You say, "He's in prison for life, no one else will be hurt." Blood for Blood justice is barbaric. Blood thirst for any reason is reprehensible. Killing the offender in no way makes anything alright. The victim is still victimized, no reversing that.

Go Kitzhaber! Help bring the US into a civilized era one state at a time. Another step to completely abolishing the death penalty like every other civilized country.

Yes!!! Let's keep him in prison for life!!! Shelter, 3 meals a day, access to computers, tv, weight rooms, etc and let the taxpayers pay for it. How about, instead, we give police, firefighters, teachers, etc a raise, or help the disabled vets, or the homeless children!!!

You ever heard of one prisoner killing another?? We wouldn't want that now would we?

Better than being blood thirsty. Killing solves nothing and you can look up the death-row vs life-sentence debates. The cost is about the same, and if kept in normal operating costs, life-sentence is cheaper.

Read the article again. Haugen was sentenced to death for killing another prison inmate. So just being in prison for life does not mean that no one else will be hurt. Now Haugen knows that he can continue to kill, and kill, and kill again in prison without any consequences. Way to go Kitzhaber!

ORGirl-2646181I would rather pay for their 3 meals than sell my morals for a revenge killing. We can't have it both ways, be against murder and then kill someone for it, even though we tell ourselves its OK.

There still other ways to handle it besides killing. For example, putting killers into a form of solitary confinement. Killing them is the easy way out and morally reprehensible. A solution for barbarians.

What? The execution is gonna bring back the dead guy? Oh yeah, I'm sure the victim's family can go on and be just peachy keen after another dies. Oh my, what happiness executions bring. When the victim comes back to life once the guilty party is dead, then the circumstances will change... not before.

You say, "He's in prison for life, no one else will be hurt."

The only problem with this logic is that he DID hurt (actually KILL) while in prison.

As for punishment, I personally believe that if no one (family, some organization, etc) is willing to pay for his incarceration for life then why should taxpayers pay for his room & board?

But as good4us points out there are other ways. How about making gravel...no sand...oops dust fromlarge rocks? Hard labor for life. At least, let's get something from this POS' incarceration.

Oh for crying out loud, you think what these guys did was moral or right? You think putting them in jail solves anything? They live off the taxpayers, with amenities the lower classes can only DREAM about, and you think that's fair? Those of you who say that blood for blood solves nothing are missing the point. These men are dangerous, they shank each other in prison, they attack the non-violent prisoners, they are a drain on society. They lost their chance for mercy when they chose violence, they need to be REMOVED from society before they hurt anyone else. I doubt you'd feel so altruistic if it were your mother/father/sibling/cousin/other relative that they had brutally murdered!

I'm glad I live in Virginia where we execute people regulary. It is a strong deterrent and brings closure to the victims family. It should be done more often in my opinion.

Do you have any proof that capital punishment has ANY deterrent effect or are you just parroting your favorite radio personality? What about people wrongly convicted (it does happen)? It's pretty difficult to rectify a mistake if the victim is dead.

You say, "He's in prison for life, no one else will be hurt." Blood for Blood justice is barbaric.

----------------

Excuse me but you are dead wrong and didn't even bother to read the news report. One of the two murders occurred while he was in prison!

It really is time to abolish the death penalty. It is barbaric and there have been way too many people who were on death row, exonerated by DNA. Until our Justice system can PROVE beyond any doubt, then we need to stop this barbaric practice..................And eye for an eye is meaningless if after the execution that person was proved innocent...........which has happened many times.

"Blood for blood justice is barbaric": I disagree.

What is "justice" if not eye for an eye? Maybe we all would be satisfied with the justice we received if what was lawful to receive was never equal to the injustice done to us, but always something less. A neighbor robs me of $100- justice says I can lawfully get back $90. A thief steals my brand new BMW: justice says I can lawfully get back the cost of a new Sonata. That's not justice folks-that's less than justice and in a just society true justice must be made possible.

Where's the justice if murder can only be paid back with central air, a soft bed, 3 meals a day and the freedom to sleep all day if I choose? We must be concerned with true justice, not just how the murderer's penalty makes/does not make the wounded party feel.

John Locke said it well, "One may destroy a man who makes war upon him, or has discovered an enmity to his being, for the same reason that he may kill a wolf or a lion, because they are not under the ties of the common law of reason, have no other rule but that of force and violence, and so may be treated as a beast of prey, those dangerous and noxious creatures that will be sure to destroy him whenever he falls into their power".

Yes Rick, as my expierience as a corrections officer, inmates have told me that the reason they don't kill again is because if they do they get the needle.

executions are actually more expensive than life

Catsclaw81
These men are dangerous, they shank each other in prison, they attack the non-violent prisoners

And you want me to feel sorry for prisoners because...?

They are called prisoners because they are in prison. Most prisons separate prisoners who commit violent acts while in custody from the general population. But he killed another prisoner, you object. However, they have to have a reason to confine them to 23 hour lock-down. They can't just put a prisoner in solitary due to the crime they are incarcerated for. The crime has to occur while a prisoner is in a prison. The only people I feel sorry for are those in prison for possession of marijuana because the law is obsolete and wrong. Everyone else in there who has not been wrongfully convicted (sure is a lot of that going around this country right now) is there because they broke real laws meant to protect and being in prison is their punishment.

Besides, what happens in prison stays in prison.

@Ken McCoy

Are YOU willing to have yourself and your family killed to soothe the feelings of the family of the next person to be wrongfully executed in this country? That happens just as much,if not more,than your scenario. But that's besides the point. We'll just worry about the NEXT time it happens---you put you and yours on the chopping block as recompense and it's all good. Otherwise STFU and GTFO with your idiotic hypothetical BS.

What is "justice" if not eye for an eye?

A lot more complicated than your question assumes.

It's absurd to have society to declare murder wrong and then to have that same society practice it as a solution to the very thing it condemns. And even more absurd when execution of innocents is simply seen as collateral damage.

www.justiceharvard.org/watch/

Catsclaw81, And if were wrong? What then? Do you want to take the wrap for societies errant ways? Or is your logic, better off dead whether their guilty or not? I'm not talking about this felon particularly, I'm talking about the death row population in general. we pretty much hear of an overturned murder conviction every month now, DNA is over turning convictions daily and whats scary is the lack of urgency on the part of the prosecutors and public who convicted on shaky evidence and public sentiment. You should be calling foul and pointing fingers at those who locked up others on a hunch or for no reason at all other than race or opportunity. Where is your outrage there? Who cries out for their injustice? At least in a Super Max there is a public out if new evidence comes to light. death is final and those put too death erroneously know no justice at all...Peace.

It's Oregon, if you don't live here, then it doesn't affect any of you. You missed one good point of the article. The last 2 inmates that were put to death here WANTED it. Same goes with this guy, he's asking to be put to death. I don't personally believe in the death penalty. For everyone saying that if it was your family member you'd be singing a different tune. Not true. My mother was killed by her husband, he got away with it... really, have you ever heard of someone falling on the carpet snapping their brain stem, causing a massive hematoma on her brain (long story). I don't wish him dead, what good would that do? It's not going to bring back my mom. I would much rather him rot in jail for the rest of his life. But our lovely justice system isn't always so just.

We need to take away prisoners freedoms, isn't that what jail is for? The man killed another inmate in the band room?! Why don't we put in a movie theater in there for them as well, put in a spa, the works. Come on! Cut their programs, save some money on taxes that way.

I wonder how many of the champions of the death penalty also consider themselves Christians.

And don't come at me with the "eye for an eye" BS either. That's in the Old Testament. Christianity is built on Christ's ministry--the New Testament. And all we ever need to know of Jesus' concept of justice and vengeance was taught when he was on the cross and asked forgiveness for his killers.

You want to be pro-death penalty? Fine. Pro-war? Okey-dokey. Anti-poor and pro-rich? Peachy. That's your right and you have every right to that set of beliefs/values. And you should advocate for candidates who reflect your positions.

But understand that if this is what you believe and you call yourself a Christian, then every time you look in the mirror you have a liar looking back at you.

Food for thought. If you are pro death penalty, would you be the one willing to administer the lethal dose and watch somebody die at your own hands? I can't.

GroverOwnedParasites, unfortunately most if not all. the death penalty is big down south. The bible belt has no problem with the justice of blood, their every bit as bloodthirsty as the Taliban, Forgiveness down there comes with an Et tu, Brute. Rick Perry, the Bush pair and Texas, a reason to call it the 1 star state....Peace

Yes jeffery - and a lot of these people claim to be "pro life" Christians, whose true support for life, ironically, ends at birth

Back to the article. I do agree that the death penalty is not uniformly applied. Citizens without significant means are at the mercy of our justice system while the wealthy tend to get frequent special treatment.

Unfortunately, the governor picked the wrong poster child. The only favorable thing I can say about the criminal was that at least he's helping reduce the prison population.

jrschw, I don't think it was about the individual here as much as it was about the timing of his execution and the Governors position at this time. I certainly could never live with the blood of another on my hands, no matter how justified the system says I am too take the life. Maybe in defense of my children or wife I could kill, But even then it would be more about stopping the harm then about the rage it takes too kill another. I just don't know what drives people to that insanity. This will always be a topic that leaves me feeling dirty and drives me farther from the whole faith ideal. If there is a God, I think he's very disappointed in mankind and realizes theres not much worth saving, At least this Governor gives me some hope that we as a short lived species will learn eventually that the stove is always considered hot....Peace

As a man who knows Mr. Haugen personally...I will tell you this. He did it, and admits it...He wants to die, and the state should let him. The life on the row is a 23 hour a day lock-down with one hour out of the cell in an outside cage. It is no life, and he will never see the general population again.

I agree with the Governor that the death penalty is not equally applied. There are many serial killers who have killed multiple victims and they are allowed to live. The system is broken.

As to GH...He should have died a long time ago. He is through with money anyhow. A reprieve? Not for this guy.

"What is "justice" if not eye for an eye?"

Say a person gets into a car accident and kills the other driver. No drugs or alcohol were involved, just an accident. An eye for an eye dictates that the surviving driver dies. Justice?

If a government executes an innocent, what should the punishment be? Death to the government? Or only to the person who actually 'flipped the switch'?

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth...'"

The people of Oregon are stuck paying $50 grand a year to keep this thing alive. The money could be put to a lot better uses.

The people of Oregon are stuck paying $50 grand a year to keep this thing alive. The money could be put to a lot better uses.

money over life, shows where your priorities really are.

overall it's a money making industry! people are swayed that killing is wrong and more killing is more wrong.this is in our nature and will continue till we change society for the better, not the worse. putting down a killer bear or a wild animal to protect others has always be done. these animals that kill to kill deserve to be put down also! the bear might have been protecting his family and still dies. take away all profit from the greedy prison industry and our children might grow up with the right idea about taking a life on purpose!

You can argue the validity of capital punishment all day if you like. I think there is a different take on this case. The governor is sworn to uphold the laws of the state of Oregon. Under the current law, this man has been convicted of murder and sentenced to death. The governor, however, has decided that because of his own morals, he cannot uphold the law. Rather than give him a reprieve, and stop all other executions, he should either see that the law is changed, or resign from office. What if his beliefs prevent him from enforcing other laws? Is that okay too?

As long as we are prone to make mistakes, and as humans, not only will we commit errors but we will sometimes abuse the power we have. As long as the possibility of executing one person wrongfully exists we cannot engage in state sanctioned homocide. Those who claim the death penalty is a deterrent must be part ostrich. To those who think its unfair to taxpayers to have to foot the bill for the rest of his miserable life, I would ask how do you feel about paying to incarcerate a 20 year old 15 years for possessing an ounce of marijuana? Like it or not we must seem quite barbaric and quite stupid to the rest of the world. We still execute our citizens like a North Korea or Iran and yet we have the worlds largest prison population. So much for deterrency. Last, but certainly a fact worth noting. During the 1990's an organization called The Innocense Project took on about two hundred cases of people condemned to death. In one instance they obtained a pardon based on good old science that freed a man in Illinois who was 48 hours from his date with the finality of death. Of those 194 exonerations they found that 62% of these innocent people had been wrongfully convicted because of police and/or prosecutorial misconduct. I think it is interesting to note that former Governor Thompson of Illinois voiced concerns simlar to those of Oregon's governor, when he declared a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois.

Those who claim the death penalty is a deterrent must be part ostrich.

Damn ostriches at the NY Times...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/us/18deter.html?pagewanted=all

Hairfarmer - Thank you for your insight.

This guy beat a woman to death & was given the comfortable "second chance" by only going to prison. An attempt at reform is made at that point. What did this man do with his second chance? He killed another man.

Some things are cut-and-dry. Some things don't deserve to be argued. This CONFESSED 2 time killer, tried and convicted by evidence of his own admission, does not deserve another chance!

Liberals - What would you have the system do? If the attempt for reform comes back in your face with disastrous results, what then?

For those arguing about "wrongly convicted" and "killing an innocent man", HE ADMITTED TO THE CRIMES. Ain't no ambiguity to this one. Your comments are falling on deaf ears. Move to a disputed case and let the law of the land, and the will of the people be done!

I've never seen so much stupid spewing and spouting, one person criticizing another's hypothetical only to pose his own in rebuttal.

Non Christian's harping about what Christian's believe, calling them a liar but can cite no verse to support their claim. Jesus forgave the criminals that were crucified with them but never said that they shouldn't be executed.

You anti-capital punishment folks who yap about executing an innocent person cannot point to a single case, at least in the last 50 years where anyone was wrongly executed. Don't tell me about those freed from death row, many of them having sentences reduce to life. Don't tell me about those that were indeed exonorated only proving that the system of appeals and scrutiny of each case prevented the execution from being carried out.

Deterrent? How would we know whether its a deterrent or not? If it is a deterrent and we abolish the death penalty we will kill innocent people . If it is not a deterrent, the only people we have to kill will be convicted murderers.

What about our obligation to protect people who are wards of the state? When we incarcerate an individual he becomes a ward of the state relying on us to house, feed, clothe and otherwise provide for him. I can't say I was too broken up over Jeffrey Dahmer being murdered by another inmate but it was a failure of the State of Wisconsin when they failed to provide a safe environment for him to serve his penalty that was dictated by the courts.

Convicted murderers escape, they are a threat to murder other inmates, and they are a threat to the employees who have to guard and watch over them.

Executions are the best way to rid society of evil elements and Christians believe the government has that obligation to the people. Not because we want an "eye for an eye" but because evil should be eliminated so that innocent people aren't murdered.

I value human life so much that I believe that anyone who intentionally destroys a human life should forfeit his.

For anyone who cares to read this HERE IS THE SOLUTION!!!!!

Offer the guy this option, remember this is just an option for the guilty man to decide of his own free will.

Have your eyes removed and be set free or be executed as scheduled.

If you select having your eyes removed they will be given to someone who needs them, a win for that person.

Someone will be taken off the welfare rolls and be assigned to you as an aid for the rest of your life. This aid will be paid a bit more than what they were getting from welfare and have an 8 hour work day. (still less than the cost of housing an inmate) A win for the welfare worker and for the state in getting someone off of welfare.

The prison system will have one less inmate to house, feed etc a financial win for the state and a solution to prison overcrowding.

The condemmed wins in that his life is saved.

Who looses in this? No one that's who. Why don't we do this with every serious criminal? Repeat offenders will be more or less eliminated, the state saves tax payer money, someone gets eyes, someone gets off welfare, the prison system has less inmates. Everyone wins and no one looses!! It won't happen because someone will say it is too cruel!!

Oh well there is an answer to fixing a lot of situations. Do with it what you want!

goodforus; You say an executioncost more than life in prison? your wrong. its just that someone found a way to profit from it, take the profit ( the legal mess ) out of it and it should not cost any more than a .22 round, the gun can be reused, and properly done is painless. a hole in the ground can be dug by a inmate no coffin is necessary. then there is always a pig farm. where do you come up with its expensive hell just quit feeding the piece of $#!+.

Concernedone...You are welcome. It is a sad story for everyone.

To Doug. Gary Haugen has actually tried to donate parts of his body to a relative that needed them. The state refused him this gesture. I do not know if she lived or died...But he did attempt to help someone, even if it was his own family.

Gary will never be free and he accepts that fact. He killed the second time after the parole board informed him that he would never get out. When you take away hope, you take away fear. He chose to kill again because at that point in his life he saw no exit anyway. He asked to be killed and now even that has been refused. I understand his reasons because it is no life at all being in a cage.

Peace

bigwave916, False Fallacy makes you look stupid and just plain lazy. Your inability too seek an actual answer to support your claims leaves you with nothing other than your personal opinion. There have been multiple questionable executions carried out in recent months of this last year alone. there was a black man executed recently and his sentence was decided so on very shaky obviously errant evidence. He never claimed to be anything other then innocent, Yet both Perry and Bush buried their faces in politics and refused a reduction in sentence or given a chance to re open the case. The federal appellate court agreed the evidence was very shaky yet this man had too PROVE his actual innocence to have a stay considered. He couldn't do it, so Texas took his life

We as a country should seek every truth to an inmate that sits upon death row and immediately review the evidence for DNA and test it with zeal, theres a problem here however, The prosecutors don't want their states to reopen and perform those test. Prosecutors usually seek public office later in life and having been one with a history of fabricated guilty verdicts could be ruinous to their future.

Given that, heres a little list of overturned and standing cases with convictions based on prosecutor misconduct or DNA that excluded the actual death row inmates.

I found this without much effort, there are many, many more I can assure you.

JUAN MELENDEZ
A farm worker who was wrongly convicted of murder and spending 17 1/2 years on Death Row in FL. Juan says "Lots of times I wanted to commit suicide [while in prison]. Beautiful dreams of my childhood took me out of those thoughts. That's God's work." There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime at his trial, only the testimony of questionable witnesses. The conviction was overturned when another man confessed to the crime.

ANIBAL JARRAMILLO
Conviction overturned on appeal when evidence against him was deemed weak, "not legally sufficient to support a conviction." The evidence seems to instead point to the victim's roommate.

ANTHONY BROWN
Acquitted during a retrial. His partner-in-crime, who got life in prison instead of the DP, admitted he had lied during the trial.

ANTHONY RAY PEEK
After 9 years on Death Row, he was acquitted during his 3rd retrial (to be acquitted means you are found not guilty of a crime you were previously convicted of). Hair evidence as explained by an expert witness was found to be false.

JUAN RAMOS
No physical evidence linked Juan to the crime. The Florida Supreme Court granted him a new trial because of the prosecution's improper use of evidence. He was acquitted at retrial.

BRADLEY P. SCOTT
Arrested 10 years after the crime. The evidence supporting his alibi had been lost. His conviction was based on shaky eyewitness testimony. Released from Death Row by the Florida Supreme Court while his case was appealed. The court found that the evidence against him was "not sufficient to support a finding of guilt."

ROBERT HAYES
Acquitted of murder after being granted a new trial by the Florida Supreme Court. DNA evidence proved the hairs found clutched in the victim's hands were from a white man and Hayes is black.

TROY LEE JONES
Released after 14 years in prison. After the California Supreme Court granted him a new trial, the state dropped the charges rather than retry him. The defense attorney in his original trial was found to have failed to interview witnesses, failed to obtain police reports, and while cross-examining a witness damaged his own client by getting the witness to reveal harmful testimony.

JUDY HANEY
Her court-appointed defense attorney came to court drunk. The judge held the lawyer in contempt of court and ordered the lawyer to spend a night in jail. The very next day, the lawyer was allowed to continue representing Haney in her death penalty case. The Alabama Supreme Court has upheld her death sentence and she is still on Death Row.

WANDA JEAN ALLEN
Executed by the state of Oklahoma in 2001. Her court-appointed lawyer had never tried a death penalty case before and wasn't confident in his abilities. He asked the public defender's office to either remove him from the case or to offer him assistance. It did neither. The lawyer was only paid $800 to represent Wanda. He did not tell the jury that Wanda was mentally retarded (prior to 2002, it was legal in the US to execute the mentally retarded).

EARL WASHINGTON
A mentally retarded Virginia man, he was facing the death sentence prior to 2002 when the US stopped executing the mentally retarded. He wound up on Death Row after confessing to a murder in a series of confusing statements. At times he described the victim as white and at other times black. The governor commuted his sentence. He was cleared of the crime through DNA tests. In 2007, another man, Kenneth Tinsley, admitted he was the murderer.

DELMA BANKS, JR.
The US Supreme Court has agreed to review this case. The only evidence against Banks was the testimony of a jail house informant whose arson charge was dismissed in exchange for his testimony. Also, the defense lawyer did not properly investigate his client's case in order to support Banks' alibi that he was out-of-state at the time of the murder.

heres another list of wrongful convictions and the dates they were over turned. We as a nation have like, most nations. made many miserable mistakes in how we seek justice.

This list, in order, of last and then first name, the date of conviction and the date they were exonerated. Should at least give you pause. Theres a lot of them, huh?

AbbittJosephNC19952009
AbdalHabib WahirNY19831999
AdamsKennethIL19791996
AlejandroGilbertTX19901994
AlexanderRichardIN19982001
AndersonMarvinVA19822002
AtkinsHermanCA19882000
AveryStevenWI19852003
AveryWilliam D.WI20042010
AyersDavid20002011
BainJamesFL19742009
BarnesStevenNY19892009
BarrJonathanIL19972011
BauerChesterMT19831997
BeaverAntonioMO19972007
BibbinsGeneLA19872003
BivensPhillipMS19802010
BlairMichaelTX19942008
BloodsworthKirkMD19851993
BookerDonteOH19872005
BoqueteOrlandoFL19832006
BosticLarryFL19892007
BradfordMarcelliusIL19882001
BradfordTedWA19962010
BravoMark DiazCA19901994
BrewerKennedyMS19952008
BriscoeJohnnyMO19832006
BrisonDalePA19901994
BromgardJimmy RayMT19872002
BrownDennisLA19852005
BrownDannyOH19822001
BrownRoyNY19922007
BrownKeithNC19931997
BrownPatrickPA20022010
BrysonDavid JohnsOK19832003
BullockRonnieIL19841994
BuntinHaroldIN19862005
BurnetteVictorVA19792009
ButlerA.B.TX19832000
ByrdKevinTX19851997
CageDeanIL19962008
CallaceLeonardNY19871992
CapozziAnthonyNY19872007
CaravellaAnthonyFL19862010
ChalmersTerryNY19871995
CharlesClydeLA19821999
CharlesUlysses RodriguezMA19842001
ChatmanCharlesTX19812008
ClarkRobertGA19822005
CocoAllenLA19972006
ColeTimothyTX19862009
CottonRonaldNC1985, 19871995
CowansStephanMA19982004
CrinerRoyTX19902000
CromedyMcKinleyNJ19941999
CrotzerAlanFL19812006
CruzRolandoIL19851995
CunninghamCalvin Wayne VA19812011
DabbsCharlesNY19841991
DailDwayne AllenNC19892007
DanzigerRichardTX19902002
DavidsonWillieVA19812005
DavisGeraldWV19871995
DavisDeweyWV19871995
DavisCodyFL20062007
DavisLarry W.WA19932010
DayeFrederickCA19841994
DeanJamesNE19902009
DedgeWiltonFL19822004
DeskovicJeffNY19902006
DiazLuisFL19802005
DillonWilliamFL19812008
DixonJohnNJ19912001
DixonBobby RayMS19802010
DominguezAlejandroIL19902002
DoswellThomasPA19862005
DotsonGaryIL19791989
DupreeCornelius TX19802011
DurhamTimothyOK19931997
EcholsDouglasGA19872002
ElkinsClarenceOH19992005
ErbyLonnieMO19862003
EvansMichaelIL19772003
EvansJerry LeeTX19872009
FainCharles IrvinID19832001
FappianoScottNY19852006
Fears Jr.JosephOH19842009
FountainWileyTX19862003
FritzDennisOK19881999
FullerLarryTX19812007
GatesDonald EugeneDC19822009
GilesJames CurtisTX19832007
GillardLarryIL19822009
GodschalkBrucePA19872002
GonzalezHectorNY19962002
GonzalezKathyNE19902009
GoodDonald WayneTX19842004
GoodmanBruce DallasUT19862004
GossettAndrewTX20002007
GrayDavid A.IL19781999
GrayAnthonyMD19911999
GrayPaulaIL19782002
GreenEdwardDC19901990
GreenKevinCA19801996
GreenMichaelOH19882001
GreenMichael AnthonyTX19832010
GregoryWilliamKY19932000
HalseyByronNJ19882007
HalsteadDennisNY19872005
HardenJamesIL19952011
HarrisWilliam O’DellWV19871995
HarrisonClarenceGA19872004
HatchettNathanielMI19982008
HayesTravisLA19982007
HeinsChadFL19962007
HentonEugeneTX19842006
HernandezAlejandroIL19851995
HicksAnthonyWI19911997
HoldrenLarryWV19852000
HollandDanaIL19932003
HonakerEdwardVA19851994
HuntDarrylNC19852004
IrelandKennethCT19892009
JacksonWillieLA19892006
JacksonDwayneNV20032011
JamesHenryLA19822011
JeanLeslyNC19822001
JimersonVernealIL19851996
JohnsonAlbertCA19922002
JohnsonCalvinGA19831999
JohnsonLarryMO19842002
JohnsonRichardIL19921996
JohnsonRickieLA19832008
JohnsonArthurMS19932008
JohnsonAnthonyLA19862010
JonesJoeKS19861992
JonesRonaldIL19891999
JonesDavid AllenCA19952004
KagonyeraKennethNC12/13/20012011
KarageEntre NaxTX19972005
KellyWilliamPA19901993
KogutJohnNY19862005
KordonowyPaul D.MT19902003
KotlerKerryNY19821992
KroneRayAZ19922002
LaughmanBarryPA19882004
LaverniaCarlosTX19852000
LindseyJohnnieTX1981, 19852009
LinscottStevenIL19821992
LloydEddie JoeMI19852002
LoweryEddie JamesKS19822003
LyonsMarcusIL19882007
MahanRonnieAL19861998
MahanDaleAL19861998
MaherDennisMA19842003
MarshallMichaelGA20082009
MatthewsRyanLA19992004
MayesLarryIN19822001
McCartyCurtisOK1986, 19892007
McClendonRobertOH19912008
McCrayAntronNY19902002
McGeeArvinOK19892002
McGowanThomasTX1985/19862008
McKinneyLawrenceTN19782009
McMillanClarkTN19802002
McSherryLeonardCA19882001
MercerMichaelNY19922003
MillerBilly WayneTX19842006
MillerNeilMA19902000
MillerRobertOK19881998
MillerJerryIL19822007
MitchellPerrySC19841998
MitchellMarvinMA19901997
MoonBrandonTX19882005
MooreCurtis JasperVA19782010
MotoVincentPA19871996
MumphreyArthurTX19862006
NelsonBrucePA19821991
NesmithWilliePA19822000
NewtonAlanNY19852006
NorthropAlan G.WA19932010
O’DonnellJamesNY19982000
OchoaJamesCA20052006
OchoaChristopherTX19892002
OllinsLarryIL19882001
OllinsCalvinIL19882001
OrtizVictorNY19841996
OttChaunteWI19962009
PacyonDouglasNY19852010
PattersonMauriceIL20032010
PeacockFreddieNY19762010
PendletonMarlonIL19962006
PetersonLarryNJ19892006
PhillipsStevenTX1982, 19832008
PierceJeffreyOK19862001
PinchbackJohnnyTX10/05/19842011
PiszczekBrianOH19911994
PopeDavid ShawnTX19862001
PowellAnthonyMA19922004
RachellRicardoTX20032009
RaingeWillieIL19791996
RestivoJohnNY19872005
ReynoldsDonaldIL19881997
RichardsonKevinNY19902002
RichardsonJamesWV19891999
RobinsonAnthonyTX19872000
RodriguezGeorgeTX19872005
RollinsLafonsoIL19942004
RomanMiguelCT19902009
RosePeterCA19962005
RuffinJuliusVA19822003
RuffinLarryMS19802010
SaeckerFredricWI19901996
SalaamYusefNY19902002
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I showed you mine, know you show me yours....Peace.

I Have a better idea and you libs should agree with this one because there is no execution involved and it will solve more than the problem of what to do with criminals, so here it is we take all the convicted murderers and escort them to one central location in New Mexico, usher them all into one large enclosure, inform them that the last man standing gets his choice of a rump Buddie from the sex offender unit. problem solved. and we don't have to dirty our fingers. the mess can be cleaned up by people caught littering. take care of all your pet peeves in one fair swipe. think of the simplicity and the effect.

Jeffery:

There is certainly no argument against the case you make. Take your argument to its conclusion, though. We should punish no one, as some where, some how, a mistake could have been made. Obviously, that is wrong. So, would you argue that the most horrible of criminals - murderers - should not be punished in a fashion similar to their crime? Personally I have no problem with it. In fact, I would not have any difficulty extending it to certain other crimes, specifically people who sexually abuse children.

I also believe there would be a deterrent effect if we did carry out these sentences without the decades of delay. I think the decrease in drunk driving is a good example. Laws were changed, penalties became much more severe, and the problem of drunk driving has diminished significantly. If it was certain that you would pay with your life if you take another life, you might reconsider. If you abuse a child and understand with certainty that you will die, you might find a way to contain those desires.

Oh, and I am quite liberal in much of my thinking, but I have no time for persons committing these horrible crimes. If society does decide to do away with capital punishment, I would be quite happy to pay a "prison tax" to make sure there is plenty of space available for criminals like these to never see the outside again.

J100,

A mistake might be made in all cases, it's true. However, as long as that person still lives we can undo the mistake. Those innocents have paid a terrible price, had years of their lives taken away, their families have been punished as well. But they are still alive. We can't undo the mistake if we've already killed the innocent. That is why, in my opinion, it is fine to punish crimes with prison time, but not with execution.

bigwave916,

Please do not lump all Christians together when you make a comment like, "Christians believe the government has that obligation to the people. Not because we want an "eye for an eye" but because evil should be eliminated so that innocent people aren't murdered." I am a Christian and I disagree with you. To say that because Jesus did not condemn the executions of the two thieves that were crucified with him is evidence that Jesus was in favor of their executions is beyond absurd. Is death an appropriate punishment for theft? Jesus says "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" and "Do not resist an evil person" Paul says "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" God loves everyone, even murderers, rapists, etc. If he loves them, would he want us to kill them?

You can argue that there is a need for capital punishment because some people can not be reformed and are dangerous - but do NOT misuse Jesus to argue your position.

Ok Has anyone that has been executed ever committed murder again? There it is, Proof that the Death Penalty does work.

It's sad when people bleat like sheep for the cases of the prisoners and totally ignore the many victims who will never get a second chance.

I'm for the death penalty. Too many of those in prison are given better lives than the victims.

It's sad when people who have no idea what it's like to lose a family member to a heinous murder presume to think themselves qualified to speak for those of us who have and for our lost loved ones.

I'm against the death penalty. The state sanctioned killing of one innocent inmate causes too great a harm to the fabric of society and any sense of justice. Two wrongs don't make a right. Killing the convicted murder won't bring my beloved sister back & would be an offense to our family as well as to my sister, who was also against capital punishment. While we may have the best judicial system in the world, all too often, innocent people are still convicted of violent & non-violent crimes; as long as there is life, there's the opportunity to correct travesties of justice.

And still we have people saying "show me one person who has been proven innocent after the evidence has been destroyed." It is possible to prove the wrongful executions from 100 years agor because police and prosecutors didn't destroy residual evidence post-execution. Now it is routine. The fact is that anyone who supports capital punishment is a murderer.

err umm they'll be spending the rest of their lives in jail. Not everyone needs blood to think justice is served.

Er, ummm let's conduct a summons and bring back the dead once the presumed guilty party is dead. OH MY HOW THE VICTIM'S SHOULD BE SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY. Not.

REBA the reason we can't bring those people back is because the MURDERERS SENTENCED TO DEATH took it upon themselves to make sure that can not happen.

ALSO, THere is an enormous difference between Murder and Killing!! If there was not, every person who killed a person in self defense is a murderer! Tell all those people drafted for the Vietnam War who killed to survive what they are Reba!

Capital punishment is not self defense. It is the cold blooded MURDER of a human being.

Why don't most of you just go and bang your heads against a rock wall?!

Yes, beyondisgust, I agree: let's not confuse "killing" with "murder".

If the state/authorities kill me because I murdered you, we are not both murderers. If the authorities kill me in my act of murdering you, even though I do not actually murder you, they have killed me justly. In this case they are not guilty of murdering me even though I murdered no one; they aught to be honored for saving you from my murderous grasp. If I live after I murder you I may, through the courts, request mercy in the form of life in prison: but the authorities are not barbaric, unjust or inhumane if they do not grant me my request. They are quite justified.

Shaun...Huh? Was there a coherent thought in your post?

Shawn; Interesting analogy but leaky! people do not get the death sentence for attempted murder! most murderers don't face the death penalty, the ones that do are the most heinous cold blooded ones, we should not concern ourselves with these animals, they show no mercy to their victims they will do it again, they are a reject and like all rejects they need to be returned to where they came from, not stored. some states are more apt to use the death penalty than others, like Texas but as long as the murderer is a murderer beyond a doubt the death sentence should be carried out. no more than one appeal, and no longer than that appeal takes, the sentence should be swift, its BS that an attorney can make a living on tax payers protecting these thugs, execute them and be done with it. saving a murderer does not make us civilized its the opposite.

At the end of this post, there will be a register, for all of the people willing to give up their life and the lives of their family as recompense for an escapee, killing another family.

Okay, please list your name and address, here.

At the end of this post, there will be a register, for all of the people willing to give up their life as recompense for an individual who was innocent but executed.

Okay, please list your name and address, here.

"most murderers don't face the death penalty, the ones that do are the most heinous cold blooded ones"

This is not true. Several years ago I was in an ethics class in college and we were given a list of court cases to study. We were supposed to guess which people received the death penalty, life in prison, or 25 years. It turned out that we, the class, were consistently wrong in our choices for which crimes matched with which penalties. The death penalty was applied inconsistently and with no regard for mitigating or aggravating factors. A serial child rapist and murderer was given life in prison while a man who allegedly shot an officer with the officer's own gun during a scuffle in the officer's police car (he was handcuffed and nobody could explain how he shot the officer, all anyone knew was that the police officer's gun went off and killed the officer) was given the death penalty. There is no consistency in which the death penalty is applied.

He could also tell them that he's too much of a spineless boob to ensure that justice is delivered for the families and that he's doing this because he cares more about the criminal, so too bad; families.

hotticket,

not killing someone that has hurt another person takes more spine then killing that person. No one knows what it is like to kill someone until they actually do it. Its not like you kill them then its done, it stays with you. Just ask any soldier that has developed PTSD or any cop that has had to kill someone in their line of duty.

So you can't believe that someone actually will stand up for their principles but instead is motivated by an really strange agenda (cares more about the criminal, how stupid can you get?). Perhaps you need to step back a little and examine your own agenda.

OK all of you scumbags willing to sacrifice yourself and your family as recompense for the next innocent to be executed sign here please...

And no Ken, your Sarah Palin blow-up phuck doll does NOT count as family.

yes.

And those victims won't feel any better when the state takes vengeance against the murderer.

Killing is wrong: if we aren't allowed to do it, neither should our governments be allowed to.

What about the other potential victims this person decides upon himself to crush their skulls in prison?

beyon

as i've stated before he can be kept in a supermax prison in an isolated cell.

Assorted your assuming that this state has the facilities and the ability to do this without violating their Constitutional rights to no inhumane treatment!

It appears there is a real common problem that some people think they can put the world into their own perfect examples and therefore, live the way THEY want.

Assorted,

Why? Do you think depriving him from human contact for the remainder of his life is very humane? The prison system is designed to reform prisoners, someone who has already committed two murders, with one occurring in prison, he will likely never reform. Are you comfortable with him ever roaming the streets again? Why pay to keep him in a maximum security prison, costing tens of thousands of dollars a year, when he is already accepted his penalty (he waived the appeal process). It may not bring the victims back, but it certainly provides some final closure, and it takes a massive burden of off the justice system.

like has been said if there is concern about unequal application than correct the injustices in the system. certainly the numerous appeals attorneys use to profit themselves should be streamlined by having one appeal but outside the state of the initial hearing, that should provide objectivity otherwise not apparent. criminals rank and file do not reform, murders, child molestors or thiefs, they only perfect their actions and become better at hiding amongst us. government should have to reimburse all damages caused to victims, if so we would then see a change in the way things are conducted and crime would soon plummet. would that be so bad. Dr. Hart indicates that sociopaths can be detected at the age of 16, the compationate housing them in a halfway house type situation with somewhat limited restriction would be better than having to imprision them later at a much higher cost

Last I checked SuperMax was the local graveyard. No escape, No further crimes committed by the scumbags.

Uh sure. You probably are pro-life and then pro-death penalty? LMAO Separation of church and state baby! Live with it.

No reba, he's probably pro-law. That is, if it's a law then abide by it and enforce it. Not force one person's beliefs upon the masses.

And to counter your next reply. If the MAJORITY of the masses/people of Oregon agree with their governor, then change the law. Until then, enforce it.

That's not how the office works. They have executive powers and he executed (pardon the pun) those rights. Get used to it. He'll be elected again. Deal with it.

REBA who is judging who here?

Now your dictating law and you show you have no idea what your talking about. The Gov. does have executive power to pardon, but not supersede the states constitution!

Executive power to pardon IS the constitution.

Each publicized execution saves between 5 and 21 innocents from being murdered. How do u morally justify not executing 1st degree murderers in view of that scientific fact.

Duck by writing your point of view does not change the facts! THIS GOV. MADE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ILLEGAL WITHOUT THE STATES CONGRESS WRITING A LAW AND THE GOV NOT SIGNING IT INTO LAW.

Executive power this Gov. always had (INCLUDING WHEN HE CHOSE NOT TO USE IT TWICE BEFORE!!).

@leftsux

I,for one,would love to see you provide the link to your BS "scientific fact". I can only begin to imagine the claptrap Right Wing propaganda sites you'll provide,IF you can provide even that.

And before you bother can you explain this to us all,or maybe contact the geniuses who conducted the study you quote your "facts" from...

...if the Death Penalty is the deterrent you all claim it to be then please explain to us all why the entirety of the rest of the civilized western nations that operate with NO Death Penalty ALL have enormously lower murder rates than we do?

So what is it little Mr. sux...are your "scientific facts" just so much Right Wing BS? Are our gun laws idiotic? Are we just worse people on balance? Or does God hate us for harboring people like...well people like yourself to be frank?

I'm sure that if you respond you'll find a way to blame liberals,Obama,Soros and the 99%'ers. Oh and of course Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon for that gay ass movie.

Dipstick...

And Reba is probably pro choice and against capital punishment. The other way around makes more sense Reba. There is a difference between killing the guilty and killing the innocent and defenseless.

Been there, done that, and you are still WRONG Doug -- not all surviving family members & loved ones share your blood lust. Further, how DARE you presume to speak for those of us who HAVE been there & absolutely DO NOT share your views.

I believe I said insert your love one and you would say leave the guy alone. Did I mis state your view. And you did not answer the critical question of what does that say about your loved one?

Perhaps it is a question we can each ask and answer, if I were the victim I would not want them killed. The loved ones left behind really can't speak for the victim unless they had previously let their views be known.

Interesting question to think about though Doug1234, very thought provoking.

Your loved one is STILL DEAD! Oh what peace the death penalty brings. Vengence is not meant for humans... EVER.

If they guy KEEPS killing people, it's not vengeance. It's protection for the rest of the population. Did you guys all miss where it said he killed someone WHILE IN PRISON?

To be perfectly honest i probably would want him dead out of anger where i to hear the news. However i, as well as quite a few on this site i'm sure, would be willing to supercede the law in those first days and even weeks in that case and do it themselves if they had to. That is simply vengance, not justice. We are to carry out the laws in a way that carries a consequence for the action, but not to seek revenge for the death. I promise you given a few months I would gather no more, and for me specifically, less, closure had he been executed than had he been given life without parole.

It costs more to execute someone.

Reba, Don't just say it. Prove it. Let's see a study detailing the costs of housing, feeding, and guarding someone for 30+ years and see how that stacks up to the costs of the appeals and such. Of course, in this case Gary Haugen waived his appeals, so this argument would seem to be moot in this instance.

Why are you so eager to have people executed? Don't you realize that when the state kills people, that leaves blood on all of our hands? If you're ok with that, fine. But personally I'd prefer to think that we're evolving beyond being savages that get a thrill out of extinguishing human life.

Reba..... its costs millions to keep a person in prison for life as oppossed to a few thousand to execute them..... Get your facts straight

Its actually a well known fact that deathrow inmates cost more to house than the general population.

If you didn't know that, then you seriously need to look some information up before you make yourself look stupid infront of everyone here.

If you are pro death penalty, thats your opinion and thats fine, but don't make up stupid crap like that.

How does killing the murderer help anything? The victims are still dead. How sick is it to long for someone else to die? How sick is it to consider a killing "justice served"? Funny how a killer can turn "good" people into blood thirsty hypocrites calling for blood themselves. What about being the better person(s) and not killing as an example of both morals and judicial power? Prove we are above those that need to murder or kill.

Good4us..

Great point. The death penalty is the weakest form of humanity. God determines when we die. Unfortunately that applies to everybody - murdered or not. When your number is up, it's up!

How sick is it to put this guy in a place where he can, and did, keep killing people? Try protecting the rest of the prisoners, not all of whom are violent. He had a chance to repent of his violence, and he chose to kill again.

Good4us,

Killing a murderer does help something, it ensures that they will never kill again. Putting them in prison will not stop them from killing, it just stops them from killing registered voters.

From Romans 13:4

Let every soul be in subjection to the superior authorities, for there is no authority except by God; the existing authorities stand placed in their relative positions by God. Therefore he who opposes the authority has taken a stand against the arrangement of God; those who have taken a stand against it will receive judgement to themselves. For those ruling are an object of fear, not to the good deed, but to the bad. Do you, then, want to have no fear of the authority? Keep doing good and you will have praise from it; for it is God's minister to you for your good. But if you are doing what is bad, be in fear: for it is not without reason that it bears the sword; for it is God's minister, an avenger to express wrath upon the one practicing is bad.

SUNDIVER

Do you actually believe that people in positions of authority are there because of the will of God and that opposing them is opposing the will of God?? I guess that puts a lot of patriots in Hell.

Nice you can quote the Bible, Sundiver. Make doubly sure you're quoting it in context, which in this case you are not. This was written to Christians, most likely (You and I weren't there.) to try to encourage them to not fear the authorities but to continue their law-abiding lifestyle. We don't get the update on Paul's confident opinion on the same subject AFTER he was beheaded simply for being a Christian. Stow your thumping, Sundiver, and help our society to abolish even the chance of a death penalty -- quickly -- before they're quoting the Koran and Hadiths at YOUR execution!

DuckFan;

People in positions of authority are there because after the rebellion of Adam and Eve, God allowed humans to rule themselves as they saw fit. He didn't specifically put each one in office. Other verses of the bible also state that those in positions of authority will answer to God for the way in which they handle that authority.

I wrote all that, and then I realized the point you were trying to make. You're talking about people like the Founding Fathers right? These words were written for those who wish to follow in Jesus' footsteps. A True Christian would not involve themselves in a revolution. As for patriots going to hell, there is no such thing.

Rorn;

I don't see how I'm taking this verse out of context, that's why I typed the whole thing, not just the part I wanted to make my point. As for it just being for Christians, the message was directed at them, but the principle applies to everyone. Just like the rest of the Bible. Your last statement just doesn't make any sense. If Islamists take over the country, they will simply ignore or reverse any previous death penalty ban, and kill whomever they chose.

Maybe the "good" doctor would be willing to supply free room and board to this excellent citizen. He might also as an alternative consider prepaying the cost of maintaining this "animal" for the next thirty or so years (somewhere in the vicinity of $1,500,000.00).

viewer ready, can you cite any evidence that the death penalty has been an effective deterrent against violent crimes? ANY?????

And since it has been shown not to be a deterrent it should end. Also it cost less to keep someone is prison for life then it is to execute someone.

Even if I can't, that only means that murderers are sick anyway.

So, for what reason should they be kept around?

If the thought of death if you kill does not dissuade you, then you have no place on earth.

That is a farce.

It only cost more because of the appeals process.

The actual execution is far cheaper.

Frank Zimring, JD, William G.
Simon Professor of Law and Wolfen Distinguished Scholar at the University of
California at Berkeley, as quoted in a Mar. 6, 2005 Los Angeles Times
article titled "Death Row Often Means a Long Life; California Condemns Many
Murderers, But Few Are Ever Executed," stated:

"What we are paying for at such great cost is essentially our
own ambivalence about capital punishment. We try to maintain the apparatus of
state killing and another apparatus that almost guarantees that it won't happen.
The public pays for both sides."

All of which could be simplified by streamlining the process.

Look at how quickly Timothy McVeigh was put to death.

Viewer,

Wake up and smell the coffee. In study after study of states that have the death penalty and those that don't, there is no correlation between the death penalty and a state's murder rate. Indeed, there is a complete dearth of evidence that the death penalty deters murders. Theoretically, it's a deterrent--among punishment scholars, there is a distinction between general deterrence and individual deterrence. Individual deterrence means the killed killer can no longer kill, and his death assures that; in that sense only is there deterrence. But Viewer didn't have individual deterrence in mind when s/he expressed her badly informed views.

And for those who believe that another justification for the death penalty is "justice for the surviving family" or "it brings closure to the victim's family," that's always been psychobabble without any empirical support. However, even if true, the death penalty has been used in cases in which the defendant was innocent. The Innocence Project has freed some 150 men from the death rows of the various states. It is unreasonable to suppose that there aren't more innocents who are not and cannot bee freed from death row using DNA evidence. It follows that American states and probably the federal government, now that it has a death penalty, put innocent people to death. Thus, even if killing the murderer brings peace to a grieving family, the death penalty apparatus still operates to kill innocents.

That the original victim was "innocent" is shallow reply that's quite beside the point; the State, acting on behalf of all its citizens, cannot ignore that its actions on some occasions commit the very act the death penalty is intended to stop--the taking of innocent life. It amounts to an egregious form majoritarian abuse to suggest that even if some alleged murderers are actually innocent victims, we can sacrifice their lives for society's greater good.

Lest we forget, the ultimate answer to Viewer's point is the following uttered by feminist singer Holly Near: "Why do we kill to teach that killing is wrong?" A society that deliberately kills some of its citizens as payback for their wrongdoing cannot serve as a moral force against violence. If individuals are forbidden to take revenge, why aren't collections of individuals known as states also forbidden from taken revenge by proxy?

There are many good reasons why only four countries on earth still execute killers, and I pray that this country abandons the death penalty before I die.

Well said.

Michael,

When considering the death penalty we, as a nation, are not concerned with bringing justice to the surviving family; we are concerned with bringing justice to the one murdered. After all the crime was committed against the one who died not the family. The family was not murdered even though the repercussions reach them.

You may ask, “Well why should the murdered care if his murderer lives or dies?” Perhaps he does not care; we can’t know that. But we still must do what is right in his stead in the same way we are doing what is right in providing for the American Indian population today. The American Indians of long ago may not care if we do anything about our ancestor’s robbing them of their land. But bringing justice to the American Indians is the right thing for us to do.

And so it is also the right thing for us to ensure someone pays for the crime committed against the one who was murdered. We can grant the murderer mercy and not put him death- that's allowable. But we are not wrong if we do put him to death. Which brings us to our next question of how does any of us determine what the “right” thing to do is? A hint: the answer does not come from what the current scholarly articles say about the matter; they say 100 different things and we can find loads of research on both sides of the issue and essentially cancel each other out.

Hmmm...What a way to send out a message to bad guys...Come to OR and murder ppl, our gov won't execute you...Unbelievable...The state has already put the message out that in Oregon we invite you to COME HERE, Don't Just visit STAY. you don't have to work, we'll feed you, cloth you, pay your rent, Even give you a 'Oregon Trail Credit Card' so you can buy food at Papa Murphy's Pizza, Gourmet Coffee at Starbucks, pretty much anything you want!!!

Meanwhile, Small businesses are struggling to survive...

Property Taxes increase-Which makes zero sense because inflation has not risen...

AND someone that has been gov twice SHOULD NOT be in a 3rd term, albeit not consecutive...

I wished ppl could remember the depression, or at least read up on it, People had nothing, NOTHING, now ppl are spoiled rotten...They don't have to lift a finger, and the state gives them everything....Except the working class...

Perry of TX is the biggest mass murderer of all time... or is that just the state of TX? Oh, I can see how the death penalty is such a great thing to stop other murders. NOT.

People must be guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt before considering. Beyond a reasonable doubt is down right inhuman and nothing but murderers. We all need to know who is sticking in the needles and adminstering the drugs. Have those cowards come out from behind the curtains. There definitely are no doctors as the oath begins with..."do no harm". Death certificates for executions reads HOMICIDE!

Watching Reba's morals change in a single evening!

There is supposed to be guilt BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT. I would love to know your stats on how many "INNOCENT INMATES" have been killed. If there is any doubt they shouldn't execute, but that is no reason to do away with the death penalty for all. I have read many, many cases where murderers are paroled and out to victimize again. Where is all the moral outrage about that??? At the very least there should be NO PAROLE when there is no execution. A life for a life, even if that life is a crappy one in prison.

There is a war on crime. Just like in any war innocent people suffer. Like someone else said, the laws are applied unfairly and sometimes people are wrongfully accused, does that mean that we should stop arresting people based on the fact that they could be innocent no matter how guilty they look?

What a joke. You are pro-life and then pro-death penalty? Are you a freak or what? Whatever suits your needs, right?

Reba-You support killing an unborn child who has harmed no one but don't support executing a murderer convicted by a jury of his piers? Seems hypocritical to me.

If we take the Bible and the words, they shell not kill - then ALL types of killing is wrong. War is killing. Bush smiled as he said he was against abortions, still he had no issue of make up a lame reason to go to war.

I for one would like to see the day that NO male would take an avenge of a female and get her pregnant. You fools that are so much against abortions, still you make laws go there is no other way around it. Look at the latest joke that the GOP have done about bulling, it is ok if you have a reason to do it.

The GOP are the most anti-christ group in America.

I LIVE IN OREGON TOO AND AM PROUD OF KITZ. STATE MURDER IS NOT WHAT I WANT. SORRY for yelling but this guy wants to die. I am a uncompensated falsely imprisoned Supreme court winner and know that this was the right thing to do. It's just the new common sense please, evolve

RollieB

I have never heard such crap as you have just put out.

I was arrested back in the 50s for what was a setup by the prosecutor that wanted to be ellected District Attorney. I had to spend 8 months in jail before the Supreme Court set me free. While I was not on death row or anything like that, I was illegally convicted and that is something that has happened before and innocent people have been executed.

and innocent people have been executed.

Name one in the United States who was incontrovertibly innocent in the last half since the Supreme Court started allowing executions again?

Could be that Texas is about 1/4 the size of the US and is rife with illegals?

Hmmm.

In what percentage of murders in Texas, have illegals been the perp?

Um your wroing Jack. Actually South Carolina has the highest murder rate at 6.1 http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org

So you think ijf Texas were to do away with the death penalty that the murder rate would go down? REALLY!!!

How is your post helpful in any way?

Yeah dan: You just want to watch someone else, kill someone. Get you off, eh?

Get some therapy my friend. When you find yourself gnashing your teeth and just itching for someone to be exectuted, you've gone off the deep end. The justice system isn't (or shouldn't be) about vengence. It's about protecting society. Once you lock up a killer, society is safer. To do more is just sadism.

Dan=Troll. Don't feed.

Dan. Dude, get outta my society! You are one seriously sick puppy. Advocating death for all liberals? Even if it was said just for startle value, and even tho I can't stomach the extreme left wing, YOU sir have a "conscience that has been seared with a hot iron." I am indeed pro-life -- but on BOTH ends of the timeline. Killing of another human, for any reason, is absolutely abhorrent, an affront to the Creator and a direct defiance of the Grace and Mercy purchased by the truly innocent lifeblood of God's only begotten. Seriously Dan, you need to have just a little more respect for the irreplaceable value of every human life.

@Dan

I'm a liberal and a vet. Tell you what cupcake,you list an e-mail addy on here and I'll shoot you my home address and you TRY to come execute me and see what the phuck happens to you.

Internet commandos at their best! Bet no info is exchanges so it is safe for both sides to get puffed up!

Its people like the Oregon governor who think they know what is right for everyone based on their own 'personal' feelings....a judge cannot make things personal when they are presiding over a case and neither should the governor

Aren't all of our laws based on subjective morality? The governor is not part of the judiciary, therefore, he is able to make things "personal".

Judges, congressmen, governors everybody is in it for themselves. Who are you kidding? The gov has the executive rights to pardon, etc. That's part of the job. As does the President who can pardon, commute, etc of people. There's nothing a legislature can do about it. It is an inherent right to the job. TOO BAD BUCKWHEAT.

Correct Karl, but he is not allowed to Change the state laws! This will go to the States Supreme Court, where execution will be allowed, but the Gov. still has the right to give pardons. He can't be Gov. for ever, though!

The gov is willing to cease the death penalty but I see nowhere that he is willing to pardon this Azzhole! That makes for a good arguement but he would be committing political suicide to pardon him. It does not look to me like he is ready to retire yet!