I invite you to consider a letter from a group called the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice (http://deathpenalty.org/article.php?id=125).
It is a group made up of current and former law and law-enforcement folks and it raises some interesting points.  While they talk specifically about the California death penalty, the same reasoning can be applied to any state’s d-p.

In part, they write “A trial seeking life without parole is far speedier than a death penalty case and costs far less. By pursuing life without parole sentences instead of death, resources now spent on the death penalty prosecutions and appeals could be used to investigate unsolved homicides, modernize crime labs, and expand effective violence prevention programs.”

Good logic, I think.

Then, of course, there is the bottom line that when life and death are at stake, there is no margin for error.
Enough opinion – let’s look at some facts; specifically the effectiveness of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime.  I went to deathpenaltyinfo.org – a non-profit non-biased gathering of information.  Take a look at the chart at this link – it’ll just take a second:

http://deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=12&did=168#stateswithvwithout

It’s obvious that the death penalty is NOT preventing murder, When the states that HAVE the death penalty have consistently higher murder rates, there’s no arguing it.

Which leaves us with one thing to consider – justice.  Is that what the death penalty is about?  Delivering justice?  It isn’t about deterrence, it isn’t about saving money, it isn’t about protecting society (life without parole would do that) - so what else is left?

And if justice is the goal, my question to you is –

who died and made US God?

Honestly, the first thing that crossed my mind was that he was considering Mark Warner – who appeared with Obama at his kickoff in Bristol – for the Veep position.  And frankly, from a Democratic viewpoint, that would not make for such a bad ticket.  Not bad at all.

But that can’t be, right?  Warner is running for Senate against Jim Gilmore so Vice Prez is out of the question.  Right?

Well, maybe, maybe not.  For an ambitious guy like Warner, ditching his run for Senate if Obama should tap him for a running mate is not unthinkable.  Granted, as a Senator, you have more power from a lawmaking perspective than a VP, or in many regards, than the President himself.

On the other hand, there is no faster track to an eventual successful nomination from your party for President than serving as VP.

Our children will one day look back and say this was the moment….
The moment that ended in free health care.
The moment that ended in a healthy environment.
The moment that ended unemployment.
The moment that ended a war.
The moment that ended hunger in America.
The moment that ended lack of health care for every citizen.
The moment that ended the lack of a college education for every citizen who wants it.

The moment that communism began.

How else?  How else can you possibly achieve what Barak Obama promised in his speech last night? 

Simple answer.  There is no other way.  The government supplies the jobs, the health care, the education, the food and shelter for every citizen. 

Some local folks are saying the punishment is too harsh.

3 Volunteer High School Seniors Banned From Graduation After Water Balloon Fight

Sorry, but I have to disagree.

Welcome to the REAL world, kids!

The answer, sadly, is yes.  As you will see in the story linked below, a teen in Lebanon was chained to his bed and starved, and the best charge they could come up with for his parents was aggravated child “neglect”, which resulted in 6 years in prison each.  The stepmother was released in less than 2 years.

Witness State Senator Roy Herron, trying to gain support for the idea that non-religious Bible classes have a place in public school.

I am torn between screaming from frustration and screaming in laughter.  Maybe I’ll just sit here and roll my eyes instead.

(Read the story at http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2008-04-23-0023.html)

The State attorney general has put the seal of approval on Bible classes as long as they do not endorse any particular religion. 
(Roll eyes here).

Evidently they want to teach the Bible’s impact on literature, art and politics in these classes.  Actually, if THAT is all they want, those aspects of the Bible’s influence are already addressed in art class, English literature, and political science.  So a specific class that addresses the non-religious aspects of the Bible without endorsing Christianity (roll here) are not needed, in addition to being completely ridiculous.

So what is Herron trying to accomplish?  Is there really NOTHING else to work on in our public schools?  Really? (Big fat eye roll here)

$5 a gallon isn’t minor.  Especially for folks like me who spend a lot of time on the road.  But a car is not something we can do without.  We may slow down on the highway to save gas (I have).  We can try to consolidate short trips from 3 or 4 into one.  (I have) We can carpool when possible (for many like myself, that just isn’t practical or, often, possible).  We might try coasting to a stop when reasonable and not punching the gas, but instead building speed gradually (I’m working on it.)

But these are minor actions that do not do a whole lot to help this major problem.  It’s like bailing water out of your sinking boat with a teaspoon.  It’s better than nothing, but not by much.

Who will ultimately win the Democratic nomination for President is as much of interest to conservatives as to liberals, since McCain’s ultimate success in HIS bid depends on the outcome.  That, however, is the last point we conservatives agree upon.  There seems to be a heartfelt disagreement over whether Hillary or Obama – or either – will be beatable in November. 

They say a mere squeaker of win for Clinton today won’t be enough – that her win must be substantial in order to truly catch up to Obama.  Personally I think that is what will happen – that she’ll win in a fairly big way.  There it is.  I’ve made an official prediction.  Hate doing that.  Ah, well.

Obama has been shooting himself in the foot quite a bit lately.  I still do not think he grasps the importance of things like his association with Rev. Wright, or that little slip he made about we “bitter” conservatives holding our guns close and our God closer out of sheer anger and frustration.  (Geez, what WAS he thinking?) Even the little flag pin spat or refusing to say the pledge – he just doesn’t get it, that these things add up and ultimately DO matter.

He pooh-poohs things like this, saying it is the issues that matter, the issues that he wants to discuss, the issues, the issues, the isssues.

He doesn’t get that things like character and loyalty and honesty DO matter and ARE at issue, to liberals and conservatives alike.  Why would we trust our country and our futures to someone who does not rate those qualities as important?  I’m not saying Obama is a bad person.  I’m saying that the fact that he seems to want to brush off our concerns about the character of a potential President is disturbing.

I just saw Hillary’s newest television ad – ooh, scary.  She evoked images from Bin Laden to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, from 70s gas lines to creepy Cold War Russian leaders.  I’m kind of surprised she didn’t include a clip from the movie Carrie.  Fox News ran a clip of Hillary in the 2006 Senate race, when she called Republican scare tactics “disappointing”.  Whoops.
I’ll be checking in throughout the day as things unfold.  Hope you will as well…
jody lee

Okay.  I’m game.  Racial prejudice is despicable and intolerable.  So let’s see where we stand. 

Specifically, what would you have us – the country, that is – do to improve race relations?  Again, specifically - -

While you are thinking, keep in mind that laws are in place that make discrimination in housing, in the workplace, and in service institutions illegal.  Should someone be on the receiving end of this illegal discrimination, there are a host of programs in place through which the discriminatee can obtain free legal representation. 

We have a myriad of government programs in place to assist persons who are not Caucasian in attaining grants for college.  Our learning institutions and work places are not simply encouraged, but required by the EEO to hire/admit a particular number of non-Caucasians. 

Bill Clinton wrote a letter to Hillary supporters this week, sent via email, asking for money for her campaign.  (http://newsmax.com/insidecover/Bill_Clinton_Hillary/2008/03/29/84070.html)
Take a look at the text of the letter, then you tell me – doesn’t it smell just a tad desperate?  Maybe a little whiney?

Politicians – not to mention the media – can smell fear.  And although that is the last thing Bill wanted to convey in this email, that may indeed be the unintended result.

Not that it matters.  Simply by virtue of the fact that she is a Clinton, it is hard to imagine that she will drop out of the race, regardless of the fact that the unthinkable has happened – the media has deserted her in favor of their new pet, Obama.  I think those who are writing her candidacy off at this point are being a little too hasty. 

There are some other things in the Democratic race for the nomination that smell funny as well.  Take a deep breath and read on…