence that Willingham was not a murderer. Beyond that, here's a good guide to the mentally infirm, youths and the dubioiusly convicted who were put to death by Perry's regime.
Second, with the 10th anniversay of 9/11 just four days away, everyone's been looking for a window into America's post-attack psyche. I think that, sadly, that window just opened wide in Simi Valley last night. I've never forgiven my own newspaper, the Daily News, for leading the Sept. 12, 2001, paper with an editorial headlined "Blood for blood" that started out: "Revenge. Hold that thought." Obviously, we have -- for coming up on a decade. The cheering of executions is the hallmark of a sick society -- one that's incapable of tackling its real demons and looking for vengeance on whomever happens to be available. Unfortunately, we should all remember what Roger Daltry and The Who said about loving vengeance. That's never free.
Finally, last night's debate was supposed to honor Ronald Reagan. God knows Reagan's presidency had major flaws -- I catalogued them in my book "Tear Down This Myth" -- but he also had a personal revulsion at the taking of human life. That's why he often spurned his aides' urgings to respond militarily to Mideast terror attacks, because he felt the killing of civilians in such a response was terrorism itself. And one reason he became embroiled in the Iran-Contra scandal was his quest to do anything humanly possible to prevent any of the U.S. hostages in Lebanon from being killed. The real Reagan would have been appalled at people cheering death in his name.
The Gipper is probably spinning in his grave right now.
Will, those are "Chrisitans" cheering and applauding for murder. And here I thought that "the Lord" said that murder was against his rules. Hmmmm. I also thought that nobody could pass judgment accept "the Lord." There seem to be some contradictions here. But hey, they are afterall "Christians" and that gives them carte blanche to do and say whatever they want.— taxmanndumbeth- I'm pro-death penalty. I'm also pro-choice. What I'm against is setting up an express lane for both practices. If you call the death penalty the "ultimate Justice" then profligate over usage that borders on excessive kind of weakens that argument. Cheering because Perry signed 200+ death warrants isn't being pro-death penalty, it's nothing more than disgusting carnal bloodlust.— JSaq
- This is probably the most intelligent opinion that was ever posted here in the Attytood forum. Thanks. — tsdguy
- Yet if Perry stood up their and supported the right to butcher an unborn child, you'd wet your pants with excitement.— jmc
- I'm not even sure if I'm against the death penalty per se, but I'm sure as hell against the death penalty as practiced by politicians who kill people to help their own reelections. And since it seems almost impossible to separate the latter from the former, I guess that makes me against the death penalty, period.— Susie from Philly
- Politicians like ,oh, say-Bill Clinton and the 1992 excecution of Ricky Ray Rector who was brain damaged from a botched suicide attempt? Not saying he didn't deseve it (he killed two cops). Only death warrant Clinton signed in his entire time as Gov. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the 1992 presidential campaign he was running. Now that is an execution reeking of politics. Like or not, Perry has been consistent. For Clinton-pure politics.
— georgel 
Comment removed.- I don't exactly understand this response. I mean, if a crowd cheered because Brian Williams said to a governor, "there were more abortions performed in your state last year that in any other state," I think we would all agree that was pretty damn sick. But would it justify people applauding for Texas being execution-happy, as they did last night? No. Applauding for killing is still wrong even if other people do it.
"He does it too, so it's OK for me" is poor moral reasoning.— TooManyJens - There is no equivalence on any level when it comes to innocent babies and convicted murderers. — tr88
- You're assuming the person being executed is actually guilty of the crime. What about the innocent person being executed? — InTexas
- Not at all as I've written elsewhere on this blog. I would need to have DNA evidence or an airtight case, ultimately reviewed by the duly elected governor of the state. Thats why they get the big money, he is the vox populai. And your point about it being expensive is silly. It's expensive because the judicial system allows endless appeals for decades which, in my view also weakens the deterrence. We can fix that. — tr88
- There is no justifacation for government sanctioned murder! — DavidAG
- So again, the radical right wing deems it ok for the government to decide how someone should die but if I decide that my illness is too much for my body to take, I'm not allowed to invite my friends and family to come say good bye to me then have a physician end my sufferings, or even better as a grandpop did, suffer from inoperable cancer, having already had one kidney and his liver removed goes to the bar down the street and buys the bar for one last night goes home to bed to never wake up. This is wrong per these crazy right wing wackos. These are the people who advocate personal freedom over government control. No you are not you only want to government out of YOUR way, everyone else do as you say. — DavidAG
- Ask the Nunez and Sanchez families their opinion on the death penalty. Read your own paper, Bunch.— scorpio27
- sickening... and so are some of these comments...— pattij
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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