Okay. I'm on my soapbox again. And these posts are my least popular. But I feel so strongly about this, especially as I hear first-hand about the suffering of Irving, my death row correspondent. Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, has an awful lot to aswer for. And guess what? He's a committed Christian.
AUSTIN (The
Borowitz Report)—Responding to the news that Washington Governor Jay Inslee had
suspended the death penalty in his state, Texas Governor Rick Perry seized on
the opportunity to urge Washington residents to “vote with your feet and move to
Texas, where the death penalty is thriving.”
At a hastily called press
conference this afternoon, the Texas Governor made an emotional appeal to
Washingtonians who might be disappointed by the sudden suspension of executions
in their state: “Come to Texas. The death penalty is alive and well
here.”
Blasting Governor Inslee,
he reassured Washington residents that if they move to Texas, “as God is my
witness, no one will ever take your death penalty away from you.”
“That’s just not what
we’re made of in Texas,” he said. “We believe in the sanctity of
death.”
And here he is, defending his stance:
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You have my support but I feel there is little to be done when faced with ignorance, prejudice and the certainty displayed by cretins like Perry.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised he is a Christian. People like him have to have some dogma to hide behind.
Thanks, Adrian.
DeleteYou are right about these post being the least popular because they make us uncomfortable; and so they should. As a Christian, the Texan governor should know that he is not is a position to decide who lives and who dies.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, L.
DeleteWe mostly assume that murderers are awful people. On 24hrs in A&E last night we saw Bob who had spent a total of 28 years in prison for various crimes including murder. But with the support of a lifelong friend, now his wife he had turned himself around and seemed a reformed character. The death sentence would not have given this man a chance. Who are we to judge a man to death, let alone a life of such human cruelty.
ReplyDeleteI think that's almost the worst thing about the death penalty, Maggie. No chance or hope of redemption.
DeleteChristians have been seriously involved in 'death' since their club first opened its doors. Catholics have probably been the worst offenders; goodness knows how many museums there are around the world devoted to the vile torture implements they invented.
ReplyDeleteCM, you have a point. But people will use as a cause anything they feel strongly about, and religion - as practised by extremists - is of course a major one. So I don't think you can blame the religion so much as those who practise it. After all, Christ himself preached love, peace forgiveness. Hardly charactersistics of Rick Perry!
DeleteThe word "Christian" doesn't mean the same thing to a Texan as it does to me or to you, Frances.
ReplyDeleteBless you for the letters you write.
K
Kay, thank you for your very kind reply. I really appreciate your support.
DeleteFor me, your Death Row posts are not unpopular, but I hardly ever comment on them, simply because I am left speechless when I read them. Also, I fear that anything I could think of writing in a comment would sound flat and shallow in the face of this extremely serious topic.
ReplyDeleteThank you Meike. I don't mind that they are unpopular posts; they are just my vehicle for letting off steam. That's one of the pleasures of a blog; it's a personal space for expressing...well, anything (so long as it doesn't offend).
DeleteAs we progress in knowledge and understanding, so ignorance can no longer be the excuse that cloaks barbarism.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, ER.
DeleteFrances you know well my views on the death penalty and on the millions who have met their death in the name of Christianity (or indeed in the name of any religion all of which kill by the million in the name of their deity). I comment on your death row posts as a rule despite the fact that there is no positive contribution I can make to solving the problem. As a person with no belief in a deity and a complete lack of understanding in how so many in the US can believe in creationism I am not in the slightest bit surprised in the attitude of the Texas Governor or the many in the US who support his stance. After all I responded to a comment at some time on some blog by mentioning the McCarthy era only to be told that they didn't believe it had happened.
ReplyDeleteThank you, GB. As I said in a reply above, I dont' mind not getting comments. Of course, it's very nice when I do, but I understand why some people would rather not comment on this kind of thing.
DeleteAs for creationism, don't you just love it? Talking snakes, big boats full of animals (where did they keep the fodder, the Thompsons gazelles -always it seems the bottom of the food chain - for the carnivores?), a man surviving the acid juices of a whale's stomach...
And I'm a Christian. Tut tut.