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Death Penalty Repealed | State Senators Override Gov. Pete Ricketts' Veto
NBC Nebraska ^ | May 28, 2015

Posted on 05/28/2015 2:19:32 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Nebraska has abolished the death penalty in a landmark veto-override vote backed by a coalition of conservatives who oppose capital punishment.

North Platte Senator Mike Groene stood with 18 others as an advocate to keep the death penalty.

But that just wasn't enough as 30 other senators decided to over ride Governor Pete Ricketts' veto and abolish the death penalty.

He voted to keep the death penalty and uphold the governor's veto.

"I believe in the death penalty in a civil society, we do not tolerate evil," Senator Groene said.

State Senators voted 30-19 on Wednesday to override Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican who supports the death penalty. The vote makes Nebraska the first traditionally conservative state to eliminate the punishment since North Dakota in 1973.

Nebraska joins 18 other states and Washington, D.C., in banning the ultimate punishment.

Some senators say they philosophically support the death penalty but are convinced the state will never carry out another execution because of legal hurdles. Nebraska hasn't executed an inmate since a 1997 electrocution.

The bill was introduced by independent Sen. Ernie Chambers, who has fought for four decades to repeal the death penalty.

Governor Pete Ricketts issued this statement following the vote, “My words cannot express how appalled I am that we have lost a critical tool to protect law enforcement and Nebraska families. While the Legislature has lost touch with the citizens of Nebraska, I will continue to stand with Nebraskans and law enforcement on this important issue.”

The Governor thanks the following state senators that voted to sustain his veto: Senator Dave Bloomfield, Senator Lydia Brasch, Senator Joni Craighead, Senator Curt Friesen, Senator Mike Groene, Senator Dan Hughes, Senator Jerry Johnson, Senator Bill Kintner, Senator John Kuehn, Senator Tyson Larson, Senator Beau McCoy, Senator John Murante, Senator Merv Riepe, Senator Jim Scheer, Senator Ken Schilz, Senator Dave Schnoor, Senator Jim Smith, Senator John Stinner, Senator Dan Watermeier.

The following state senators voted to override Gov. Pete Ricketts' veto and abolish the death penalty: Senator Roy Baker, Senator Kate Bolz, Senator Kathy Campbell, Senator Ernie Chambers, Senator Colby Coash, Senator Tanya Cook, Senator Sue Crawford, Senator Al Davis, Senator Laura Ebke, Senator Tommy Garrett, Senator Mike Gloor, Senator Ken Haar, Senator Galen Hadley, Senator Matt Hansen, Senator Burke Harr, Senator Robert Hilkemann, Senator Sara Howard, Senator Rick Kolowski, Senator Mark Kolterman, Senator Bob Krist, Senator Brett Lindstrom, Senator John McCollister, Senator Heath Mello, Senator Adam Morfeld, Senator Jeremy Nordquist, Senator Patty Pansing Brooks, Senator Paul Schumacher, Senator Les Seiler, Senator Kate Sullivan, Senator Matt Williams.

"Today marks a remarkable and historic victory for our state, said Danielle Conrad, ACLU Executive Director. "We are grateful for the dynamic leadership of policymakers, and we are proud to be part of an incredibly diverse coalition led by faith leaders, fiscal conservatives, and victim’s families. This is a meaningful victory for all Nebraskans.

Senator Beau McCoy of Omaha immediately announced the formation of Nebraskans for Justice. Nebraskans for Justice is an organization that will explore the possibility of a citizen-driven ballot initiative to give Nebraska citizens the option of reinstating Nebraska’s death penalty.

“With the formation of Nebraskans for Justice, I am standing with Nebraskans who are thoroughly disappointed with Nebraska Legislators who voted to end Nebraska’s death penalty,” said Senator McCoy. “Once again, Nebraska’s Legislature has gone against the wishes of an overwhelming number of Nebraskans who believe the death penalty should be in place for those who commit the most heinous crimes.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Nebraska
KEYWORDS: capitalpunishment; deathpenalty; nebraska; petericketts
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1 posted on 05/28/2015 2:19:32 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

A vote against the death penalty is a vote for everyone to pay to keep these a$$hole pieces of scum alive at taxpayer expense, medical crap like sex changes and such, pay for their education, and have liberal groups continue to work to try and get them freed based on technicalities, jail space issues, whatever.

The “conservatives” who voted to get rid of it are NOT conservatives.


2 posted on 05/28/2015 2:22:25 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: nickcarraway

It shouldn’t be retroactive to those already that have been lawfully sentenced to a death penalty. You can’t make other laws retroactive legally, this shouldn’t either. Thse already sentenced lawfully should have their sentences carried out immediately.


3 posted on 05/28/2015 2:23:48 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: nickcarraway

Nebraska has a nonpartisan legislature. I expect the legislators who voted out the death penalty will either not be running for re-election or lose their seats during the next election.


4 posted on 05/28/2015 2:23:59 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
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To: Secret Agent Man
Any group of conservatives who limit the power of a government to kill its citizens is performing a major service to the rest of our citizenry.

You have your position, I have mine.

5 posted on 05/28/2015 2:29:36 PM PDT by Zuben Elgenubi
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To: Zuben Elgenubi

I fear most of the “government problem killings” won’t be touched by measures like this.


6 posted on 05/28/2015 2:31:45 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Zhang Fei

The “nonpartisan” Unicameral is one of the biggest pieces of political mythology ever perpetrated. They are all partisan.

I’ve personally known one of the “conservative” republicans who voted to override for almost 40 years. More than a little disappointed in his action.


7 posted on 05/28/2015 2:32:48 PM PDT by RJS1950 (The democrats are the "enemies foreign and domestic" cited in the federal oath)
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To: nickcarraway

The death penalty in itself, is NOT a deterant to committing crime. Most criminals don’t give a $h!t what happens to them if they get caught. The penalty is just that, a substantial penalty for a substantial crime. I do believe that when capital punishment is removed, it minimizes the crime. And that is exactly what humanists (liberals) do. They want to trivialize and minimize everything. It is part of their moral relativism campaign.


8 posted on 05/28/2015 2:32:58 PM PDT by TMA62 (Al Sharpton - The North Korea of race relations)
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To: TMA62

And yet certain other “wrongs” (often things that weren’t even “wrong” till they came around) get the execration treatment.


9 posted on 05/28/2015 2:36:57 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Secret Agent Man

I quickly counted 8 women voted to override the Governor, while only 2 women voted to keep the Death Penalty.


10 posted on 05/28/2015 2:37:19 PM PDT by onyx (PLEASE SUPPORT FR. Donate Monthly or Join Club 300! God bless you all.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck
I do believe that when capital punishment is removed, it minimizes the crime

You mean that when the death penalty is ended, crime will go down? ('minimized' as you put it)

11 posted on 05/28/2015 2:38:54 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

eh?


12 posted on 05/28/2015 2:40:48 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Zuben Elgenubi

Do you believe that there are crimes so heinous, brutal, and monstrous, that anything short of capital punishment is a miscarriage of justice?


13 posted on 05/28/2015 2:41:05 PM PDT by SpaceBar
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To: Zuben Elgenubi

The government doesn’t decide to give people the death penalty.

JURIES OF “THE PEOPLE” DO. And they have to be well convinced.

The government here doesn’t have sham communist “show trials”.

Government carries out the verdict of the sentence.

You can believe what you want. We’re not Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union in this aspect.


14 posted on 05/28/2015 2:42:03 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: RJS1950
I’ve personally known one of the “conservative” republicans who voted to override for almost 40 years. More than a little disappointed in his action.

Is he finished politically?

15 posted on 05/28/2015 2:43:23 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
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To: SpaceBar

Sounds to me to be an issue of mistrust of government.

I think we also are right to identify as abomination the rationalism that “it wasn’t the truth or falsity, but the severity, of the accusations.”

I don’t think Nebraska was a particular example of the problem, though.


16 posted on 05/28/2015 2:44:04 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Zuben Elgenubi
Any group of conservatives who limit the power of a government to kill its citizens is performing a major service to the rest of our citizenry. You have your position, I have mine.

Oh? Tell it my sister. Oh wait. You can't. She was murdered by a thug who is lounging around every day in the Nebraska pen. Stabbed and slashed dozens of times. Her throat was cut, nearly to the point of decapitation.

That animal forfeited any rights as a citizen and a human being that he had. Sorry.

17 posted on 05/28/2015 2:44:41 PM PDT by EternalVigilance
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To: HiTech RedNeck
I fear most of the “government problem killings” won’t be touched by measures like this.

I particularly liked the 'warrior cop' who jumped on the hood of the car and executed the two occupants by plugging them with 15 rounds. He wept like a girl when the judge ruled him innocent because the court couldn't be absolutely sure that "his" rounds were the cause of death due to the number of "other" rounds inserted by other `warrior cops` who were dispensed from 100 other cop cars.

18 posted on 05/28/2015 2:45:08 PM PDT by Zuben Elgenubi
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To: Secret Agent Man

In principle “juries of peers” have to be “well convinced.”

In practice they are played like orchestras after being vetted for ignorance.


19 posted on 05/28/2015 2:46:00 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: nickcarraway

Fine, house them in thrir homes.


20 posted on 05/28/2015 2:46:43 PM PDT by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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