Part II
"You make disparaging comments about Bush and Perry. Fine, those are your points of view."
They are facts... If you mean we disrespect them because they do nothing to stop the machinery of death in Texas, that's a fact not a point of view.
Then..."But in Texas the Governor actually has no power to commute a death sentence without a positive recommendation from the Board of Pardons and Parole. He can also only stay an execution once, for no longer than 30 days. So implying that the Governor is responsible for executions in Texas is incorrect."
The Pardons and Parole Board, although supposedly non-partisan is really just a tool at arms length from the governor. If Bush or Perry were to advise the board to decide in their favor, although they may not turn all members, they could easily garner enough support to stay an execution or even commute sentences.
Secondly, If the Governor wanted to he could easily come out publicly and support abolition as there are certainly enough flaws in the system now to even make rabid pro-death penalty types sick when they dare to peer beyond the facade the media spins your justice system to be and takes a look at the cold hard facts.
Illinois Governor Ryan commuted ALL the death sentences to LWOP, and even freed 3 guys !
Although unpopular, he had the moral fortitude to do the right thing.
Sacrificing ones political career to save lives, even one, is better than getting re-elected if people have to die in the process, but of course we know career politicians won't do that, only real human beings will.
If the governor signs the warrant, he is guilty of authorizing that someone is killed.
It's that simple. If he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to. He can say no, and face the reprecussions if any...
In some states like Pennsylvania the governor has 30 days to sign an execution warrant, if he doesn't the responsibility goes to the The State DOC or another level of government and I beleive it's the Warden of the prison that has the authority to sign at that point.
Ed Rendell, the current PA Governor is actually the architect of PA's death penalty law. He wrote most of it as young lawyer and aspiring prosecutor in the early 80's. Throughout the 80's he worked in the Philadelphia prosecutors office, who along with his peers sentenced most of todays PA death row prisoners from Philadelphia and worked his way up the food chain to DA.
Then as Mayor of Philadelphia, he worked with local police officials another level of the chain...
Now as governor HE is responsible for signing death warrants for prisoners who were:
- Sentenced to death by him and/or his peers, people he worked with for years.
- From the city he was DA in and Mayor of working with every level of local law enforcement.
- Under legislation that HE WROTE. He WROTE the state's death penalty law !!!
Has he passed up the opportunity to sign a death warrant yet
OF COURSE NOT !
How can he ever fairly appraise a death warrant when he was there, bearing some personal responsibility for nearly EVERY STEP ALONG THE WAY to the death house !
He's probably still upset he's not going to be signing the warrant of death row journalist and author Mumia Abu Jamal, for exposing the shortcomings of Pennsylvania State officials, and the city of Philadelphia's systemic racism throughout his career !
NOW...
Will you be upset and tell me that PA Governor Ed Rendell and his Keystone Cops bear no responsibility whatsoever as well...?!?!?!?!
Killer Keating was actually doing dirty work for the FBI long before he became governor.
He was part of the 70's "New Left Terrorist" Squad that targeted individuals in Unions and Social Justice movements like AIM Native Rights Activist Leonard Pelletier, who thanks to the naivety of the Canadian Government believing fradulent information provided by the FBI, now spends the rest of his days in prison for speaking out about Native Rights for the American Indian Movement.
But thats a whole other Thread...
