White supremacist executed for dragging death

[X Factor]

White supremacist executed for dragging death
Jr., in Jasper, Texas.*(AP)
(AP)* HUNTSVILLE, Texas - A white supremacist gang member was executed Wednesday evening for the infamous dragging death slaying of a black man. James Byrd Jr., 49, was chained to the back of a pickup truck and pulled whip-like to his death along a bumpy asphalt road in one of the most grisly hate crime murders in recent Texas history. Lawrence Russell Brewer, 44, was asked if he had any final words, to which he replied: "No. I have no final statement." A single tear hung on the edge of his right eye. He was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m., 10 minutes after the lethal drugs began flowing into his arms, both covered with intricate black tattoos.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/21/national/main20109842.shtml

This is why I support the death penalty. Good for Texas.

 

[Thrilla]

good news.

 

[Goshin]

Good riddance, and more of the same to anyone who'd drag someone to death.

 

[Happy Days]

Such a brutal killing and Brewer showed absolutely no remorse even today. A very sick man.

 

[poweRob]

I'm opposed to the death penalty based on a couple reasons, one being that I don't think state should be in the business of executions.

The murder victim's son had a good say on it:

Victim's son objects as Texas sets execution in hate crime death

As Texas prepares to execute one of his father's killers, Ross Byrd hopes the state shows the man the mercy his father, James Byrd Jr., never got when he was dragged behind a truck to his death.

"You can't fight murder with murder," Ross Byrd, 32, told Reuters late Tuesday, the night before Wednesday's scheduled execution of Lawrence Russell Brewer for one of the most notorious hate crimes in modern times.

"Life in prison would have been fine. I know he can't hurt my daddy anymore. I wish the state would take in mind that this isn't what we want."

 

[X Factor]

I'm opposed to the death penalty based on a couple reasons, one being that I don't think state should be in the business of executions.

The murder victim's son had a good say on it:

And I believe it was the victim's daughter who said she thought lethal injection was too lenient compared to what her dad went through.

 

[poweRob]

And I believe it was the victim's daughter who said she thought lethal injection was too lenient compared to what her dad went through.

so you believe that emotion should be a part of a just judicial system?

 

[cpwill]

law is nothing more or less than a formalized public moral system - your beliefs, your morals, your emotions, they are going to be part of it. we punish child rape more harshly than adult rape because we feel a special revulsion at the evil of the crime.

no tears for this guy. my main problem is the length of time it took from trial to burial - the hoops and steps and length of our death penalty serves to disconnect it in the public mind from the crime, and severely degrades it's deterrent impact. this guy should have been hung publicly, and it should have been done years ago.

 

[poweRob]

law is nothing more or less than a formalized public moral system - your beliefs, your morals, your emotions, they are going to be part of it. we punish child rape more harshly than adult rape because we feel a special revulsion at the evil of the crime.

no tears for this guy. my main problem is the length of time it took from trial to burial - the hoops and steps and length of our death penalty serves to disconnect it in the public mind from the crime, and severely degrades it's deterrent impact. this guy should have been hung publicly, and it should have been done years ago.

So how would you adjust the appeals system so that the defendant gets a fair chance at appealing their case while also making the execution date as fast as possible?

 

[danarhea]

White supremacist executed for dragging death - CBS News

This is why I support the death penalty. Good for Texas.

And Troy Davis is why I don't support the death penalty, even for a douche bag KKK'er. Shame on Georgia.

 

[X Factor]

so you believe that emotion should be a part of a just judicial system?

You quoted the victim's son. Was that just for the emotional appeal? I don't understand the argument that, because some victim's families oppose the death penalty, it should somehow carry more weight than victim's families who support it.

 

[Serenity]

And Troy Davis is why I don't support the death penalty, even for a douche bag KKK'er. Shame on Georgia.

can i get a hallelujah?


danarhea gets it.

 

[X Factor]

And Troy Davis is why I don't support the death penalty, even for a douche bag KKK'er. Shame on Georgia.

Well, to be honest, I just cannot look at the facts of a case like this and believe that justice is served by anything less than the SOBs death.

 

[X Factor]

can i get a hallelujah?


danarhea gets it.

Sure, community service would clearly have sufficed. LOL

 

[Serenity]

Sure, community service would clearly have sufficed. LOL

interestingly enough, the only one advocating Community service in this thread is you.

congratulations are in order though. the U.S. is part of this select group.

China, Iran, North Korea, the Saudis and Yemen.

you must be very proud.


still laughing?

 

[zgoldsmith23]

interestingly enough, the only one advocating Community service in this thread is you.

congratulations are in order though. the U.S. is part of this select group.

China, Iran, North Korea, the Saudis and Yemen.

you must be very proud.


still laughing?

But those are the bad guys! We are the good guys! .... Wait a minute...

 

[teamosil]

In the abstract I have no problem with the death penalty. I believe there are people who deserve to die for something they did. If we could come up with a way to apply the death penalty to all those folks and not to anybody who doesn't deserve it, by all means, I'd be on board. But unfortunately we haven't even come close to being able to accomplish that. A black person is many times more likely to be put to death for the same crime. People with lower IQs are far more likely to be put to death for the same crime. If they're poor, they're more likely to be put to death. Juries carry lots of biases with them that distort the process. If somebody is less socially adept, or visibly different from the people on the jury, they're far more likely to be put to death than if they're similar to the jury and slicker. We also put tons of people on death row that are actually innocent. When DNA evidence came out they found that 10% of the cases of people on death row where they still had DNA evidence saved, the person on death row was innocent. Most cases there was no DNA evidence, so presumably 10% of everybody on death row is innocent. That's a high number for a penalty that irreversible and severe. So, the reality is that the courts just aren't an accurate enough tool to give that much power to.

 

[X Factor]

interestingly enough, the only one advocating Community service in this thread is you.

In a way, I guess that's true. Not having Brewer in the community any more is certainly a service to the community.

congratulations are in order though. the U.S. is part of this select group.

China, Iran, North Korea, the Saudis and Yemen.

you must be very proud.


still laughing?

IIRC we're quite a bit behind all those other countries and have some catching up to do.

 

[pbrauer]

And Troy Davis is why I don't support the death penalty, even for a douche bag KKK'er. Shame on Georgia.

Good grief you write so many things I agree with.

 

[rathi]

The death penalty was a pointless waste of money in this case. There was no compelling reason to kill him rather than give him life in prison.

 

[zgoldsmith23]

IIRC we're quite a bit behind all those other countries and have some catching up to do.

From 2010:

1 - China - 527
2 - Iran - (at least) 127
3 - North Korea (at least) 60
4 - Yemen - (at least) 53
5 - U.S. - 46
6 - Saudi Arabia - (at least) 27

Amnesty International: Death penalty on decline, US in top 5 - CSMonitor.com

 

[ecofarm]

Targetting helpless harmless people is wrong and sets a bad example of how to deal with problems.

 

[Redress]

In a way, I guess that's true. Not having Brewer in the community any more is certainly a service to the community.

I made a long reply on this topic in the other thread. The short reply just to this: he was already out of the community and had been for a number of years.

IIRC we're quite a bit behind all those other countries and have some catching up to do.

Yeah, this is just kinda sad. "Well, others are worse than us" is not a good excuse.

 

[X Factor]

I made a long reply on this topic in the other thread. The short reply just to this: he was already out of the community and had been for a number of years.

As long as anyone is alive there is always the possibility he'll get out. Look at Charles Manson, he was sentenced to death but then it was commuted to life in prison. He's been up for parole several times and the only reason he hasn't gotten it is because of public outcry. The point is, he's eligible and one day, he just may get it.

All that aside, I don't feel removing the threat from society is or should be the only goal of punishment. There should be an element of punishment that's simply because it's deserved.

Yeah, this is just kinda sad. "Well, others are worse than us" is not a good excuse.

You misunderstood my post. I was being a bit sarcastic. I don't believe we need an excuse. 47 out of a population of 300,000,000 really should show that the death penalty is not, just, frivolously applied.

 

[Redress]

As long as anyone is alive there is always the possibility he'll get out. Look at Charles Manson, he was sentenced to death but then it was commuted to life in prison. He's been up for parole several times and the only reason he hasn't gotten it is because of public outcry. The point is, he's eligible and one day, he just may get it.

All that aside, I don't feel removing the threat from society is or should be the only goal of punishment. There should be an element of punishment that's simply because it's deserved.

We are back to the living in fear thing. I don't worry that on some occasion after 20, 30, 40 years some murderer may get out. Sometimes justice has costs. One of those in our current system where we declare it is better to let the guilty go than imprison the innocent is that we might let some one go who will turn around and commit more crimes. That is a worthwhile price to my mind.

You misunderstood my post. I was being a bit sarcastic. I don't believe we need an excuse. 47 out of a population of 300,000,000 really should show that the death penalty is not, just, frivolously applied.

If the number was 1 it would be too big if the death penalty is immoral. You remind me of the new breed of Holocaust denier. "Well, the Nazi's only killed a couple million jews, so it's not so bad". Once you cross the line, you are guilty. Crossing it again does not change the fact you are guilty.