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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brumar89 who wrote (438823)	12/6/2008 6:45:28 PM
From: i-node	Respond to of 1573092

You know, I'm coming around to have more respect for a negative view of capital punishment. I feel the same way. But there are some crimes that are just bad that I think it is just the right thing to do. If you could take the few executions that are performed in this country and insure that they were applied to absolute worst of the worst, I would have not the slightest problem with it. I would have no difficulty pulling the switch on David Westerfield, for example. But when you have arguments over whether it should be applied to retarded individuals and those whose guilt may not have been as overwhelmingly obvious as, for example, OJ's, then I can understand some people having doubts about it. There is a case outside Dallas (in Rowlett, Texas) of a mom convicted of killing her two sons back in '96. This was very near where I used to live in Texas, so, it was of keen interest to me. The mom, Darlie Routier, was convicted on what to me is the absolute flimsiest evidence one can imagine - essentially, (a) they couldn't find anyone else who did it, and (b) a videotape shot at the kids' gravesite in which she did not appear to be remorseful. That was IT. And she sits on death row. In particular, there was additional video footage that DID reflect her grieving at the kids' graves that day, but the defense didn't know about it and it didn't get played to the jury. Yet, she has been unable to get a new trial. My point is her conviction isn't clear cut, and I really have a problem with a death sentence for someone like this when there is at least a reasonable shot she isn't guilty. OJ, that's a different thing -- he clearly committed the crime. But the way our death penalty works, Darlie Routier may get put to death while David Westerfield lives. There is something terribly wrong with this picture, and it has caused me to soften my stance on capital punishment, as well. I should say, however, that the Innocence Project has not be convincing to me. I have a feeling some guilty people are walking away scott-free because of it.