Virginia Woman One Step Closer to Execution

I regret that the two triggermen didn’t get the death penalty too.

Thou shalt not kill. Offer not vaild in states with the death penalty.

*Offer not valid in reality.

By the way, the commandment actually reads “unlawful murder.”

“..but, but, but she’s a widow!”*
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*Yes, I know the joke is not original.

“…the first woman executed in Virginia in nearly 100 years.”
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Eh. Most of the state is still living in the 1860s. Except for Metro DC, it’s the 21st century Antebellum South. The election of McDonnell and Cuccinelli was the latest tell.

I didn’t just laugh, it was a deep belly laugh. Thanks.

Although it does not seem to apply to this case at all, with the unreliability of eyewitness testimony, people who get pressured into (without actual police misconduct, just legally permissible pressure) false confessions unveiled by the Innocents project among many others, I oppose the death penalty for one reason: if the conviction is wrongful, the wrongly accused can get nothing back.
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Besides, an actual sentence with no possibility of parole for something like 80 or a 100 years couldn’t be much better than death.
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In a case without those factors being at all probable like this one, it is harder to be against the death penalty, but, you have to take a stand – let them all spend 20 to 80 years in total misery confined in a jail sell.

patrick, I’m against the death penalty when there is any doubt. In this case, I don’t believe there is any doubt. I do respect those who are opposed to the death penaly on moral grounds, but everyone has different moral values. I’m also in favor of the death penalty even when someone hasn’t been killed such as in cases of child rape.

It’s a good thing nobody died and made me God. I can be a real prick sometimes.

Hey, Teresa Lewis. A good way to avoid getting the death penalty, and lethal injection, is to not kill other people. Just saying….

“I’m also in favor of the death penalty even when someone hasn’t been killed such as in cases of child rape.”
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Child rapists… Pedophiles are an incurable evil.
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I was in Boston at the time and, later, in a class I took read a whole book about the priests who were child rapists. 3% of all Priests!
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All in all, the Catholic Church found every psychologist and psychiatrist they could to find a way to cure such people of their extremely sick desires and, believing in the power of prayer, kept on releasing the same pedophiles over and over.
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There are two cures for pedophilia:
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1) A prison cell for life
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2) Death.
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It’s just that I find it sad enough when somebody spend 20 years – or even five years – in jail for something they didn’t do while the real criminal is out there laughing, but, when it’s the death penalty… no refunds, no return no worthwhile exoneration.
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But, I agree that pedophiles are down there an inch above murders (just an inch) and shouldn’t be allowed out at all.

Oh, sure, now you tell her.
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(BTW, you know who else joked in poor taste about a woman’s execution?)

You all read my post on the death penalty and my history on another thread. This is not funny. I will affirm again, the death penalty is not justice it is revenge. The state should do justice and not participate in revenge on behalf of the victims.

By the way, McDonnell is a theocrat that professes his Christian faith. I guess he mistakes the old testament for the new.

It really doesn’t make sense that liberal proponents of eugenics would be so abhorrent to the death penalty. Why is that april2563?

We need to bring back Hanging and electrocution. Far more effective as deterrents!
Also, Child molesters and violent perverts should indeed be executed. Like Gerry Studds (D, Mass)

I understand the need to kill but, to kill unnecessarily is wrong.

G’bye B!tch!

Patrick,
Why is it that when someone mentions child rape or pedophilia your first reaction is to mention Catholic priests? You would think that to have such a reaction, the rates of pedophilia among the clergy must far surpass that of any other institution or society at large. Yet, by your own accord, 3% of priests have been accused of child abuse, while the rate within the US pupulation at large is 5%, according to Dr. Gene Abel. The media frenzy over clergy, while neglecting the more menacing threat posed by society itself is abhorrent, and you, sir, perpetuate this highly prejudicial misconception.

“Why is it that when someone mentions child rape or pedophilia your first reaction is to mention Catholic priests?”
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First, they were the ones who made the news.
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Second, only after Satan worshipers, it is the last thing you would, if you were (I guess you probably are and I am not) a parent sending your children to be watched over by. In my upbringing being Catholic meant lawful behavior (which was, also, taught in public schools) and sexual morality. Nothing could be more deviant from heterosexual monogamy than child molestation.
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Third, I always presumed that the percent of child molesters or those with such inclinations who do not act on such is about 0.1%.
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“… the rate within the US pupulation at large is 5%, according to Dr. Gene Abel.”
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I never once before heard a statistic about the general population. My presumption is just a presumption, but, 5% seems astronomically higher than anything I ever imagined.
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I hope it is lower than that.
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Fourth, I can grasp practicing a religion (I had until my mid 20s) but could never imagine swearing off the most wholesome and, frankly, relatively boring sounding sex within a lifelong committed relationship of marriage. Personally, nothing would ever get me to swear that I will never marry.

“Second, only after Satan worshipers, it is the last thing you would, if you were (I guess you probably are and I am not) a parent sending your children to be watched over by.”
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Doh!
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Let me clean that up to mean what I meant to say.
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Second, only after Satan worshipers, it is the last thing you would, if you were (I guess you probably are and I am not) a parent WOULD EXPECT TO FIND sending your children to be watched over by.
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That is what I was trying to say.

Newrusty: You have obviously not read my history on this matter but have to resort to a stupid hit on liberals.
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I will repeat for only you. My daughter was murdered. I have first hand knowledge of the justice system and have only respect and gratitude to it for the way they handled my daughter’s case.
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My feelings, which are, I think, more pertinent than your ignorant snark, is that the man who was prosecuted deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail. His 1st trial resulted in 400 years with no parole. His 2nd trial gave him the death penalty.
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My heartfelt opinion is the death penalty, used to bring justice on behalf of victims, is revenge. I am not looking for that type of revenge for my daughter. I think it dishonors her memory.
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Now, do you want to really discuss the issue or just be more of a fool.

The sentiments on this site are what make me sad. The lynch mob mentality fostered by the death penalty is one of the reason a civilized nation, or any nation, should not use it as a means of justice.
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I am not asking for any sympathy for the perpatrators of a crime, but I want justice that does not demean the victims memory by calling for killing someone. I have no sympathy or foregiveness for my daughter’s killer but want her to rest in peace and have no more violence done in her name.
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Sorry if I become too personal on this issue and sound angry. I know not everyone agrees with me but I feel strongly enough that I must comment.

“My daughter was murdered. ”
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Wow.
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Sorry to hear that.
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Outside of a girl I knew in college who was run over by a drunk driver, I never knew anybody – much less a family member – who died of anything other than natural causes much less murder.
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It must be awful.

“It really doesn’t make sense that liberal proponents of eugenics would be so abhorrent to the death penalty.”
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Eugenics was, pre-World War II advocated by some conservatives and never a liberal point of view.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics#United_States
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Obviously, it was later taken on by the Nazis, an extreme right wing movement.
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So, get your facts straight before you post or just stop being a pest.

Patrick,
I’ve already pointed out that the incident-rate is no higher among clergy than the general population, yet you cite media coverage as having an influence on why your reaction is to first think of Catholic clergy when you hear ‘pedophilia.’ Doesn’t that seem incredibly wrong? You’ve allowed media misrepresentation to cloud your perceptions, to place negative connotations in your mind about Catholic clergy which is the intentional effect that media is pushing for. Subtle indoctrination of false propaganda. Good student.
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5% is intolerably high for our society, but it is what it is, Patrick. This is dated, but in 1991 a BJS survey of prison inmates in the US found that 1 in 5 (20%) violent offenders reported having sexually abused a minor and 2 out of 3 (66%) violent sexual offenders committed their crime against a child. Child abuse and sexual assault is a pervasive problem in our society, and grossly underreported; according to the FBI between 1-10% of such incidents are actually reported.
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But, hey, it’s much more of a story when the occasional priest commits such acts, so let’s just ignore the larger problem and blacklist the Catholic Church instead, you know, in keeping with this country’s impeccable record of tolerance towards us Papists.

By the way, I still have no idea what you were intending to convey with your “second to Satan worshipers” comment. It is still profoundly lacking in clarity.

“By the way, I still have no idea what you were intending to convey with your “second to Satan worshipers” comment.”
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It’s the ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing.
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Priest = man who will discourage your children from being promiscuous + trustworthy.
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It would be like being burglarized by the police.
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I never heard the numbers as you present them and am not doubting them. I just never heard them before.
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“…so let’s just ignore the larger problem and blacklist the Catholic Church instead, you know, in keeping with this country’s impeccable record of tolerance towards us Papists.”
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My parents were married by a Cardinal. I am not opposed to Catholics at all.
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There was a period of time in the mid 1980s to the early 1990s when it seemed like every daycare center in the country was being investigated for pedophilia with a huge percentage being exonerated. Many of those exonerated were exonerated after false convictions based upon recovered memories. So, daycare centers remind me of the stories of false allegations.
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I had not heard anything more than an isolated incident here and there for another ten or so years until the church scandal.
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5%!
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Unless they find a cure to pedophilia, we should build more prisons for sex offenders. 5% of all males would 7 1/2 million people in America.

Alex, your whining over this woman’s fate is pathetic.
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First of all, Alex, why don’t you do a better job as a journalist. People who knew this woman are disputing the idea that she is close to retardation. Perhaps, just perhaps, you ought to have mentioned that in your post–ya know, balance. I thought they taught you that in j-school.
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Second of all, perhaps you could explain why the “it’s not fair” argument is problematic. It would embed a systematic advantage for killers who act in concert. Apparently, that issue escaped your limited intellect.

perhaps, apr2563, you’d be able to convince more people of your position if you weren’t so condescending. I know that you have had a terrible loss, and I am truly sorry for that loss. However, when you talk of the “lynch mob mentality” or imply that capital punishment is uncivilized, you are denigrating people like me who believe that capital punishment is fully justified. I want to see murderers executed. Period. That doesn’t make me uncivilized, nor does it make me part of a virtual lynch mob. Your self-righteousness on this topic is very ugly.

spob: I am responding to some of the more violent and vulgar comments on this thread. 3,3.1,11,14.1
Some of these comments are by those I consider as friends on this site. As I have stated before, I understand why others feel differently. The man who killed my daughter killed many other women and I respected their familie’s opinion. I had many civilized discussions with them. But go back and read some of the comments that have been made.
You, however, are being condescending and unkind. I am simply giving my perspective as a parent of a victim.

I don’t think that bluntness on my part is unkindness, but we’ll have to disagree on that one. And I see the comments. I don’t really have a problem with people who want to see murderers executed and are vociferous about it. But if you re-read your comments, you stray from criticizing the more colorful quotes into equating the DP with being uncivilized. I don’t think that’s right.

Well, spob, since the basis for my whole philosophy on the death penalty is my belief that it is uncivilized, it would be difficult to exclude it. I am discussing the act not the people that enact it. Again, I feel it demeans my daughter’s honor and life. My perspective. Hopefully you will never be in my position, but if you are, it may change your opinion or not. I have always opposed the death penalty and my position has not changed. A difference in opinions does not equate to hate or disrespect. Your comments to Alex are a little over the top and hardly respectful.

“A difference in opinions does not equate to hate or disrespect.”
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I agree completely.
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It’s possible to be at opposite ends of the spectrum on any issue and be unable to find common ground. That doesn’t mean that you are against the individual, just individual positions regarding particular issues. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the death penalty, gay marriage, religion, Supreme Court appointments, abortion or any of the other hot button issues. It serves no purpose to dislike a person because you don’t agree with their positions on everything or even most things. There are very few liberals on here that agree with my positions on the DP.
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Does that bother me? Of course not. Apr2563 and I couldn’t disagee more on the DP. It certainly doesn’t mean I don’t respect her opinion. There are other liberals on here with a strong belief in God. That doesn’t bother me any more than I believe my atheism bothers them.
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If you disagree on enough issues and can’t get past them, it would probably mean you just can’t find enough common ground to have a favorable opinion of the person. It doesn’t mean you’re not a decent person or have the same goals. I want a strong, prosperous country with everyone getting a fair shake. I’m sure many conservatives believe that too.
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This site seems to me to be about as centrist as you can get. I don’t think ANY of the liberals here view it as a liberal site. If anything, it seems to lean a little conservative to me. Many of the conservatives on here think it’s liberal. That does puzzle me. The arguing can be fun, but mostly it’s just tiresome.

“Personally, nothing would ever get me to swear that I will never marry.”
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Do it until you get it right. Hitting the grand prize on the first time is such a longshot.

Thanks sacredh. I know you had some health issues last week. Hope you are feeling better. At my age, when I sneeze, I think I am headed for the great unknown.

It was just a nasty throat infection. By the time I thought I should go to the doctor, they were gone for the weekend. When I called Monday they couldn’t get me in until Tuesday. They told me to go to the emergency room but I didn’t want to shell out $100 so I just waited. A Z-Pak knocked it right out. I wasn’t on yesterday because we had a birthday party and bonfire for our son.
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We had a little miscommunication about gas on the pile and my son put a half gallon of gas on it instead of the pop can I had set out for that purpose. It knocked me off my feet and singed me a little bit but I’m fine. I was hoping nobody saw it but when I looked up, they were all running toward me. Some logs went about 5 feet in the air. It was pretty awesome. My wife heard it go boom and she was about 500 feet away and in the house. She had to do a little trim work on my hair but that was about the extent of it. I don’t have any hair on my right arm now either.

Sacredh: You allow me a vicarious life. Your life is never dull.
My son and his friend, when they were about 12, reminisced about some of their adventures. They told me how they would throw aerosol cans into the burn barrel behind the gas station next door to us. It was fun for them to see them explode. By the time they were done going down memory lane with me, I was a little stunned. But, they were fine, I was fine, and it sounds like you are fine. And, oh my, they had fun.

Well, if you call the death penalty “uncivilized”, then you are going to get a reaction. That you do doesn’t make me a big meanie.
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As for my comments about Alex’s journalism, well, they may be harsh, but I am 100% right about them.

apr2563, our son is a good kid and we like his friends. They think they’re a little on the wild side but my wife and I were crazy when we were young. We wouldn’t have hung out with any of them when we were their age. They’d have bored us to tears. They think they know how to party. They’d have all been in comas before dark in the old days. I’m truly grateful they’re like they are. Our house is their hangout. Some of them even stop in when our son is at work just to talk.
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We tell them maybe 10% of how it was back then and it blows them away. It’s a sanitized 10% too. My wife and I burned boxes of old pictures because we didn’t want any of them to see the light of day. We knew some of their parents and they have no idea what their parents were like when they were young. One kid showed me a picture of his mom and I asked him if he had a picture of the top of her head. He didn’t get it and I doubt if he ever will.