When I was in the shower this morning, apparently all those Law & Order episodes I've seen were churning about in my subconscious . . . and I pondered the Felony Murder doctrine.
Felony Murder
Laws holding that any death which occurs during the commission of a felony is first degree murder, and all participants in that felony can be charged with murder, e.g., a holdup involving more than one criminal, in which a clerk is killed. Even if accidental, the participants can be found guilty of felony murder, including those who did no harm. In an extreme example, if one of the perpetrators is killed the remaining perps can be charged with murder.
My thoughts lead me directly to George W. Bush, in light of John S. Koppel's blistering attack on the lawlessness of the present Administration:
Bush lied to the Congress on multiple occasions. As we know from I. Lewis Libby's multiple convictions, it is a felony to lie to agents of the Federal government. Senators and Representatives are agents of the government the last time I looked.
As a direct and proximate reuslt of Bush's lies to Congress, Iraq was invaded and 3,500+ US troops died. 600,000 Iraqis died. So the question is, after Bush is impeached and removed from office, and hence subject to less lofty mechanisms of adjudication, should we charge Bush and Cheney with felony murder?
According to your law-and-order Republicans, there's nothing like a good execution to deter crime, and Bush was happy to preside over 131 executions during his tenure in the Texas gubernatorial mansion, including, in an excess of Christian charity, the executions of retarded youths and pleading women.
Would executing Bush and Cheney deter future presidential shenanigans? Would it hasten the world's forgiveness for the last 6 years??