The Atlantic - Latest Comments in Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

dudleysharp — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:49:47 -0000

Media Meltdown: Nonsense, Trial by Fire and the New Yorker

http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/04/cameron-todd-willingham-media-meltdown--the-death-penalty.aspx

Cameron Todd Willingham: Some reality needs to be acknowledged

http://homicidesurvivors.com/categories/Cameron%20Todd%20Willingham.aspx

"The Innocent Executed: Deception & Death Penalty Opponents"

http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/08/the-innocent-executed-deception--death-penalty-opponents--draft.aspx

The 130 (now 139) death row "innocents" scam

http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/03/04/fact-checking-issues-on-innocence-and-the-death-penalty.aspx

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

msb — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:43:06 -0000

Sigh. As a Texan, I wish I could say that this surprised me ...

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Gingergene — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:19:51 -0000

Perhaps I'm giving her too much credit, but I don't think Hutchison is actually saying you can be 100% sure. I think she's just saying you should be as sure as you can be "with the technology that we have".

That said, I don't actually find this logic compelling- there's far too much evidence out there demonstrating how horribly unjust the use of the death penalty is. That and a million other reasons make capital punishment one of the worst investments our justice system has made.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Gingergene — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:12:09 -0000

Yeah, between LBJ and W, Texas has covered the entire spectrum of questionable politics. Nobody can say you guys aren't thorough.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Curtis — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:31:39 -0000

Fair enough on Kinky running. At the same time, I doubt there are many people who are wondering whether to support Kay or Kinky. So the fundamental calculus is the same.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

MAJeff — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:25:03 -0000

This was a topic of conversation over at PZ Myers' blog. The basic point: So long as there is a death penalty administered by humans, innocent humans will be murdered by the state.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Fax Paladin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:03:45 -0000

Holy crap. Only marginally related, but still...

Perry cousin killed by sheriff's deputies

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Fax Paladin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:47:02 -0000

@Curtis: Kinky Friedman's said he's running as a Democrat this time.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Fax Paladin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:43:51 -0000

I keep saying: He's the archetypal Pointy-Haired Boss -- astoundingly incompetent at his job, but amazingly good at keeping it...

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

edgepark — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:59:02 -0000

The treasonouse part is him talking about texas seceding from the union. I know if and when democrats say this they are roundly condemmed but everyone looks at perry like some wacko or worse they give him a pass on a comment like that.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

sv — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:45:59 -0000

Ha!

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

ThatPirateGuy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:44:04 -0000

Dan W. Echoed my thoughts.

When McCain announced Palin my reaction was. Who?! after I found out who my thought was what the hell happened to the not obviously insane republican women like Hutchison. My girlfriend took the nomination as an insult.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Curtis — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:19:50 -0000

I don't think Tim is calling Hutchinson a moderate, but she might be able to get the moderate voters to come to the Republican primary and vote for her. Because she is certainly more appealing than Perry to most any moderate person.

The other thing is that prominent dems in Texas are eyeing the Senate seat she would vacate rather than the governor's office, so the democratic primary will certainly not have the same kind of sizzle.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Curtis — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:16:41 -0000

Because then he couldn't win another term.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

dave in texas — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:16:39 -0000

Hmmm. I'm not sure intellectual is a word I ever would have associated with Senator Hutchison, and moderate is a little bit of a stretch, but I'll grant that she's from the non-crazy wing of the party. On second thought, given the state of today's Republican Party, maybe moderate fits, after all.

Like I mentioned in an earlier thread, no politician ever lost an election in Texas by being too much in favor of the death penalty.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Tim H — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:01:12 -0000

"Kay Bailey Hutchison, who, for some odd reason, is incredibly popular with everyone except the hard-right GOP base"

Hutchison is an old-school intellectual conservative amenable to reason. So obviously she is not in touch with the GOP base in Texas.

In Texas any voter can participate in the Republican primary for any election -- it just makes them ineligible for the Democratic primary that year. So Hutchison has a chance at the nomination if she can get moderates to vote in the Republican primary.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

dave in texas — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:25:44 -0000

I also meant to add that people are highly unlikely to elect another Texan as president for a reeeaallly long time. Thanks, W.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

dave in texas — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:23:47 -0000

And this is the man that republicans are looking at to be president one day.

I honestly don't think anybody is looking at Rick Perry as possible presidential material. Well, with the probable exception of Rick Perry, that is. He only got 39% of the vote last time, and Texas Democrats are pulling hard for him to win the Republican primary, because he'd be a much easier opponent than Kay Bailey Hutchison, who, for some odd reason, is incredibly popular with everyone except the hard-right GOP base. He's not very well-liked, and once the campaign begins in earnest, I think we'll see that.

On the other hand, people underestimate him at their peril. He's a hard campaigner and he's never lost an election, mostly because he'll fight dirtier than anyone, throwing enough mud and slime to give pause to even the most rabid partisans.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Mark Adkins — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:55:54 -0000

Why can't Perry make Texas look good for once?

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Stacy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:54:43 -0000

Maybe because he mentioned the possibility of Texas seceding from the Union? That was Perry, wasn't it?

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

sv — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:53:45 -0000

Well, I get the murder part - you're referring to Willingham whom the state killed, maybe wrongfully - but, treason?

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

sv — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:52:29 -0000

What makes him murderous and treasonous? These are extremely strong charges. I myself don't know much about Texas politics or Rick Perry.

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

Stacy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:05:04 -0000

Bingo. And it's a shame,too, because Hutchison might even know that in her heart, but what TX politician could possibly say so? I know that's true of a lot of politicians and a lot of topics, but this is just one issue where I feel like most of these people HAVE to know better. Probably wishful thinking...

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

edgepark — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:56:41 -0000

And this is the man that republicans are looking at to be president one day. I would say im surprised, but he falls in line exactly with the wackos on the right. Murderous, treasonous thug that he is hell probably used this case (in the backwards world of texas politics) as a reason he should be reelected. I know this blog has gone over this before, but every day it seems more and more true to me that we as people deserve the laws and politicians we get. If you give a monkey a car and let him drive whos responsible when he kills someone, the monkey or you?

Re: Rick Perry Covers His Collusion In Faulty Execution

sv — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:48:35 -0000

Perry's challenger is right, but this line - "I am strongly for the death penalty, but always with the absolute assurance that you have the ability to be sure - with the technology that we have - that a person is guilty" - bothers me. The justice system is not infallible, even with properly applied forensic science; we can only approach that asymptotically, and we are a *long* way off. That's why it would be better not to have the death penalty.