I thought that Daily Kos was a blog for Progressives, Liberals, and Democrats - people that are supposed to be able to understand that the justice system might be skewed, even though you yourself may never be a victim of its injustice. Daily Kos readers should be able to set aside any personalization of the death penalty (...if your mother/father/son/daughter was killed...) to understand that sometimes, people die who had nothing to do with what they were charged with, and any time it happens to ONE person, WE are all totally culpable.
More ranting below the fold...
The test of a belief is in the implementation of it at its most uncomfortable point, and even if Stanley Williams was entirely guilty of his charges, he should have been able to live out his years in prison. Bottom line, we should be working to make sure that no one dies from inadequate legal council, especially since we have actually killed people who were
never guilty of their crimes. We should be even more vigilant in making sure our legal safety net is secure for everybody in light of this Administration's attempt to
destroy Habeas Corpus from the front end.
These past two weeks have shown me how little the regular posters at Daily Kos carry Progressive ideals in their hearts. Progressives believe that every person, given the attempt by society to even out inequities in social status and financial and racial divide, will work to their highest potential. Being a Progressive means that you err on the side of expecting more from a person than they might even believe they are capable of. And Progressives understand that even though they may never be racially profiled, stereotyped because of ethnic or racial fallacies, or have to negotiate a B-Class legal system, they understand that is a reality for many people.
I believe Daily Kos people are for the most part limousine liberals who believe in the work for justice, just as long as it doesn't interrupt their viewing of "Survivor". It's too bad that the left is joining with the rest of the country in acting more like the Romans at the Coliseum than the early Christians.
Maybe the reason that the President is considered "likeable" with a 38% approval rating is because Democrats have stopped acting like the party of the disenfranchised. Maybe we will never be in power anymore because we have lost the convictions of our beliefs.
And if you believe in the death penalty, please don't consider yourself a Liberal or Progressive - you don't qualify.