The only two things certain in life: death and Texas

After living in Texas for 10 years (and being back in Portland for two), I'll admit to missing Texas politics. By comparison, politics here in Oregon is about as exciting as watching Tom DeLay samba on Dancing With The Stars. Texas has the advantage of being ruled by a cabal of Right-wing Apocalyptic God Squadders bent on turning the Great State of Texas into a functional theocracy. Oregon? Well, most Oregonians couldn't even name their Governor (Ted Kulongoski), never mind lucidly discuss what's happening in Salem these days. Texas? Well, anyone familiar with the career of the late Molly Ivins knows that she built her career on skewering Texas politics. To her way of thinking, Austin may have been a cesspool, but it was also a comedy gold mine. These days, there's little in the way of humor to be found, not with the very real possibility that Governor Rick Perry may have ignored evidence that would have exonerated Cameron Willingham and kept him from Huntsville's death chamber.

What did Perry know, and when did he know it? It's a legitimate question, because he had the last word on Willingham's execution. If Perry had information that Willingham didn't kill his family, and yet allowed Willingham's execution to proceed, then Governor Goodhair is guilty of murder. Before I go ahead and actually accuse the Governor of murder, however, I'd actually like to know what information was presented to him. Here's the problem, though; Perry won't release that information, and he's effectively killed off an investigation into the Willingham case. The question, then, is what Perry and his staff are hiding. IF the Governor had information that he felt supported Willingham's guilt, then why not alleviate the confusion and consternation by making that information public? And why kill the investigation if you have nothing to hide?

What we do know is that Perry is facing a tough primary challenge next year against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. The last thing he needs is for serious questions to be raised about his judgment, particularly when it comes to the death penalty. Sure, most Texans love the death penalty, and the false sense of security and retribution it provides. Nonetheless, even those who support the death penalty expect it to be used judiciously to execute the guilty, not those whose guilt is serious in doubt.

Was Cameron Willingham guilty of murdering his family? Or is Rick Perry responsible for the state-sanctioned persecution and murder of Willingham? We'll probably never know, because Perry isn't talking, and his staff is in full defensive mode. Perry may well be a murderer, but the sad reality Willingham can't be un-executed. Was Cameron Willingham persecuted by the State of Texas for 12 years and then executed for a murder he didn't commit? That there are legitimate questions is reason enough for the Governor to let the sun shine on the process so the public can understand what happened and why? What is Rick Perry hiding?

If Governor Goodhair feels that Willingham was guilty and legitimately executed according to the laws of the State of Texas, it wouldn't take much to convince Texans. The rest of the world, though, is coming to the realization that Rick Perry may well have used the power of his office to murder an innocent man to buttress his bona fides as a Chief Executive who's tough on crime.

Texans deserve better.