tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23460707.post5179151099677374438..comments2023-06-13T04:19:36.351-07:00Comments on Thinking Out Loud: Alberto Gonzales's push for the death penalty - Why are we so surprised?Gail Jonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01112450907788303779noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23460707.post-60463824209487516052007-06-29T13:37:00.000-07:002007-06-29T13:37:00.000-07:00Janie,It's one thing to support capital punishment...Janie,<BR/>It's one thing to support capital punishment for certain crimes and to support the death penalty when there's doubt as to the innocence or guilt of a person or there are mitigating circumstances, such as retardation. Perhaps most people don't make the distinction. <BR/><BR/>I'm opposed to the death penalty regardless.<BR/><BR/>The July Harper's Index stated that the number of U.S. prisoners freed through DNa evidence since 1989 is 201, and of those, 77 percent were mistakenly identified by eyewitnesses.<BR/><BR/>I don't know how man of these 201 were on death row or how many people were put to death (only to find out later that they didn't commit the crime.<BR/><BR/>Even Algeria did away with the death penalty a number of years ago!Gail Jonashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01112450907788303779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23460707.post-4489543970448992982007-06-29T12:26:00.000-07:002007-06-29T12:26:00.000-07:00The death penalty remains hugely popular with a we...The death penalty remains hugely popular with a weird segment of Americans, most of whom seem to vote for conservatives. So, we shouldn't be surprised that most Senators didn't get bothered by Bush/Gonzales's ignoring salient evidence. The thinking seems to be that killing people is macho. Never mind that in criminal law determining guilt requires proving an intent to kill (beyond a reasonable doubt)and intent involves having the necessary mental faculty to form that intent.<BR/><BR/>That distinction is too fine for many conservatives and politicians who cater to them.<BR/><BR/>JanieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com