Death Penalty

Per The Lowell Sun, State Representative James R Miceli, Democrat of Tewksbury and Wilmington, is calling for a return of the death penalty.

Here is the lede:

Disgusted by the brutal beating death of a Worcester boy, Rep. James Miceli plans to file a bill today that would reinstate the death penalty in Massachusetts.

I agree that we are all outraged when someone abuses a child and even more so if that person kills the child.  That said, society is evolving in the direction of not executing people, just as we evolved away from the practice of "draw and quarter."  But, Representative Miceli wishes to bring the practice back.  Here are several reasons why this is a bad idea:

• The Great and General Court has not nearly finished with the business of saving the Massachusetts economy and putting us the proper road for success in the next quarter century (to include some real ethics reform for the Commonwealth's Government, to include Beacon Hill).  They don't have time to be drawn into a lengthy debate on the Death Penalty.
• An Execution usually costs a government more than just letting the person rot in prison for the rest of his or her life.  When we are raising taxes due to falling revenues it is not time to be thinking of new ways to raise costs to the Commonwealth.
• Sometimes the death penalty seems to be more about solving emotional problems than coming to good legal conclusions; never a good thing.

Then we have our own Representative, Tom Golden (D-16th Middlesex), coming in support of Representative Miceli.

"I'd vote for that," said Rep. Thomas Golden, a death-penalty supporter who said there are some heinous crimes with little doubt of a person's guilt that warrant the punishment.

How little, one wonders.

I know that Representative Miceli is supporting the approach of then Governor Mitt Romney, with its use of DNA to ensure guilt is properly established.  On the other hand, there are three issues here:

• What if DNA evidence is not conclusive?
• What if there is so much pressure the Government fudges its case?
• Where is the justice when two people are guilty of basically the same kind of murder and one is executed due to DNA evidence and the other is convicted, but without the DNA evidence?

I wonder where the other two Musketeers stand on this?  Maybe I will EMail them.

I figure you know where I stand.  If not; the death penalty should be reserved for captured and convicted spies with information not yet transmitted to their handlers.

UPDATE: Spelling error. Quilt to Guilt.

Regards  —  Cliff