Thanks for clearing that up for me. I was working from vague memory of this question coming up for death penalties for foreign nationals. And not enough tea so my brain has not jump started yet.
And maybe it is the cynic in me but I really don’t see these criminals as good targets for successful rehabilitation. And I see the likelyhood of them recruiting in prison as being very high. And those who are likely to spread their poison are in my mind a double threat and therefore better candidates for death penalty.
I agree on both points, which is why the decision should have been left to the judicial system. If you're going to have a just death penalty you have to be willing to ask for it, whether it's Scott Peterson or OJ, and let the system decide.
BTW, it's my understanding there are over a hundred Mexican nationals in Mexico who could potentially face the death penalty over crimes in LA county alone. Some are in Mexican prisons, but some are free as a bird. It's a state and local issue, but I wouldn't object to waiving the death penalty in those cases. People are dying in the SW because killers perceive a safe haven only a few miles away.