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This will probably occur in phases.
I do not know how it will be funded.
If we have a national sales tax instead of an income tax, then it will probably be funded that way.
Shermann
"In times of Universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell
Shermann
I have a feeling all eyes are on the big boards today to see what is happening.
Shermann
That is simple for the US.
Not so simple for the iraqi population.
Colin Powell was right - We break it, we own it.
Shermann
Ron Paul is truly a Great American.
At a minimum, he will be able to affect the debate!!!
Shermann
We will probably see 4 different things in the next 30 years to help attract businesses to the United States.
1. Rising Energy Prices will be cost prohibitive for more and more products to come half way around the world.
2. Health care costs will be moved to the Federal Govt. Probably a Single Payer System (Not to be confused with socialized medicine).
3. Retirement costs will be taken away. Probably Social Security will be expanded to be a nationalized retirement plan.
4. Taxes will not be levied against Businesses. The income tax will be abolished and replaced by a National Sales Tax.
These will lead to a huge economic boom, and many new higher paying jobs. Wages will once again outpace inflation.
Shermann
Everyone always wants to make it a black and white issue. It is far more complex than that. Just like most other things in our life. Just a lighter shade of Pale with lots of Gray!!!
Shermann
All these nuts want to blame the ACLU for our immigration problems.
The largest problem is that we do not enforce our border laws. That is both Parties, BTW.
Shermnn
Greetings - Thank-you for the info - I already own the video "Why we Fight" - It is great!!!!
Shermann
Many people who live in Rural areas have only Satellite as a Broadband option. I am one.
1 Mb is 60.00/month - 1.5 Mb is 70.00/month.
Netflix will do just fine.
Shermann
I am expecting at least .25.
That would double my money, and that aint bad!!!!
Shermann
Double Political Irony for Rush Limbaugh.
The ACLU that Rush Hates is helping in his defense on the Pain Killer problem.
The case is based on Medical Privacy, and Roe v Wade is the Primary precedent for Medical Privacy.
Shermann
Why are we in Iraq???
In reality, it is a bunch of groups who want the same thing for different reasons.
President Bush was mad that Saddam tried to take out his dad.
Some People believe we are in a Global war against Terrorism.
Some People believe in preventative wars.
Some people want control of their Natural Resources.
Some People want the strategic military positioning.
Some People wanted Saddam out due to Human Rights Violations.
Some People wanted more rights for women.
Some People wanted a more Christian Society.
And I am sure there are many more reasons.
All these groups united to support the war in Iraq.
Which one of these is #1 for you???
For me, it is simple. We have no business being in Iraq.
"It is hard to achieve peace when we are killing each others children" - Jimmy Carter
Shermann
You really need to read about why unions came about, and the general working conditions in the late 1800's. You will reconsider "first 'physical Hitman on the middle class".
Shermann
How about:
Current Events Talk
Shermann
That is definitely a joke.
Most Liberals, Conservatives, and just plain US Citizens love this country.
BTW - Haliburton wants to relocate its CEO and staff to the United Arab Emirates (not Iran). Its global headquarters will still be in Houston.
Shermann
The Vatican will disagree with you.
And I could really care less.
"Judge not lest ye be judged" is a good way to live.
Shermann
How about -
Liberals Hate America
LOLOLOLOLOL
Shermann
When you say people, you really have to specify People in the United States.
There are people in many other countries that would disagree with your statements here.
Dont forget Reagan and Nicaragua.
Shermann
BTW - Reagan was the last presidential candidate I voted for who won. Probably the last great prez we have had.
Big Money!!!!!
Shermann
CNN jumped the gun on WTC 7 also!!!
Guliani's first interview on 9-11 with ABC news - He said he was called 15 minutes prior to the fall of the first World Trade Center Bldg and told it was going to fall.
Who Called him????
Shermann
How about charging for the Underage Prostitutes Abramoff used in the Marshall Islands???
We could raise money all over!!!!
Shermann
It is so much easier to start with WTC 7 which was obviously a controlled demolition.
People cant even bring up the FEMA, NIST, or 9-11 reports because they dont know what happened to WTC 7.
Shermann
We could raise even more if we required citizens of other countries to get a special passport to enter the US!!!
Then we could pay for the whole war!!!!
Shermann
My guess is that the a lot of the Pentagon stuff is disinformation designed to discredit the 9-11 Truth Movement.
I am 90% sure that flight 77 hit it.
Shermann
I was thinking about Gold as a hedge, but what about Budweiser???
"The government will fall that raises the price of beer." - Norm on Cheers
Shermann
Lets see - 97.00 per passport (Not Expedited) times 300 Million people???
29.1 Billion Dollars more for Iraq!!!!
Shermann
"The government will fall that raises the price of beer." - Norm on Cheers
Shermann
Wasnt she the kid with the Peace Sign Christmas Wreath????
Yeah - Yeah - I know I knew her from somewhere!!!!
Shermann
Each administration always has these ridiculus budget cuts in their budget. It makes it look like they are spending less. They know congress will put it right back in. Politics at its finest.
Last years funny one was cutting the border patrol by 75%.
Dems and Repubs do it.
Shermann
Ava Lowery is Just Plain Awesome - Her Birthday Present was a Peace March in Montgomery at the state capital!!!!
Shermann
Sorry about that.
WWJD - What Would Jesus Do
Shermann
Ron Paul announces White House bid
Texas Republican says nation has strayed from Constitution
March 12, 2007
WorldNetDaily.com
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican known for his libertarian views, today announced he will vie for the GOP presidential nomination next year.
"We have lost our way and strayed from the free society our Founders secured for us in the Constitution, but there's no reason the principles that made us the greatest nation ever can't be restored," he said.
"We merely need to respect and follow the rule of law – the U.S. Constitution – and elect leaders determined to stand firm in its defense," he said.
Paul, 71, who ran for the office in 1988 under the Libertarian Party ticket, made his announcement on C-SPAN's Washington Journal program and immediately afterward filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.
He said he will pursue lower taxes, to protect the United States from the threat to its independence that various international agreements provide, to secure its national borders, to protect citizens' privacy from government intrusion and to reverse the trend of government taking private property from citizens.
"My concerns for the future of our country are deeply held. The Republican Party has floundered in its effort to shrink the size of government and restore our constitutional republic," he said. "Instead, in recent years our deficits have exploded, entitlements are out of control and our personal liberties are threatened. We have embarked on a dangerous and expensive foreign policy, acting as the world's policeman and nation builder."
Paul, said the U.S. very simply no longer can "afford the extravagance of this ever-growing and intrusive government, both at home and abroad."
"Last year alone our long-term obligations increased by $4.6 trillion dollars," he said.
The problems are not particularly complex, however, Paul insisted.
"Liberty once again must become more important to us than the desire for security and material comfort. Personal safety and economic prosperity can only come as the consequence of liberty. They cannot be provided by an authoritarian government. To expect the government to take care of us from cradle to grave undermines the principles of liberty," he said.
He said the nation's current direction is completely wrong.
"Returning to the dark ages of dictatorship is no substitute for resuming the most modern and grandest experiment known to man – promoting human liberty by strictly limiting the arbitrary power of government," he said.
Central planning is "intellectually bankrupt" and has undermined the moral principles of the United States," he said. "Our planners and rulers are not geniuses, but rather demagogues and would-be dictators – always performing their tasks with a cover of humanitarian rhetoric."
He said the collapse of the Soviet system surprised many, but not devotees of freedom.
They, he said, "have understood for decades that socialism was doomed to fail. Communism, like all socialism, failed intellectually and failed practically. And so too will the welfare/warfare state fail, and then our cause will be heard. The love of liberty will not die."
He said a free society is based on the key principle that the government, the president, the Congress, the courts and the bureaucrats are incapable of knowing what is best for each and every one of us.
"They don't know how to run the economy, regulate our lives or manage a world empire," he said.
Government as "a referee" is fine, but not more.
"The time has come for a modern approach to achieving those values that all civilized societies seek."
Paul long has been an advocate of strict constitutional adherence and belief in a small government, including low taxes, individual liberties and less Washington influence.
The National Taxpayers Union consistently ranks Paul as a leader on the issues of taxation, and he advocates more controls on immigration.
Representing the 14th district in southeastern Texas, he believes amnesty is not the solution to the flood of illegal immigrants moving into the nation today. He opposes abortion and supports the use of vouchers that parents can use for private and parochial schools.
He's supported a resolution to abolish the Department of Education so states, cities and communities can resume control of educating their children.
He's been especially vocal in his denunciations of plans such as the "Trans-Texas Corridor," a superhighway project that opponents argue would be used to bring Chinese goods through Mexico directly into and through the U.S.
Why? The ultimate goal, he said, is not simply a superhighway, "but an integrated North American Union – complete with a currency, a cross-national bureaucracy and virtually borderless travel within the union. Like the European Union, a North American Union would represent another step toward the abolition of national sovereignty altogether."
Plans for such a "North American Union" were cited as the No. 1 story on WND's list of 10 most underreported stories for 2006.
Ron Paul announces White House bid
Texas Republican says nation has strayed from Constitution
March 12, 2007
WorldNetDaily.com
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican known for his libertarian views, today announced he will vie for the GOP presidential nomination next year.
"We have lost our way and strayed from the free society our Founders secured for us in the Constitution, but there's no reason the principles that made us the greatest nation ever can't be restored," he said.
"We merely need to respect and follow the rule of law – the U.S. Constitution – and elect leaders determined to stand firm in its defense," he said.
Paul, 71, who ran for the office in 1988 under the Libertarian Party ticket, made his announcement on C-SPAN's Washington Journal program and immediately afterward filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.
He said he will pursue lower taxes, to protect the United States from the threat to its independence that various international agreements provide, to secure its national borders, to protect citizens' privacy from government intrusion and to reverse the trend of government taking private property from citizens.
"My concerns for the future of our country are deeply held. The Republican Party has floundered in its effort to shrink the size of government and restore our constitutional republic," he said. "Instead, in recent years our deficits have exploded, entitlements are out of control and our personal liberties are threatened. We have embarked on a dangerous and expensive foreign policy, acting as the world's policeman and nation builder."
Paul, said the U.S. very simply no longer can "afford the extravagance of this ever-growing and intrusive government, both at home and abroad."
"Last year alone our long-term obligations increased by $4.6 trillion dollars," he said.
The problems are not particularly complex, however, Paul insisted.
"Liberty once again must become more important to us than the desire for security and material comfort. Personal safety and economic prosperity can only come as the consequence of liberty. They cannot be provided by an authoritarian government. To expect the government to take care of us from cradle to grave undermines the principles of liberty," he said.
He said the nation's current direction is completely wrong.
"Returning to the dark ages of dictatorship is no substitute for resuming the most modern and grandest experiment known to man – promoting human liberty by strictly limiting the arbitrary power of government," he said.
Central planning is "intellectually bankrupt" and has undermined the moral principles of the United States," he said. "Our planners and rulers are not geniuses, but rather demagogues and would-be dictators – always performing their tasks with a cover of humanitarian rhetoric."
He said the collapse of the Soviet system surprised many, but not devotees of freedom.
They, he said, "have understood for decades that socialism was doomed to fail. Communism, like all socialism, failed intellectually and failed practically. And so too will the welfare/warfare state fail, and then our cause will be heard. The love of liberty will not die."
He said a free society is based on the key principle that the government, the president, the Congress, the courts and the bureaucrats are incapable of knowing what is best for each and every one of us.
"They don't know how to run the economy, regulate our lives or manage a world empire," he said.
Government as "a referee" is fine, but not more.
"The time has come for a modern approach to achieving those values that all civilized societies seek."
Paul long has been an advocate of strict constitutional adherence and belief in a small government, including low taxes, individual liberties and less Washington influence.
The National Taxpayers Union consistently ranks Paul as a leader on the issues of taxation, and he advocates more controls on immigration.
Representing the 14th district in southeastern Texas, he believes amnesty is not the solution to the flood of illegal immigrants moving into the nation today. He opposes abortion and supports the use of vouchers that parents can use for private and parochial schools.
He's supported a resolution to abolish the Department of Education so states, cities and communities can resume control of educating their children.
He's been especially vocal in his denunciations of plans such as the "Trans-Texas Corridor," a superhighway project that opponents argue would be used to bring Chinese goods through Mexico directly into and through the U.S.
Why? The ultimate goal, he said, is not simply a superhighway, "but an integrated North American Union – complete with a currency, a cross-national bureaucracy and virtually borderless travel within the union. Like the European Union, a North American Union would represent another step toward the abolition of national sovereignty altogether."
Plans for such a "North American Union" were cited as the No. 1 story on WND's list of 10 most underreported stories for 2006.
Ron Paul - And we finally get a great one!!!!
Shermann
"An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind" - Gandhi
It is old testament stuff.
That is why Judaism has "thy shall not commit murder", and the Christians have "thy shall not kill". Or so I am told.
I always say WWJD as one good guide.
Shermann
That is a hard question to answer.
If there were (19) Arab hijackers, they were conspirators against our government.
However, I dont see actual proof there were (19) Arab Hijackers.
The govt came out with the (19) pictures pretty fast. Then 8 to 12 of them turned up alive.
The govt then said they used aliases. After that the FOIA requests got the passenger lists with no Arab Names on them.
Now the FBI says they are not sure who the hijackers are, and if you call them and ask why 9-11 is not on Osama's wanted poster, they will tell you there is not enough evidence.
I remember seeing 60 minutes show two of the Hijackers being wanded in the airport. However, there was no date/time stamp on the video. All airport cameras have date/time stamps.
Really, all I can say is I do not know who was responsible for the 4 planes on 9-11. It is possible that there were no hijackers and they were remote controlled.
Wish I knew.
Shermann
I have never undersood why we think we are infallible and accurate enough to send a person to his death.
It is sure not a deterrent.
Shermann
Widening the scope of the death penalty beyond murder
http://www.religioustolerance.org/executk.htm
Quotations:
"When a child is raped or sodomized, then their life is basically destroyed....The punishment fits the crime." State Representative Warren Massey, commenting on the death penalty for child rapists.
"The contention that the harm caused by a rapist is less serious than that caused by a murderer is apparently not subscribed to by all rape victims. In some cases women have preferred death to being raped or have preferred not to continue living after being raped." Ruling of the Louisiana Supreme Court in Wilson which upheld the Louisiana law allowing for the execution of child rapists.
"You might say the rape of a child is a more heinous crime than the murder of a junkie...A murder victim suffers for a moment, but that little girl will probably suffer the indignities caused by [a rapist] for the rest of her life." Vince Paciera, Louisiana prosecutor.
Grounds for applying the death penalty:
There are many capital crimes which remain on the books in various states. However, rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court has restricted capital punishment to relatively few crimes. As of the year 2004 (except where noted) states provide the death penalty for:
Treason: Nine states—Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Washington—and the federal government.
Aggravated kidnapping: Five states—Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, and Montana.
Child rape: Five states: Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma and South Carolina as of 2006-JUN.
Drug trafficking: Two states, Florida and Missouri, and the federal government.
Aircraft hijacking: Two states, Georgia and Mississippi.
Placing a bomb near a bus terminal: One state: Missouri.
Espionage: One state: New Mexico.
Aggravated assault by incarcerated, persistent felons or murderers: One state: Montana. 1
However, in those states that perform executions, the death penalty is mostly limited to cases involving aggravated murder. States have different criteria to define this class of crime. Oregon, for example, includes ten categories. [We have simplified the language of Oregon's criminal code. For precise language, please consult the Criminal Code of Oregon]. 2
A contract killing: either the murderer or the person paying for the murder.
A second conviction for murder or manslaughter in the first degree.
Multiple murders
A killing which included intentional maiming or torture of the victim.
The victim was 13 years of age or less.
Murder of a police officer, correctional, parole or probation officer, judicial officer, juror, witness, employee or officer of a court of justice, or member of the State Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision.
Murder in a prison
Murder using explosives.
The murder was committed in an attempt to conceal the commission of a crime or to conceal the identity of the perpetrator.
The murder was committed during an escape from jail.
Including child molestation as a capital crime:
By the late 1970s, three states -- Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee -- had laws on the books permitting the death penalty for the crime of child rape. All three laws were later declared unconstitutional by their state courts.
A growing number of states have recently created laws allowing the execution of convicted child molesters. Louisiana was the first in 1995-JUN-17. 1 It allowed the death penalty for aggravated rape of a victim under the age of twelve years. This triggered debates in other state legislatures.
On 2006-JUN-08, Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina signed a bill to allow the death penalty for repeat sexual offenders who are convicted of raping children under the age of 11. The new law is named for 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. During 2005, she was kidnapped, raped and suffocated by a registered sex offender. Sanford said:
"Jessie's Law is about sending a very clear message that there are some lines you do not cross, and that if those lines are crossed the penalties will be severe." 5
Jay Paul Gumm (D-Durant) wrote bill SB 1747 early in 2006 to stiffen penalties for repeat child molesters. He introduced it to the Oklahoma Senate. It passed without difficulty. But a House committee chairperson refused to hear the bill. It died in the House of Representatives. 3 Senator Jonathan Nichols (R-Norman) and Senator Gumm then introduced a different bill, SB 1800. It creates a state Child Abuse Response Team (CART). Additional text was appended to the original bill to stiffen penalties for perpetrators of child abuse. The Oklahoma Senate passed the bill by a vote of 40 to 7. The house passed it 88 to 8.
On 2006-JUN-09, one day after the South Carolina bill became law, Governor Brad Henry of Oklahoma signed SB 1800. 8 It permits a sentence of life in prison without the opportunity of parole or the death penalty for a repeat child molester convicted of harming a child under the age of 14: 4,5 The text reads:
"Section 7115 I: Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any parent or other person convicted of forcible anal or oral sodomy, rape, rape by instrumentation, or lewd molestation of a child under fourteen (14) years of age subsequent to a previous conviction for any offense of forcible anal or oral sodomy, rape, rape by instrumentation, or lewd molestation of a child under fourteen (14) years of age shall be punished by death or by imprisonment for life without parole." 9
Some observers have suggested that these laws are a response to belief by the public that child molesters cannot be cured, and that legislators and courts should get tougher on crime.
No person convicted of child molestation has been executed since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. However one inmate was convicted in 2003 of raping an 8-year-old girl in Louisiana. He is currently on death row.
Reactions to the Oklahoma law:
Reactions to the Oklahoma law were mixed:
Barbara Bergman, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, believes that the law is unconstitutional. Precedents set by previous Supreme Court decisions indicate that the death penalty may be applied only in case of murder. She said:
"I'm not saying that raping a child is not a horrible crime, but no one has died."
Her comment echoes the Coker v. Georgia decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1977 which overturned the death penalty of a man convicted of raping an adult woman in Georgia. Their ruling said that execution was:
"...an excessive penalty for the rapist who, as such, does not take human life."
However, they were referring to an adult victim. With the recent shift to the right of the Court, they may well render the opposite view for child victims.
Oklahoma state Senator Jay Paul Gumm (D-Durant), sponsor of the bill, said:
"I feel like this is the message we need to send to anyone who is considering harming a child. These are the people who are going to continue to prey upon children until they are stopped. They're in the same ball park with murderers as far as I'm concerned."
Earlier, during debate on the bill, he said:
"Those who repeatedly prey on our children in this unspeakable manner should face the most severe penalties allowed under our justice system....There are too many stories of child molesters who are set free only to shatter the life of another innocent child. I want to make certain that in Oklahoma we are doing everything we can to ensure that never happens here in our state....We allow the death penalty for those who kill the body. Why wouldn’t we have the same penalty for someone who kills a soul?...By sending a message to those who repeatedly prey on our children that Oklahoma will not tolerate this sort of horrible crime, we are doing our part to create a safer Oklahoma for all our citizens." 6
David Brook is a law professor at Washington and Lee University who leads the Virginia Capital Case Clearing House -- a service that helps lawyers in capital cases. He expressed concern that the law might endanger a child rape victim's life. He said:
"The last message you want to give an offender who has the life of a child in his hands is you might as well kill the child because he's already got the death penalty. This is a very stupid message."
Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center believes that the public is distressed at the frequency and seriousness of sex crimes. This has prompted legislators to tackle the problem. He said:
"There is a political push to appear tough and on the victim's side. It's hard to say no."
Oklahoma state Representative Fred Morgan said:
"The public, the voters, everybody's fed up with child predators." During debate in the legislature, he referred to child molesters as "monsters" and "less than human."
Wes Lane, Oklahoma County district attorney, said:
"I would be a little bit surprised if the Supreme Court approves of that [law], but I have been wrong before. Nobody around here has any sympathy for child molesters."
He said that would gladly enforce such a law if it were declared constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Possible motivation for these laws:
Author Cory Rayburn has concluded that a major driving force behind the state laws allowing the death penalty in some cases of child rape is the Victorian era belief "that rape is indeed a fate worse than death." He notes that this belief has been "virtually uncontroverted among the various parties on all sides of the debate..." and in law reviews.
He suggests some possible adverse results of such laws:
An increase of child murder following rape: This is because there would be no additional penalty for murder. Since the only witnesses to a child rape are usually the perpetrator and the child, killing the child leaves no one to testify. "Thus, whatever deterrent effect the death penalty would have for would-be rapists, it would be more than offset by the number of murdered children that would result from the incentive to kill the only witness." The same dynamic may hold in states where there is a law allowing the death penalty for kidnapping.
A reduction in the reporting of rape: He commented: "Adding the death penalty to the family’s decision on whether to report will further discourage them from coming forward."
A decrease in the conviction rate of rapist: Juries are traditionally reluctant to find a person guilty if it might lead to an execution.
Degradation of women and children: By codifying the belief that rape is worse than death, women and children are debased as society values their "chastity over survival." Society will give a message to rape victim/survivors that a rape victim/survivor is worthless and might as well be dead.
Rayburn concludes:
"Is rape worse than death? One can only hope that in the future fewer of us know the answer to that question. Unfortunately, the approach of Louisiana and other sovereigns seems to ensure that more people will experience and come to understand both rape and death." 1
The possibility of executing innocent adults:
There was a flurry of trials during the 1980s and 1990s of adults charged with multi-victim, multi-offender (MVMO) sexual crimes against children in day care centers, by sexual molestation rings, etc. Fortunately, none were executed. However, many innocent adults were convicted of on the basis of false child testimony and misleading laboratory tests. Time has shown that all, or almost all, of the alleged perpetrators were innocent. Further studies showed that in all probability the crimes did not actually happen.
False memories of the crimes had been implanted as a result of improper child interview techniques which were in wide use at the time. Convictions were sometimes also based on unreliable laboratory testing. Further accusations of this type of crime have not appeared in North America since child psychologists and police investigators adopted more reliable interview methods. However, one exception did surface in Lewis Island, Scotland, in late 2003.
Jeffrey Rosenzweig, a criminal defense lawyer in Little Rock, AR, said the Oklahoma bill raises troubling questions about the fallibility of the criminal justice system and the ability of malevolent adults to pressure and coerce children into making false claims. He said:
"It is the area of law that is subject to more abuse and more false statements than any other area of law because of the inherent fallibility of the memory of children." 7
Unfortunately, studies have shown that children can disclose memories of sexual molestation that never happened, if they are repeatedly asked direct questions about such activity.
One can imagine a case in which parents or other adults who are untrained in proper interview techniques did precisely this after suspecting that some molestation had ocurred. The result could be the accidental implantation of false memories of rape or molestation into the mind of a child.
Probably a more common case would be when a separated couple was seeking a divorce and a decision about custody of their children. It is not unknown for one spouse to accuse the other of sexual abuse.
If the parent(s) claimed that their child had been the victim of forced sodomy or vaginal rape, and no such crime had occurred, the absence of physical evidence should prove that an assault never happened. But if oral rape or penetration with a device is alleged, it is possible that no physical evidence would be detectable even if the assault happened. The combination of:
False implanted memories of oral rape or penetration with a device and
The possibility of no physical evidence after the crime
could result in the conviction conviction of an innocent adult and a subsequent execution, based on the testimony of the child.
References used:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
Corey Rayburn, "Better Dead than R(ap)ed?: The Patriarchal Rhetoric Driving Capital Rape Statutes," St. Johns Law Review, Vol. 78, No. 4, Page 1119, Fall 2004. The abstract is available from the Social Science Research Network at: http://papers.ssrn.com/ The abstract contains a link to the full text.
"Aggravated Murder," Crime Victims United, at: http://www.crimevictimsunited.org/ This lists the Criminal Code of Oregon as it existed in 1998.
Oklahoma State Senate bill SB 1747. The text is online at: http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/
"Governor Brad Henry Signs Bill Allowing Death Penalty For Repeat Child Molesters," Associated Press, 2006-JUN-09, at: http://www.kotv.com/
Tim Talley, "Okla. Governor Approves Executing Molesters," 2006-JUN, at: http://www.enidnews.com/
"Death Penalty for Repeat Child Molesters Wins Approval in OK Senate," KTEN TV, 2006-MAR-14, at: http://www.kten.com/
"Sex offender law raises constitutional questions," Associated Press, 2006-JUN-08, at: http://www.news-star.com/
"Death penalty for repeat child molesters clears Okla. legislature," Herald Democrat, 2006-JUN-01, at: http://www.heralddemocrat.com/
"Bill No. 1800," Oklahoma Senate, at: http://www2.lsb.state.ok.us/2005-06bills/sb/sb1800_enr.rtf
Mont. Senate votes against death penalty
Measure carries 27-21 despite polls showing Montanans back punishment
The Associated Press
Updated: 6:53 p.m. ET Feb 23, 2007
HELENA, Mont. - The Democratic-controlled Senate on Friday gave preliminary approval to abolishing the death penalty in Montana.
After a lengthy debate in which lawmakers quoted Jesus, Thomas Jefferson and Ted Bundy, the Senate voted 27-21 to approve the measure.
The measure's sponsor, Sen. Dan Harrington, D-Butte, implored his colleagues to "show true political leadership" and do away with capital punishment, despite polls that show the majority of Montanans support it.
Proponents of the measure said the death penalty is costly, unfair, and does not serve as a deterrent.
"I don't think we should be in the killing business," said Sen. Dan Weinberg, D-Whitefish.
Opponents countered that the death penalty was needed to help victim's families.
"This is simply closure," said Sen. Greg Barkus, R-Kalispell.
The measure still faces a final Senate vote, before going to the Republican-controlled House.
Similar attempts have failed
Efforts to abolish the death penalty have failed in each of the past three legislative sessions. There are currently two prisoners on death row in Montana and the state has executed three people since the death penalty was reinstated in the 1970s. The most recent execution, of convicted murderer David Dawson, occurred just last year.
Opponents argued that the low number of executions proved the penalty was being used fairly for only the most dangerous criminals.
Sen. Jerry O'Neil, R-Kalispell, noted that one of the current death row inmates had killed a fellow prisoner with a baseball bat. He said some people are so dangerous that they can't be held in available prisons and the death penalty was a better alternative.
"It's obvious ... that we can't give these criminals, these animals, one scintilla of freedom in prison," he said.
Republicans largely opposed the measure, Democrats largely supported it. But there were a few members of both parties that switched sides.
One of them, Sen. Roy Brown, R-Billings, said his anti-abortion views led him to change his mind and vote for abolishing the death penalty.
"Even a guilty life is worth saving," he said.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17304006/