Thong checks in mixed company (Criticizes Supreme Court Death Penalty Decision)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | 6-26-02 | M.W. Guzy

[FairWitness]

We have contenders for the second annual "More-Gall-than-Bladder Award" (AKA the "Gallstone"). Last year, you may recall, the honor went to the guy in south St. Louis who tried to rob a drive-up bank. Think about the logistical challenges of that operation: If you use the pneumatic container to send the pistol and a sack into the bank, do you include a note instructing the teller to point the gun at her head while robbing herself?

[FairWitness]

I could never countenance the execution of an individual who lacks the capacity to appreciate the gravity of his actions. Difficulties arise, however, when we try to decide how to determine just who is genuinely retarded

The Supreme court may feel it has made the decision on whether to execute someone with diminished intelligence less arbitrary, but I am afraid the result will be to actually make it more arbitrary.

See also similar article by Thomas Sowell.