The Republicans are trying to limit the appeals process of death penalty convictions. It has taken a lot of time and a lot of work to get where we are to make sure that innocent people do not get sentenced to death in this country. Now, of course, the current leadership in congress would like to see that the strongest wall against convicting the innocent in America is done away with.
More details below:
Republicans in Congress have launched a new effort to speed up executions in the United States by limiting the ability of those sentenced to death to appeal to federal courts.
The "Streamlined Procedures Act of 2005," introduced into the House of Representatives by California Rep. Dan Lungren and in the Senate by Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, would limit the ability of defendants facing the death sentence to have their cases reviewed by federal courts in what are known as habeas corpus appeals.
"You see delays in death penalty cases where they are allowed to drag on for 15 or even 25 years. Defense attorneys have come to believe the longer they delay, the better it is for their clients," Lungren said in an interview.
"We're trying to ensure that habeas corpus is not used as a reason for interminable delays and that defendants get one bite of the apple and not multiple bites," he said.
Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee considering the bill, conceded there was little chance of blocking it in the House.
"The House has been very supportive of anything that would strip the innocent of a fair hearing. This bill will ensure that more innocent people will be put to death," he said in a telephone interview.
The current Republican leadership has shown a distinct animosity towards anything that resembles progressive thought and policy. They hate the New Deal and it's not just an economic issue for them. Anything that stems from Progressive thought from the time is a target.
This latest move is an obvious attempt to steer the debate away from what most people find troubling with the death penalty.
- Innocent people being sentenced to death
- The enormous cost of the death penalty
If they can limit appeals they can limit the questions involved in executions. If someone is dead, even if they are innocent, the lingering doubts people might have about the death penalty are after the fact. They become less troubling to them. And of course, if they can make it cheaper, they win a victory.
Whether or not you think that the death penalty is a good idea in theory, in practice it's a failure. It's one of the largest American public policy failures af all.
Please, get in tuch with your Senators and Representatives and tell them that you do not approve of the changes in the habeus corpus rules.
Tell them that you do not support the "Streamlined Procedures Act of 2005."
Get in touch with your local anti-death penalty organization and let them know how you feel.
SHAMELESS PLUG WARNING
If you would like to help an anti-death penalty organization that is on the front lines of the fight please go here:
Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty
If we can reach our goal of $25,000 by the end of the year we can build our presence enough to be the first state to abolish the death penalty since it was found constitutional in 1976.
Thank-you
phat