Ultimate Justice

With Rick Perry’s run for presidency it’s no surprise that his policies as governor of Texas would be attacked and scrutinized.  The latest topic has been the issue of capital punishment in Texas and Rick Perry smashing the record for the most executions all time, a record which was previously held by our all beloved George W. Bush.  Hell, in Texas I believe that’s a cause for celebration!  We even lead the nation in the most executions of all time!  When we say “Don’t mess with Texas” we damn well mean it.

One would reckon that with Texas having the highest execution rate in the nation, we would have the lowest murder rate as well, but one would reckon wrong!  According to Death Penalty Info, the murder rate in Texas actually increased from 2002 to 2003. It turns out that capital punishment isn’t much of a deterrent, but we will continue to “kill em all, and let God sort it out”!  Not only is capital punishment not a deterrent it is actually 4 times more expensive to execute a person than to give them life.  If that’s not enough for you, how about the fact that the death penalty is condemned by the European Union and the World Court. 

It seems that while everyone else in the world is becoming more morally aware and civilized, we are applauding the fact that we execute more prisoners than any other state.  I’m willing to bet we probably execute more prisoners than some other countries that still use capital punishment.  Capital punishment is an outdated unmoral punishment that we need to rise above from and join the rest of civilized society.  Rick Perry is not the one to blame for the continued excessive use of capital punishment.  It is the majority of Texans who vote for the Judges who have the toughest record on crime.  These elected officials are only following the will of the population who voted them in.  We as a people need to open our hearts to rehabilitation instead of condemnation.  As Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu quoted, "To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice."

Rachel vs Rick

Rachel Farris who writes for the Huffington post also writes a blog entitled Mean Rachel. Her most recent editorial from August 17^th, “What a Rick Perry Presidency Would Look Like for Women”, addresses Rick Perry’s record on womens rights and paints a picture of how America will be if Rick Perry runs America as he has Texas. The editorial is primarily directed to women, liberals, and those who oppose Rick Perry, but it is also a good read for those voters who are on the fence.

“Mean Rachel” suggests that Rick Perry intrudes on womens health rights with the bill that made transvaginal sonograms mandatory for women who are 8-10 weeks pregnant and who are seeking abortions. She explains that Rick Perry preaches abstinence only and gives consequences to Rick Perry’s actions that make it harder for women to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Rick Perry has been the governor of Texas for over 10 years and in that time Texas has ranked among the bottom in health issues. It is only natural to assume that if the health record of Texas has been so bad, America will become the same under the presidency of Rick Perry. Rachel supports her claims with much evidence and well thought logic.

Evidence shows that Texas has the 3^rd highest teen birth rate in America and that teens are actually having more sex after completing abstinence-only programs. For those girls and women who do get pregnant and seek abortions, Rick Perry tries to guilt them into going through with the pregnancy by making it a requirement for doctors to describe the fetus and play audio of the heartbeat prior to the abortion procedure. If Rick Perry has his way, it will lead to an increase of children not only born into broken homes, but a broken system in Texas that lacks the responsibility of taking care of it’s youth. Rachel backs this theory up by presenting the fact that Texas ranks 1^st in the nation in adults without High School diplomas as well as 1^st in the nation in percentage of children without health insurance. She shows us that our youth in Texas are already born into a system of poor education and health and that if he is elected to the presidency, then the rest of America will follow.

Rachel reinforces my previous belief on women’s right and the freedom of choice, but helps me to understand the argument more clearly and present facts that I previously did not know. For one, she shows that there are consequences to the governments intrusion of womens rights and secondly that the government should think of these consequences before making decisions instead of backing up their support of an issue “based on their own personal life”.