Proving there's no stop to our moral decline, it appears that Alberto Gonzales is about to become the U.S. Killer in Chief. According to an August 15 story in the Washington Post titled, Gonzales to Get Power In Death Penalty Cases:
"Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, under political siege for his handling of the U.S. attorney firings and other issues, is to get expanded powers to hasten death penalty cases under regulations being developed by the Justice Department.
The rules would give Gonzales the authority to approve "fast-track" procedures by states in death penalty cases, enabling them to carry out sentences more speedily and with fewer opportunities for appeal if those states provide adequate representation for capital defendants."
Like you, I've been scratching my head in wonder, trying to understand why, after all he's done and been through, Mr. Gonzales would want to hang on to his job a moment longer. Well, his added job description makes it crystal clear. It obviously wasn't satisfying enough to torture and kill Iraqis at Abu Ghraib. His job won't be complete until he's killed a few homeboys, as well. Forget Torture Boy, this guy is a full grown lizard in a human suit.
Even if you're a supporter of the death penalty as a form of just punishment – an eye for an eye, as the Bible instructs – it's really a non-starter when to comes to an honest debate about the the issue. That's because of serious problems, such as, the racist pattern with how death sentences are dished out, cases of mistaken identity, and bad lawyering, to name a few. According to Amnesty International, "Since 1977, the overwhelming majority of death row defendants (over 80%) have been executed for killing white victims, although African-Americans make up up about half of all homicide victims. African-Americans account for one in three people executed since 1977".
Here's an excerpt from a comment on the news about Gonzales from the Death Penalty Information Center, "Elisabeth Semel, director of the Death Penalty Clinic at the UC Berkeley law school, said, 'It is another means by which people are determined to shut the federal courts down to meaningful review of death penalty cases. The inevitable result of speeding them up is to miss profound legal errors that are made. Lawyers will not see them. Courts will not address them."
Also, consider that since 1992, the Innocence Project has used DNA testing to exonerate 205 people in the U.S., including 15 who were on death row.
Personally, I find killing bad. Call me a softy, but that's just how I am. I even find non-fatal violence pretty distasteful. In contrast to supporters of the death penalty, I don't draw a distinction between murder as a crime and capital punishment as retribution for murder. Very simply, killing is killing. It's not just bad, it's immoral.
Unfortunately, immorality is the dark star that guides the Bush regime. In every deliberation they seem to choose darkness over light. There's no point in chronicling their misdeeds, we know the story. The question is, where do we go from here? How do we make it to the next election, and once we do, who do we choose to lead us out of the Bushit?
While these are dark days for sure, I'm reminded that the darkest moment comes just before the dawn. The possibility does exist to lift America up again. But it's going to require the clear vision of a leader, individual sacrifice from the citizenry, and a lot of good karma. But, like the sunrise, that will require nothing short of a miracle.
Craig Gordon
If only you believe like I believe, baby
We'd get by
If only you believe in miracles, baby
So would I
If only you believe like I believe, baby
We'd get by
If only you believe in miracles, baby
So would I.
-Marty Balin
