"I am that little boy Ricky. I saw them killing my parents. I saw them"
Richard Dean Pueschel told the court. Reginald and Jerry Mahaffey were
convicted of killing both his parents and attempting to kill eleven year
old Ricky. They were sentenced to death, but Governor Ryan may commute
their sentences, as well as more than a hundred other killers.
They were all tried. They were all convicted. A jury decided, based on
the laws of Illinois and the severity of the crimes, that they should
die. They went through the appeals process. The appeals failed. And
now, they face the ultimate justice: the death penalty.
Wrong. Illinois Governor George Ryan is going to commute all the
sentences on his way out of office. That's right - every killer, no
matter how brutal or sadistic, is going to be shown mercy. One man, the
governor, who knows next to nothing about the individual cases and
crimes committed, will commute all the sentences from death to life.
Clemency used to be reserved for special cases; one or two cases that,
for whatever reason, the governor overturns the jury's verdict. But
Governor Ryan has decided to use the clemency process to circumvent the
death penalty laws, laws which he swore he would uphold when he took
office.
It may be Ryan's mercy, but you're going to pay for it. Of course, some
of the 142 death row inmates will probably escape, and maybe kill or
rape again, as they've done before. But even if they stay in prison and
serve out their life sentences, you'll still pay. It costs something
like $60,000 per year to incarcerate an inmate, more than most American
workers make in a year. But that's because, in the modern way of
thinking, a murderer is worth more than honest worker. And taxpayers,
not the death penalty foes, pay the tab.
Americans can no longer tell the difference between movies and real
life, so when a movie star like Tom Hanks makes an anti-death penalty
movie like The Green Mile, people think innocents are being executed by
the score. But TV is not real life, and in most cases there is no
serious doubt as to guilt when someone is sentenced to death. Of
course, movie stars like Tom Hanks, who can afford bodyguards and
security, don't have to worry too much about real life; they're
insulated. But in the real world it's much more likely that people like
OJ ruthlessly stab others to death, and walk free, than that innocent
people face a death sentence.
Now that Mr. Ryan is commuting all death sentences, the next bleeding
heart governor can reduce the sentences; or better yet, just release the
prisoners. After all, everyone, even those who rape and kill, deserves
a second, or a third, or a fourth chance, right?
Cigarette makers are held responsible for smoker deaths; gun makers are
held responsible for shooting deaths; fast food restaurants are held
responsible for people getting fat; but real murderers? They're not
responsible for anything.
The good may die young, but, in this insane world, the bad never die.
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
The Washington Post article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32154-2002Oct15.html
To find more Outrageous examples of Crime and Punishment see
http://www.dailyoutrage.com/library/cap.html
