Why They Cheered

Wall Street Journal ^ | September 8, 2011 | JAMES TARANTO

[Cincinatus' Wife]

[snip]

Williams: Governor Perry...Your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times.

(APPLAUSE)

Have you struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of those might have been innocent?

Perry answered: "No sir," pointed out that death-row convicts are entitled to extensive appeals, and crisply declared: "In the state of Texas, if you come into our state and you kill one of our children, you kill a police officer, you're involved with another crime and you kill one of our citizens, you will face the ultimate justice."

[snip]

[E.D.]Kain implies that there is a contradiction between supporting capital punishment and opposing abortion, as if the establishment of guilt by due process meant nothing....

[snip]

"It's true that all of America's G-7 partners, save Japan, have abolished capital punishment, but the reason isn't, as death-penalty opponents usually assume, that their populations eschew vengeance. In fact, opinion polls show that Europeans and Canadians crave executions almost as much as their American counterparts do. It's just that their politicians don't listen to them. In other words, if these countries' political cultures are morally superior to America's, it's because they're less democratic."

[snip]

There are, of course, reasonable arguments against the death penalty. But opponents are too resentful at their inability to steamroll over public opinion as if this were Europe or Canada to argue their case effectively. One of their most ludicrous tropes is to liken the U.S. to authoritarian regimes that also practice capital punishment. In reality, as Marshall showed, America still has the death penalty because it is less authoritarian than Europe. Thus whenever someone makes that argument, we feel a tinge of patriotic pride. We believe a similar sentiment lay behind last night's applause.

[righttackle44]

Remember in the movie Taken, when Liam Neeson's character plugged the bad guy into Paris' electricity and left him, presumably, until they come to turn off the service because the bill hasn't been paid? (And in Paris, wouldn't that be 220 volts?) I cheered then.

I cheered when Brian cringed.

[ROTB]

Newt murdered them...
Perry maimed the rest..
Bachmann spit on their mangled bodies..

Romney threw rocks at them.. and cursed them..

The producers of this event are walking with a limp..

Note: Much to be learned by this.. Hire the lamest dumbest liberals you can find to be the moderators.. Make sure Newt is asked many questions.. and Perry given the mic to respond..

***********

It might be more fun to do it the way it’s done now (libs asking questions) than having a panel of Conservatives, since what we have now gives the candidates to zing/zot the media on live TV.

Fun!

[W. W. SMITH]

I have been talking that up for years. If the evidence is a certainty that an individual did the crime, then 180 days and execute them.

[HonestConservative]

He always makes me smile.

[Boogieman]

“Stop killing Innocent Children and we will stop killing GUITY ADULT CRIMINALS!”

Great thinking! Next time some lib tries to pull this “gotcha” on me, I’ll just say “Ok, we’ll abolish the death penalty then if you will ban abortion, I’m okay with that compromise” and just watch their head explode!

[Feckless]

In Texas, we’ll kill you back.....

[so_real]

I am loving this thread for all the Ron White references. While I was watching the debate, however, and the audience erupted in cheers, I was disappointed that Perry used so many words to make such a simple declaration. And "ultimate justice"? Seriously, what was that? It's like he's too timid to use the word "execute" or the phrase "capital punishment". How about "You kill in Texas, we kill you right back". Done. Obama is a decisive Marxian socialist. I'd like to see a decisive Democratic capitalist run against him.

[Big_Harry]

I would like, just once, to hear one of these politicians give the real reason for the death penalty:

Gen 9:5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

Gen 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

[13Sisters76]

This was excellent. Williams might feel all kinds of self-righteous, but he is a moronic goof, so sure he is better than the rest of us because he supports the killing of innocents who have no access to the appeals process.

The death penalty is an absolutely justified consequence for those who have proven they have no place in our society. They are given far more rights than they ever afforded their victims.

[Talisker]

I would like, just once, to hear one of these politicians give the real reason for the death penalty: Gen 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Because, genius, the oposition will respond with this:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[ and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Matthew 5:38-48

So the issue obviously involves the use of contextual reasoning, and Bible quotes alone won't do it - especially with people who reject the bible anyway, and especially since this country is run under a Constitution that specifically does not invoke the Bible. The Founders could have done that, especially in the 1700s, without anyone blinking an eye. But they knew that people needed to work things out for themselves politically without throwing Bible quotes at each other that had the direct force of law.

[Jacquerie]

“You kill one of us, we’ll kill ya back.”

[Texas resident]

Permanently Rehabilitated.
Won’t kill again.
Works every time.
Executing a feral human who is convicted by a jury insures that that person will not kill another innocent person.

Brian Williams ought to look into the history of some of these “innocent” prisoners. If any of these feral humans committed the acts they were convicted of on his family, he would be a big time cheerleader for the death penalty.

But he is of the media party. Maybe he should take in one of these unfortunate criminals as a pet project. Hey Brian, adopt a criminal. They aren’t that dangerous right?

[Big_Harry]

Jesus was not talking about how we treat cold blooded murderers in Matthew 5:38-48, he was talking about how we deal with those that mistreat us personally.

Our system of justice in this country was founded on both “natural law” and “divine law” by our founding fathers, who, unlike some of the more “enlightened ones” that now inhabit this nation, believed in the absolute inerrancy of scripture, and the power of the spoken text.

In this system of jurisprudence, the foundation of laws that deal with the death penalty come from scripture, and our refusal as a country to take those laws seriously has probably brought us a great deal of trouble. I found an interesting scripture to that effect:

Num 35:33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

You can continue to argue if you must, but I am standing on the word of the living God, the same God that our fore-fathers looked to for inspiration.