Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Don't let Big Government kill this man

62 comments

Don't let Big Government kill this man

POSTED: Wednesday, September 26, 2012, 10:08 PM

 

The buzz over Pennsylvania's planned execution of Philadelphia admitted killer Terrence Williams just keeps getting louder and louder. Tonight I saw this form from the Pennsylvania ACLUthat can let you plead for Williams' life to the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons (I guess Tom Corbett is a lost cause) and I imagine you'll see a lot more as Williams' date with state-sponsored death grows closer. It's been a couple of generations since someone in Pennsylvania who didn't want to die was executed, which is one reason why this is such a big deal even as down in the Deep South they scour to globe to get enough lethal injection drugs.

The legal back-and-forthhas basically centered on the issue of whether Williams was sexually abused by the two men he killed, a big-time mitigating factor that -- to a lot of observers -- is a powerful reason to block the execution. That said, I've found the counter-argument -- that the extent and viciousness of Williams' crimes went way beyond a crime of passion, and that most sexual-abuse victims don't kill their attackers (note: Jerry Sandusky is still alive) to be a strong case for the other side.

But in the end, it doesn't matter. The state of Pennsylvania must not kill Terrence Williams, period. It's bad enough that too many innocent or potentially innocent people are on Death Row across the nation. Williams is not one of these, nor is the cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, but the guilty should not get the death penalty either.

No one should be executed. The death penalty is not only barbaric, but pursuing it is a massive waste of my tax dollars and yours. It's something we have in common with the likes of China and Iran...and virtually none of industrialized allies in the world. If most of civilization has nixed the death penalty, then -- in the infamous nomenclature of Philadelphia Phillies fans everywhere -- why can't us?

Will Bunch @ 10:08 PM  Permalink | 62 comments
62 comments
Comments  (63)
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:31 PM, 09/26/2012
    LOS ANGELES—Responding to the ongoing protests from millions of Muslims over the depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, American television channel Nick Jr. announced today it was suspending production on its forthcoming children’s program The Almighty Muhammad’s Porkalicious Toon Jihad.

    The half-hour animated television show, which centers around the wacky Jihadist adventures of the Islamic prophet and his mischievous pig friend Abrahammy, was slated to begin airing this October.

    “At this time, our company believes it is best to temporarily remove The Almighty Muhammad’s Porkalicious Toon Jihad from Nick Jr.’s fall programming schedule,” Viacom executive Todd Coates said. “While we still believe that thousands of young viewers would really enjoy seeing Muhammad go on his weekly pilgrimages to his big bacon mosque with his rabbi friends Hershel and Moishe, our company nonetheless believes it’s best to indefinitely postpone the show’s release.”
    Mr. Smith
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:49 PM, 09/26/2012
    Mr. Smith with a copy and paste straight from The Onion.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:53 PM, 09/27/2012
    This comment has been deleted.
    bil,l atkins
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:24 PM, 09/27/2012
    Lol
    wokmaster
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:50 AM, 09/27/2012
    @mr baseball- You're kidding, right. You mean this isn't a true story?

    On second thought many on these boards aren't very bright and would appreciate you pointing out the obvious....
    Wiseman6
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:43 AM, 09/27/2012
    Fry 'em.
    georgel
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:01 AM, 09/27/2012
    Are you willing to trade ending late term abortions for ending the death penalty? You'll have to throw in mandatory contraception while on welfare, but who could argue against that. That dude is safer on Death Row than he is in ghettos of Philly (ghettos of Philly is redundant, I know).
    2ndNlong
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:28 AM, 09/27/2012
    So you're not willing to do the same? As it is, late term abortions can be prohibited under Roe v Wade unless the mother's health is endangered.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:28 AM, 09/27/2012
    The logic of the Democractic party. It is okay to murder innocent babies, but it is not okay to put a murderer to death.
    ALJ
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:45 AM, 09/27/2012
    The logic of rabid conservative: it is not OK to kill an unborn but it is OK to "fry" a born-grown one!

    You are arguing that the logic of one side is inconsistent, when your own logic generally is inconsistent as well. You are also make value judgment just like they are!
    EIK
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:03 PM, 09/27/2012
    Elk, how would you feel if your mom have had a abortion. Of, right, you would never have had a chance to feel anything.
    ALJ
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:20 PM, 09/27/2012
    Should masturbation be illegal too? If so, what would Rufus do when he's not posting brain farts on philly.com?
    wokmaster
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:52 PM, 09/27/2012
    I am not defending either position (my mom is against abortion). What I am saying is that BOTH sides are inconsistent in their beliefs.

    So saying the Democrats are illogical does not make the other side logical.
    EIK
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:08 AM, 09/27/2012
    ......................
    "The president told the UN that the “future must not belong” to a series of people including “corrupt” leaders and those who “bully women.” But one line from that list stood out. “The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”

    That line appeared almost nowhere in the old media where Obama’s supposed defense of free speech dominated. The broadcast networks ignored it and only Jake Tapper noted that Team Obama had also tried to get the video pulled from YouTube for violation of “terms of use.” The New York Times skipped the line, ironically in an article headlined: “Obama Tells U.N. New Democracies Need Free Speech.”





    Keep The Change
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:17 AM, 09/27/2012
    Bush said as much countless times. I guess the recent poll numbers call for desperate measures, eh?


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About this blog
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.

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