Today on TruthOut I saw an item concerning legislation introduced by Sen. Russell Feingold to abolish the death penalty at the federal level.
As you probably know, since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, the number of crimes that are punishable by death at the federal level has mushroomed.
I am opposed to the death penalty, perhaps more as a practical matter than as a moral question per se. I respect the argument that certain crimes are so heinous that, arguably, no other punishment is adequate. More below the staple.
Yet, I end up coming out "against," in part certainly because of the dangers of executing the innocent and the grave discrimination historically attending the question of who dies and who does not for a similar crime. Perhaps above all, I think that the whole hoo-ha over the death penalty eats up, by far, too much of what passes for thought and discussion about all of the issues of crime, deterrence, rehabilitation, punishment, and so on in American society.
Thus, while I somewhat respect the solemn view that the death penalty perhaps ought to be available for a narrow class of crimes and the most remorseless of offenders, whenever I see a politician or ambitious prosecutor blathering that his or her pro-death penalty stance will significantly help to stamp out crime, or indeed that it constitutes more than one more turd on the dung-heap of violence in our society, I am filled with disgust.
Russ Feingold should be lauded for introducing the legislation that he has.
To all of the good reasons that he cites -- I will not quote them here, you can read them on TruthOut, and they will no doubt be arguments familiar to you, I would add one more
Namely, at a time in which the federal government has been taken over by persons of totalitarian bent, it is distinctly inadvisable to give such a government the power to execute anyone for anything.
While only three executions have taken place at the federal level, as the neotheocult seeks to harden its grasp on the reins of power, no doubt it will seek to expand the federal death penalty, and to broaden the definitions of those crimes that are death-penalty eligible under federal statutes.
Thus, one day blogging in a fashion critical of the "cons" might be equated with "terrorism," and qualify the miscreant for the death penalty.
This must not be permitted to happen, and I urge everyone to contact their members of Congress to urge support for Senator Feingold's legislation.