Good morning, y’all. On yet another “rainy night in Georgia”, I am reminded by everyone I come in contact with that my services as rainman are terminated. Jokes about gathering the animals together two by two are wearing pretty thin. I’m happy with a few more days of rain before I start panicking.
Due to the inclement weather, I’ve been spending my time catching up on the news. A couple of items have jumped out at me. On the surface the items appear to have little in common, but I believe there is an underlying theme to the headlines.
The first item to catch my attention was the news that Carly Fiorina is down with torture, water boarding specifically. It is frightening to think that a candidate would feel compelled to broadcast their willingness to torture their fellow human beings as a qualification for the most important job in the world. I understand that women feel that they are at a “toughness” disadvantage, that they don’t want potential voters to feel that they are too soft on crime, etc. Torture is in another category though.
If you can get past the moral implications, and I can’t, you still have to be able to justify your willingness to break International treaties and the countless studies that torture doesn’t produce the desired result. Study after study has proven that befriending the captive works better for getting the captive to give up information. Yet, there is a dark spot in some people’s soul that can only be satisfied by inflicting unneeded pain on powerless prisoners.
Politicians that get on board the torture wagon ignore the fact that sometimes Americans are captured and we would be subject to our own policies. Carly Fiorina has just told the American forces that she so desperately wants to be Commander In Chief of, “drowning while being tied down is the price you pay for serving my presidency”. Fiorina has just lost the “moral high ground” and any international support from countries that support the Geneva Convention. Again, I get the “toughness” issue. I don’t get the willingness to ignore moral values and international law to come off as being as qualified as any man.
The second item goes to moral values as well. In fact, it made number one on God’s list, “thou shalt not kill”. Last night, the state of Georgia decided to kill a female prisoner, Kelly Gissendaner, after smacking down all of the appeals for leniency. The scales of justice were in such desperate need of balancing that, though Gissendaner’s co-defendant was given life in prison with the possibility for parole, justice needed the blood of Gissendaner to balance things out.
I know it’s a hard thing for Conservatives to get past the moral judgement, the holier than thou thought process, that can’t advance beyond Old Testament teachings. The fact that “state sanctioned” killing is still against our number one moral imperative does not impede these good Christians in their need to send the judged on to their final reward. I’d like to add a consideration for the hard liners that might supersede their need for blood, MONEY!!!!
Since 1978, California has spent over 4 BILLION dollars fighting death row appeals. One state, 4 BILLION dollars. The estimate for all states stands at 257 million dollars a year. Now, to the simple mind, like me, we should just say we’re taking the death penalty off the table. We’re going to take that money and repair roads and bridges. We’re going to build better schools and pay our teachers more. We’re going to lower taxes and provide better services, just by following the first commandment. Again, I am simple minded. I know the bloodlust won’t be satisfied in some of these folks by an appeal for them to follow their religious teachings, that’s why I’m making an appeal to their pocketbook. I’m even ok with them heeding the financial responsibility and calling it their moral responsibility, I am, after all, a pragmatic.
A bad day for moral folks, torture and execution. When will the Christians start following their own rules?