October 20, 2009 6:22 AM

Yet another reason I (don't really) miss Texas

Khristian Oliver, 32, is set to be killed on 5 November after jurors used Biblical passages supporting the death penalty to help them decide whether he should live or die.... A U.S. federal appeals court acknowledged last year that the jurors' use of the Bible amounted to an "external influence" prohibited under the U.S. Constitution, but nonetheless upheld the death sentence.

I've made no secret of my disdain for Texas and the way it applies the death penalty. After living in Harris County (the death sentence capitol of the world) for 10 years, and observing what's essentially a cottage industry, I think I can speak to this debate with some authority. The idea of "an eye for an eye" is huge in Texas. Careers of politicians are often made or broken based on the stance on the death penalty. Many Texas, politicians included, understand that the system is broken. Even the Governor is wedded to the idea that the Great State of Texas has the right, nay the responsibility, to execute violent criminals. It takes murderers off the streets, it lets Texans feel better about themselves, but does state-sanctioned murder actually impact the murder rate in Texas? Or is that even what the bottom line is anymore?

The death penalty has long been the third rail of Texas politics- touch it, discuss it, and/or attempt to reform it at your own peril. The end result is a self-perpetuating system that continues to rack up the body count while at the same time being impervious to any serious examination. No Texas politician will take on the issue, because they know that come re-election time, their opponents will no doubt trot out sound bites designed to make them appear to be soft on crime.

When stories like this one come along, it should be taken as what happens when a system takes on a life of its own. When a Texas jury consults Old Testament passages in an effort to make a decision on whether or not to impose the death penalty, you have to know that this train has jumped the tracks. Even worse, a federal judge acknowledged that using the Bible in the decision was a constitutionally-prohibited "external influence"...but he still upheld the death sentence (Ur doin' it wrong...but it's all good.). In Texas, then, the death penalty is sacrosanct, and the ends justifies the means.

Of course, I can't speak to the details of this particular case because I simply don't know them. My concern is with the process and with the rationale behind the decision to impose the death penalty. Never mind the separation of Church and State issue, which is a serious one in its own right. What about the appropriateness of sentencing a man to death after consulting the Bible. Many denounce Muslims when a similar decision-making process is used...but it's somehow acceptable when Christians do it?

After living in Texas, the conclusion I was left to draw was that murder was wrong...unless the Great State of Texas was the one doing the killing (then it's the righteous protection of the Greater Good). The death penalty in Texas has become every bit the Evil that proponents tout it as preventing. At this point, the death penalty is less a deterrent (and there's little evidence suggesting that even this is true) than a way for Texans to feel as if they're taking the initiative in making Texas a better and safer place. That a Cameron Willingham is murdered now and again is seen as merely a cost of doing business. Hey, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs....

Here's a thought. Before we start lecturing other countries on human rights issues, how about we look inside our own borders? The death industry in Texas might be a good place to start. If the manner and frequency with which the death penalty is imposed and carried out in Texas isn't a legitimate international human rights issue, then I don't know what is.

WE DESERVE BETTER.

blog comments powered by Disqus

Technorati

Technorati search

» Blogs that link here

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on October 20, 2009 6:22 AM.

Being crazy is its own reward was the previous entry in this blog.

They wouldn't take advantage of me...would they? is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Contact Me

Powered by Movable Type 5.12