By now, most everyone with interest in such things has already seen the news that AG Barr has resumed the federal government’s execution of death sentences. The federal death penalty is not new, but the processing of executions has fallen behind. Well, no more. Five inmates were just put on notice.
As a Libertarian, I often find that my views on capital punishment are not well received by my party. The Libertarian party is wholly against the taking of life by the state. I understand the position, I just don’t agree with it. I’m from Texas, and as comedian Ron White puts it, when it comes to the death penalty in Texas, “we’re putting in an express lane.”
Are crime rates that much lower in Texas compared to other states? Not really. This isn’t a numbers post so feel free to google the stats on your own. What this post is meant to convey is The LDC’s stance on capital punishment.
The administration of capital punishment is a declaration that some crimes are just too severe to let go.
Many may point to the bible and various passages about how “an eye for an eye” is right or wrong, but that’s not it. This country was founded on the principals of private property, of which our body is our first possession. Laws exist to protect our property from harm from others and the death penalty is the ultimate protection.
In an ideal society, the death penalty is reserved for habitual offenders, those who are just as likely as not – if not more so – to commit another crime if left alive.
Notice that I didn’t say, “if set free.” Life in prison is another protection, but as the right to life is a basic human right, and not merely an American right, someone committing murder in prison is every bit as heinous as doing so in the free world. Don’t agree?
Is one life more deserving of being than another?
Things get murky when you try to qualify what does and does not render someone’s right to live null and void. It’s what those against the death penalty can’t seem to figure out. The lines are quite clear on the subject, but we have to put on our big boy shorts/big girl panties and take a responsible look at it in order to understand.
Is a habitual drug offender suited for the death penalty? No. Doing drugs in and of itself is not dangerous to others; it does not deprive another of their right to life or harm their property. The acts one may commit while engaging in or seeking to engage in drug use is an entirely different story.
The goal of this whole law and order mess is to prevent further harm to others by any one individual, and so the death penalty should be applied only in that context. There was a time when the law was less confounding than it is today, but that’s because of judges and their increasingly convoluted ability to separate the law from their own beliefs.
A left-leaning judge is less likely than a right-leaning one to sentence someone to death based on the same evidence, as a matter of ideology. This is not a secret either. Again, look it up. It’s also not legal since it means the same person committing the same crime has different chances for sentencing depending on the judge ruling on the case. The law is the law, no matter who you are, or were, or could be.
I could continue along this line but instead, I’d rather get back to the topic of this post and state unequivocally that I support AG Barr’s orders. The death penalty was carefully deliberated upon sentencing and, absent new and exculpatory evidence to the contrary should be carried out in a timely and safe manner.
Yes, I said safe. Men and women who are condemned to die for their transgressions against society have the right to have their punishment carried out in as humane a way as possible. They are already paying the ultimate price for their crimes. To burden them further with any form of cruel and unusual treatment up to, including, and after their death is punitive and unacceptable.
Going right along with the implementation of sentencing that AG Barr has reinstated is the cost of not carrying out these sentences when they are due.
It may seem trivial to some to pay for the housing, feeding, and care of a death row inmate for an extra few months, however, it’s anything but trivial. The electricity, water, guards, administrative staff, food, clothing, laundry supplies; the list goes on. All of this costs money, and since the government has no money, this all costs you and me money. Maybe it’s not so much for just one inmate, though I’d love to hear how many of you are willing to pay the precise costs for one directly out of your pocket every day, but it isn’t just one. It’s hundreds at best and 10’s of thousands at worst.
If you have children you will understand this much better. Try raising 1,000 children for just a month. Just one month. It’s very expensive to maintain life.
So, yes, we’re for the death penalty here and that includes expedient implementation. What about you?
