Mass. Governor to File Death Penalty Bill

[gldstwmn]

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...tion-headlines

BOSTON -- Hoping to bring capital punishment to Massachusetts, Gov. Mitt Romney is preparing to file a death penalty bill early next year that he says is so carefully written it will guarantee only the guilty are executed.

Based in part on the findings of a death penalty panel he appointed, the bill would limit capital punishment to the "worst of the worst" crimes including terrorism, the murder of police officers, murder involving torture and the killing of witnesses. It also would use evidence such as DNA testing to protect the innocent.

Romney wants his death penalty bill to be a model for other states.

"The weakness in the death penalty statutes in other states, of course, is the fear that you may execute someone who is innocent. We remove that possibility," Romney said.

Massachusetts is one of a dozen states without capital punishment. The bill fulfills one of the Republican governor's key campaign pledges, but faces a skeptical Democrat-controlled state Legislature.

"I don't believe it's possible to be 100 percent certain no matter what you do. Humans are fallible," said state Rep. Elizabeth Malia, a Democrat.

Rep. Michael Festa, a Democrat, said Romney should focus on crimefighting tactics that work, like a proposal to support community-based drug treatment programs. A member of the Criminal Justice Committee, he said he hopes Romney's death penalty bill makes it to the floor of the House for a vote -- so it can be defeated.

"I think we should stand up as lawmakers and say we don't want this in our state," he said.

Romney said he based the bill in large part on the recommendations of the death penalty panel he appointed.

The report called for creation of an independent committee to review all scientific evidence in a case. It proposes giving defendants in capital cases better lawyers and the opportunity to face two juries, one for the trial, and if convicted, a separate one for sentencing.

It also suggests doing away with the legal standard of guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt" in a death penalty case, and replacing it with a finding of "no doubt."

Even Romney concedes that it might take a horrific crime, like the 1997 murder of 10-year-old Jeffrey Curley, to rally support for the bill.

Curley was abducted from a Cambridge street and killed by two men who later received life sentences. Public outrage fueled calls for a death penalty bill that passed easily in the state Senate; it was defeated by a single vote in the House. Since then the margin has grown in the House, which defeated a death penalty bill two years later, 80-73.

[strandinthewind]

I do not think Mass. will pass this - but given the tenor of the times - who knows. Personally, I think this is the payback for "allowing" gay marriage to happen. Interestingly, I wonder if the Roman Catholic Church will condemn him as strongly as it condemned the gay marriage supporters. After all, the RCC views BOTH as a sin

[Hawkeye]

way to go governor of Massachusetts

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

way to go governor of Massachusetts

I thought it was especially generous of him to kill them only if they're guilty. /sarcasm

[GateandGarden]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

I thought it was especially generous of him to kill them only if they're guilty. /sarcasm

Yep, I'm with you.

[tynan88]

IMO the death penalty is wrong in any case, sorry mayb that is just my background but I don't think it's appropriate.

Tynan

[estranged4life]

My opinion of the death penalty depends on the case...I'm sure everyone would like to see OBL end up goin' the way of Tim "Dead dog **** scumbag" McVeigh.

At least the families of those killed in the Columbus nightclub shooting (That claimed Dimebag Darrell & 3 others, Including 2 crew members working the show & a brave fan who tried to save DBD) avoided a lengthy trial when Officer Niggenmeyer let the murderering SOB taste some good ol' fashioned "police issued saw-offed" head removing justice.

Brian j.

[tynan88]

Sorry I just don't think it works at all...it ain't up to us to judge, plus I mean it don't seem like much of a deterrent, it hardly seems to lower your crime rate over there.

Tynan

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by estranged4life

My opinion of the death penalty depends on the case...I'm sure everyone would like to see OBL end up goin' the way of Tim "Dead dog **** scumbag" McVeigh.

At least the families of those killed in the Columbus nightclub shooting (That claimed Dimebag Darrell & 3 others, Including 2 crew members working the show & a brave fan who tried to save DBD) avoided a lengthy trial when Officer Niggenmeyer let the murderering SOB taste some good ol' fashioned "police issued saw-offed" head removing justice.

Brian j.

Yep - and it kills me to say that. At least in that case though, the officer killed the dirtbag in an effort to prevent him from senselessly and instantly killing even more people.

Again, I say if you are so unhappy with the world that you want to kill innocent people a la the Dimebag incident and the severer incidents of 9/11 and The Murrah bombing, etc. - do us all a favor and just kill yourself

[GateandGarden]

Originally Posted by tynan88

Sorry I just don't think it works at all...it ain't up to us to judge, plus I mean it don't seem like much of a deterrent, it hardly seems to lower your crime rate over there.

Tynan

I agree with you. And I guess I'm not a part of "everyone," since I can't see myself deriving any pleasure from knowing that OBL is dead. As you said in the other post, it's not our place. And to paraphrase something gldstwmn once said, I don't see why killing is suddenly acceptable when the government's doing it. And as dissention once said, it is one of our most vile and barbaric institutions, one that other civilized countries have moved away from.

As you can see, I have no original comments.

Hillary

[tynan88]

Well I have grown uo in acountry where we havent executed someone since the sixites i think, and I have never believed in it, however most civilised countries has moved away from the death penaly, what i found most disgusting about US policy though on the death penalty is that the US wouldn't sign the charter on the rights of the child because it would mean they couldn't execute those under 18, when I believe in some states you can be given the death sentence at 16, as usual I'm a tad rusty on America so correct me if I'm wrong, if I'm right however I think it is an abomination.

Tynan

[dissention]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I do not think Mass. will pass this - but given the tenor of the times - who knows. Personally, I think this is the payback for "allowing" gay marriage to happen. Interestingly, I wonder if the Roman Catholic Church will condemn him as strongly as it condemned the gay marriage supporters. After all, the RCC views BOTH as a sin

It will NEVER happen. He's been trying to do this since he was elected and he gets laughed down every time. This is nothing new. When he first came up with this bull**** "study" where it could be proven that only the guilty would be executed, he was the laughing stock of the whole state. One of our local papers even crowned him the "Weasel of the Week" and he's been titled that almost every week since.

Cellucci tried to get death penalty support when the whole NAMBLA/Curley rape-murder-kidnapping thing happened and even then he failed miserably. Romney is talking out of his ass, but that's nothing new. He's a f*cking Mormon from Utah.

IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by dissention

It will NEVER happen. He's been trying to do this since he was elected and he gets laughed down every time. This is nothing new. When he first came up with this bull**** "study" where it could be proven that only the guilty would be executed, he was the laughing stock of the whole state. One of our local papers even crowned him the "Weasel of the Week" and he's been titled that almost every week since.

Cellucci tried to get death penalty support when the whole NAMBLA/Curley rape-murder-kidnapping thing happened and even then he failed miserably. Romney is talking out of his ass, but that's nothing new. He's a f*cking Mormon from Utah.

IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

Why the Foooooooooook are you not here with me for the Bonne Ann Fete