OREGON’S DEATH PENALTY HALT IMMORAL AND WRONG

             In response to Mark Osler’s CNN article: Oregon's death penalty halt merciful and right November 25, 2011, I would like to point out several points that I disagree with him.

            A second buried truth is revealed within the tortured way in which Kitzhaber announced his decision. During a prior term as governor, in 1997, he had allowed two executions, and it seems clear that he was deeply troubled by his role in those killings. How could he not be? It is a heavy responsibility to participate in a deliberative process that identifies a citizen to be put to death by the state. However, Kitzhaber is just the exposed tip of an iceberg of human emotion. 

Response: I understand it is a heavy responsibility but it is wrong to grieve the murdered victims’ families and their loved ones by allowing the guilty to keep their lives. I do not see any wrong by putting the guilty to death. Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, Sir James Fitzjames Stephen and Chalerm Ubumrung will never shrink from putting the guilty to death.

Kitzhaber is right to say that the capital process is fatally flawed. It is unfair to some defendants, yes. 

Response: Kitzhaber is wrong! There are many safeguard procedures to ensure that only the guilty land on death row. Please check with the Clatsop County District Attorney Joshua Marquis. 

But a system that tries many, condemns some to die and executes few is also cruel and unusual to those who work within the process. It is primarily inflicting pain on victims' relatives who wait in limbo, on jurors who relive those discussions, on prosecutors whose hearts are hardened while their efforts are frustrated and on the budgets and reputations of the states that choose to go on with it anyway.

Response: Many Prosecutors feel that the death penalty is a useful tool in prosecuting; they even use it to let the defendant plea bargain to a life sentence. Some prosecutors only reserve the death penalty for the worst of the worst criminals. 

            “It is primarily inflicting pain on victims' relatives who wait in limbo.” – It is even more inflicting pain on victims’ relatives if we allow the killers to keep their lives in prison, the way to do it is to speed up executions and not to let them appeal too many times. Please see Quote 3 & 4 of Alex Kozinski’s quote.

Kitzhaber is not wrong to declare a moratorium, but he would be better advised to fully commute the sentences of those on death row and urge his fellow citizens to be done with the whole mess that this process has become.

Response: Kitzhaber is WRONG to declare a moratorium, look at what has happen to Illinois this year. I would advise him not to commute the sentences of those on death row as more innocent people will die when you allow dangerous and violent criminals to keep their lives. We will have more mess! As Edmund Burke once said, “All that is necessary for the triumphant of evil is that good men do nothing.”

That kind of bold action is not cowardice. It is leadership.

Response: It is COWARDICE and NOT leadership at all. Kitzhaber defying the will of Oregon voters, who reinstated the death penalty in 1984. 

"First of all, it says we don't respect Oregon voters. We don't respect their views when they say they want something," said Steve Doell, president of Crime Victims United. "If we don't like it, we're not going to do it." [Saturday 26 November 2011]

Kitzhaber supports abortion which does nothing but kills the innocent unborn, why is he against killing the guilty murderers? It is because of his actions, more innocent people will get murdered, Kitzhaber has failed in his duty as a leader! He needs to stop getting manipulated by those abolitionists. Once you step down as Governor, Oregon will be a better place without you.