President Joe Biden seems determined to torch his legacy as the grains of sand run down the hourglass of his historic presidency.
Historic?
Yes, for two reasons.
First, his accomplishments. I would say action to prevent a depression during the Covid lockdown may be No. 1, but there are many more listed here. Yes, the list is published by the White House, and you can argue with much of it. Be my guest.
Second reason it was historic? The first time a sitting President who had won renomination decided to walk away from it. (With good reason, I think, and you can see Nancy Pelosi’s handprints on his back.)
In the past few weeks he pardoned his son artiste d’cocaine Hunter, after repeatedly promising he wouldn’t do so, and in explaining why he did so, Joe cast aspersions on the American justice system, which is exactly what Donald J. Trump does nonstop. Biden has put his seal of approval on Trumpian victimization fantasies.
Biden was too dim to try to hide Hunter’s pardon in a list of some 1,500 others to whom he granted clemency or pardons about a week later.
And now he’s commuted the death sentences of 37 who are the worst of the worst, including child killers and cop killers. Americans traditionally are more disturbed by the deaths of children, who are innocent of sin, and police officers who are regarded (among others) as symbols of the nation. In the same way that an assassination is more than just a murder.
Biden commuted the sentences of 37 to life without parole (don’t bet on it, more later), left three other pieces of human waste on death row.
He’s a hypocrite and a moral weakling.
Why? Biden has long said he opposes capital punishment and ordered a moratorium on executions in federal prisons.
If your convictions lead you to believe the government has no right to take a life, then you must save them all — 40, not 37.
If you believe the 1) Boston Marathon bomber, 2) Tree of Life synagogue murderer, and 3) the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church killer, somehow are exempt from your virtue signaling, allow me to believe the other 37 should be put down.
Will Joe Biden issue a pardon to Luigi Mangione, at least on the federal charges?
Yes, I am for capital punishment, and I’ll tell you why.
Among the 37 are a handful who were sentenced to death for killing a fellow inmate. They are now free to kill again. You can’t keep them in solitary 24 hours a day. The U.S. Supreme Court has outlawed that as cruel and unusual.
Locally, the Curran-Frumhold prison is named after two corrections officers who were killed by inmates, inmates who were free to kill again under Democratic governors who did not believe in capital punishment.
So that’s one reason I am for the death penalty, and only in cases of premeditated murder where guilt has been established beyond question.
Another reason seems contralogical: We hold life to be so dear, we kill those who illegally extinguish it. The difference, of course, is between innocent life and guilty life — the guilty life being taken only after an excruciating judicial process.
A third reason is to enable plea bargaining. You have long heard that being jailed for life is a worse punishment than execution. If that’s true, why do so many accused take the deal? Is it because three meals, free medical care and board, TV and a weight room may not be all that bad?
The plea bargain means a lengthy and costly trial is averted, and the victim’s family and friends are not forced to relive it during a trial.
Fourth, and final for now, I simply do not believe life means life, and I don’t believe because I have seen numerous cases of prisoners who found Jesus, or an education, or something else, and who have found advocates to argue they are “changed” and should be released.
And changed they may be, but what has not changed was a jury’s verdict and a judge’s sentence.
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I plan to visit all the presidential libraries, such as FDR’s in Hyde Park, NY; JFK’s in Boston, MA; Clinton’s in Little Rock, AK—and Biden’s. It’s not official, but the National Archives and Records Administration is considering putting Joe’s on the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk, among the shops selling T-shirts, sunscreen, and vaping supplies. 😊
Stu,
I'm with you. Death penalty only for the most vile whose guilt is "beyond question". This should be a new legal standard, more certain than "beyond a reasonable doubt." No, no one gets death for stealing a loaf of bread anymore, but for some crimes, life without parole just isn't enough.
🎯
Good riddance to the worst president in history. The real truth about how the democrats and the corrupt media lied to the American people will be exposed in the books they write in the next few years. If you are paying attention you can see the world changing for the better since Trump has been elected. Only the haters would disagree.
So much could say here but more interested who is the influencer? Biden is non compos mentis and someone, some entity, needs to step in to stop these and other backing out the door actions he-no not he, someone has been making. This is our country not his or his friend$! C’mon man!
HIGHLIGHTS
1) Semi-conductor Bill (had important national security implications)
2) Stewarding the final part of the COVID period in a stable and timely manner
3) Reversing Schedule F, a tool used to attempt replacing merit-based civil service with patronage
LOWLIGHTS
1) Afghanistan pullout.
2) Too loose on illegal immigration
3) Worsening the pre-existing inflation problem by pumping too much additional money into circulation.
I could not disagree more.
Simply put, a civilized society cannot kill it's own citizens under any circumstances lest it ceases to be civilized by very definition. I get the need for people to want revenge on other who commit heinous crimes. And let us be frank — that's exactly what the death penalty is: revenge. If someone near to me were killed, I'm sure I'd want revenge. Ain't nothing wrong with that. But the government cannot be the deliverer of that revenge for the reason stated in the second sentence.
I actually believe that a quick death is the easy way out for these scumbags. I'd rather they spend their entire lives in confinement, away from the people who loved them, away from society, eating crappy food, getting minimal exercise, and basically suffering every day. But the caveat is that you need laws that KEEP them there with no chance for parole. I am in favor of such legislation in conjunction with eliminating the death penalty.
To put a Christmas bow on it, there is little evidence that the death penalty is a deterrent for future criminal activity, and there is little evidence that a lifetime in person is more expensive than sentencing someone to death — the legal processes for that are incredibly costly. And further, the people who suffer the most are the families of the killers, people who did nothing wrong. While the victim's families may get a momentary bit of satisfaction in their revenge, the act cannot bring back their loved ones, and believe me, you live with that loss forever.
Stu makes a point about prison guards being killed in the line of duty. There are an average of 11 who die in the line of duty each year, about 65% of these being the result of murder at the hands of inmates. I don't know how many of those were killed by murderers serving time, however. Certainly not 100%. How many of those lived would have been saved if all killers are put to death? I'm guessing very few. And remember, these are people who chose their careers and accepted the risks that go with. It's certainly not a job I would ever have considered.
I would highly recommend seeing the film Dead Man Walking, which paints a very even-handed portrait of this entire process, while not in any way excusing the horrid actions of the killers. It's quite an eye-opener.
The death penalty is a 100% deterrent to the murderer being executed. That creature will never kill again.
I understand your point of view in principle, but not in practice.
He has a legacy?
“Legacy” does not mean positive. It means what is left behind.
If we deem death to be a final defeat of life how can we execute others who take life as a means of deterrence?
Fear of being murdered cannot be assuaged by murdering others who were murderers. It is evident that crimes of passion are actually acts of madness. So angry responses are not going to dissuade those who are lacking the ability to adjust their primitive leanings.
A lifetime of incarceration is a fitting punishment and safety measure that assures that those who murder will have to be wary of being murdered and have a great deal of time to understand their path to salvation is to be alone in the midst of other madmen.
This is a proper resolution that protects our society and allows those who have betrayed humanity to be resurrected in the next life.
Who are we if we act in vengeance instead of acting for the justice of a life of penitence and a chance for our prison system to function as a system of segregating those who do harm to our society in a fashion that doesn’t mirror their hatred and fear?
It’s not “vengeance.” It is a judicial carrying out of a lawful sentence. As I noted, death to protect life seems contralogical, but it is not. It is punishment that fits the crime and assures the convict will not murder again while in custody.