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Mon 17 Dec, 2007 10:18 am
Just another reason not to move anywhere near there. Effing pacifists.
N.J. Bans Death Penalty
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 17, 2007
Filed at 10:56 a.m. ET
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed into law Monday a measure that abolishes the death penalty, making New Jersey the first state in more than four decades to reject capital punishment.
The bill, approved last week by the state's Assembly and Senate, replaces the death sentence with life in prison without parole.
The measure spares eight men on the state's death row. On Sunday, Corzine signed orders commuting the sentences of those eight to life in prison without parole.
Among the eight spared is Jesse Timmendequas, a sex offender who murdered 7-year-old Megan Kanka in 1994. The case inspired Megan's Law, which requires law enforcement agencies to notify the public about convicted sex offenders living in their communities.
New Jersey reinstated the death penalty in 1982 -- six years after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to resume executions -- but it hasn't executed anyone since 1963.
The state's move is being hailed across the world as a historic victory against capital punishment. Rome plans to shine golden light on the Colosseum in support. Once the arena for deadly gladiator combat and executions, the Colosseum is now a symbol of the fight against the death penalty.
''The rest of America, and for that matter the entire world, is watching what we are doing here today,'' said Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo, a Democrat. ''New Jersey is setting a precedent that I'm confident other states will follow.''
The bill passed the Legislature largely along party lines, with controlling Democrats supporting the abolition and minority Republicans opposed. Republicans had sought to retain the death penalty for those who murder law enforcement officials, rape and murder children, and terrorists, but Democrats rejected that.
''It's simply a specious argument to say that, somehow, after six millennia of recorded history, the punishment no longer fits the crime,'' said Assemblyman Joseph Malone, a Republican.
Members of victims' families fought against the law.
''I will never forget how I've been abused by a state and a governor that was supposed to protect the innocent and enforce the laws,'' said Marilyn Flax, whose husband Irving was abducted and murdered in 1989 by death row inmate John Martini Sr.
The last states to eliminate the death penalty were Iowa and West Virginia in 1965, according to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
The nation has executed 1,099 people since the U.S. Supreme Court reauthorized the death penalty in 1976. In 1999, 98 people were executed, the most since 1976; last year 53 people were executed, the lowest since 1996.
Other states have considered abolishing the death penalty recently, but none has advanced as far as New Jersey.
The nation's last execution was Sept. 25 in Texas. Since then, executions have been delayed pending a U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether execution through lethal injection violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Fantastic, isn't it?
We are crediting Thomas' civilizing influence for this Joisey miracle!!!!
Must have a living culture, then!!!!!
Isn't it wonderful!!!!
Enlightenment and life too!!!!
Let the people in New Jersey do whatever they want to do. That's democracy.
I continue to believe in the death penalty for murder or treason with very aggravated circumstances.
Seems that New Jersey is coming of age.
Also, I find the title of this thread to be an afront to people suffering from retardation. Very poor taste and use of words.
Intrepid wrote:Seems that New Jersey is coming of age.
Also, I find the title of this thread to be an afront to people suffering from retardation. Very poor taste and use of words.
However, to be thought retarded by cjhsa is compliment indeed.
New Jersey ought to have a plaque made:
"Welcome to the city cjhsa called retarded...this was our second finest hour!" (The first, of course, being to abolish the barbarity of killing people in order to teach them not to kill.)
This is a list of countries allowing death penalty (infoplease)
Quote:Afghanistan
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Botswana
Burundi
Cameroon
Chad
China (People's Republic)
Comoros
Congo (Democratic Republic)
Cuba
Dominica
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Ghana
Guatemala
Guinea
Guyana
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Korea, North
Korea, South
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Libya
Malawi
Malaysia
Mongolia
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian Authority
Qatar
Rwanda
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Somalia
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
The rest (majority) of the world, including all of the Western democracies, are as retarded as New Jersey. Only they were retarded for years now.
OH SNAP! You just got told.
dagmaraka wrote:This is a list of countries allowing death penalty (infoplease)
Quote:Afghanistan
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Botswana
Burundi
Cameroon
Chad
China (People's Republic)
Comoros
Congo (Democratic Republic)
Cuba
Dominica
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Ghana
Guatemala
Guinea
Guyana
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Korea, North
Korea, South
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Libya
Malawi
Malaysia
Mongolia
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian Authority
Qatar
Rwanda
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Somalia
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
The rest (majority) of the world, including all of the Western democracies, are as retarded as New Jersey. Only they were retarded for years now.
Yeah, some incentive NOT to kill someone huh? The lack of a death penalty is nothing but feel good politics - and feel good **** is retarded.
Since this is Jersey (and not a city, rabbit), this will only fuel paid mob hits. Pissed off families of victims will not stand for this level of government sponsored do-nothingness.
"Feel good **** is retarded."
That's an excellent reason to bet lives on the assumption that our judicial system is flawless!
You must have gone to school, or something.
With this document, the criminals of New Jersey are now free to kill anyone they want without fear of similar retribution! Hail Corazine the douchebag!
Anyone want to bet the two women at right have sons on death row?
Unreal.
Gargamel wrote:"Feel good **** is retarded."
That's an excellent reason to bet lives on the assumption that our judicial system is flawless!
You must have gone to school, or something.
You do realize that one of the people whose sentence he commuted confessed to raping and killing a seven year old girl?
You're sick G.
abolition of death penalty has absolutley nothing to do with 'feel good' politics. Agreements that lead to abolition of death penalty are based on human rights theories, dating back to John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, etc. It relates to inalienability, idivisibility and universality of human rights.
besides, death penalty never proved to work as an effective deterrent of crimes, certainly not more than other forms of punishment that do not include killing. There are many studies on this, here's but one as an example:
full text:
http://www.uvm.edu/~vlrs/doc/deathpenalty.htm
Quote:One argument in support of capital punishment is that the threat of death deters murder more effectively than prison. However, research indicates that the death penalty is no more effective as a deterrent to murder than the punishment of life in jail. States with the death penalty on average do not have lower rates of homicide than states without the penalty. The average murder rate per 100,00 people in 1999 among death penalty states was 5.5 and the average murder rate among non-death penalty states was 3.6 (US Dept. of Justice, 2001)....
Brandon9000 wrote:Let the people in New Jersey do whatever they want to do. That's democracy.
I continue to believe in the death penalty for murder or treason with very aggravated circumstances.
Only in cases in which there is no doubt whatsoever as to guilt. The normal criteria of guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt" simply doesn't cut it for capital punishment.
It isn't hard to read about cases which somebody might figure qualified for the death penalty where there is still considerable doubt as to guilt. That girl out in Idaho (Sarah Johnson) would be one such case, the former cop in Indiana would be another.
cjhsa wrote:Anyone want to bet the two women at right have sons on death row?
Unreal.
I'll take that bet.
My bet is that they are mature, rational people who know that many innocent people have died through the death penalty being unjustly applied.
That's the basic problem as I see it. Too much like handing all the Nifongs, Earles, and Fitzgeralds of the world licenses to kill...
cjhsa wrote:dagmaraka wrote:This is a list of countries allowing death penalty (infoplease)
Quote:Afghanistan
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Botswana
Burundi
Cameroon
Chad
China (People's Republic)
Comoros
Congo (Democratic Republic)
Cuba
Dominica
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Ghana
Guatemala
Guinea
Guyana
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Korea, North
Korea, South
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Libya
Malawi
Malaysia
Mongolia
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian Authority
Qatar
Rwanda
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Somalia
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
The rest (majority) of the world, including all of the Western democracies, are as retarded as New Jersey. Only they were retarded for years now.
Yeah, some incentive NOT to kill someone huh? The lack of a death penalty is nothing but feel good politics - and feel good **** is retarded.
Since this is Jersey (and not a city, rabbit), this will only fuel paid mob hits. Pissed off families of victims will not stand for this level of government sponsored do-nothingness.
Next will be enlightened gun control!!!!! Yay!!!!
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