Perry blasts decision to clear Illinois death row
Posted on 01/26/2003 5:10:39 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
Perry blasts decision to clear Illinois death row
He says commutations should only be handled on a case-by-case basis
01/26/2003
SAN ANTONIO - Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan's decision to commute the sentences of 167 death row inmates two days before he retired this month is "not leadership," according to Gov. Rick Perry.
"If he has a problem in his state, which obviously he does ... you do it case by case," Mr. Perry said Friday at a meeting with editorial writers from Texas newspapers. "You don't just walk in, because there are some victims of crime that you spit in the eye of."
Mr. Ryan, like Mr. Perry a Republican, took the action Jan. 13, calling the execution system "arbitrary and capricious and therefore immoral."
That "is not leadership in my opinion," Mr. Perry said.
"He may have been looking for a legacy for his political purposes, but I don't think that is an appropriate way to deal with that issue."
Texas is the nation's No. 1 death penalty state.
Since 1982, Texas has executed 292 people convicted of capital murder - more than any other state and about one third of all the nation's executions. Texas has 449 inmates on death row.
The Texas governor, less powerful than governors in many other states, can't commute a death sentence on his own.
Although he can grant a 30-day stay of execution, he must get a recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant a pardon, offer clemency or commute a sentence.
A bill that would have given the governor power to impose a moratorium on executions died with two similar bills in the Legislature last session.
For his part, Mr. Perry has been praised and criticized by those advocating changes in Texas' criminal justice system.
In the last session, he vetoed a proposed ban on executing mentally retarded killers, calling the bill flawed and saying Texas law already prevented such executions.
But he also signed measures approved to make DNA testing more accessible to inmates, banning racial profiling, improving legal representation for poor defendants and increasing penalties for so-called hate crimes.
Shortly after Mr. Ryan announced his decision, Dianne Clements of the Houston-based victims' rights group Justice for All criticized the move and said: "Thank goodness he's not our governor."
On Friday, Marjorie Loehlin, a member of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, said: "I am not surprised at our governor saying this, but I support Governor Ryan. He did a courageous thing.
"Unfortunately, elected officials in Texas feel that they have to strongly support the death penalty, that the populace demands it. I'm not so sure that is any longer the case."
Jerry Polinard, a political scientist at the University of Texas-Pan American, called Mr. Perry's comments "very safe" politically for a Texas official.
"It probably won't do much for our image nationwide. Or alternatively, it will reinforce our image nationwide," Dr. Polinard said.
"The bottom line is, we hang 'em high here, and no elected official is going to campaign on being soft on capital punishment."
SAN ANTONIO - Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan's decision to commute the sentences of 167 death row inmates two days before he retired this month is "not leadership," according to Gov. Rick Perry.
"If he has a problem in his state, which obviously he does ... you do it case by case," Mr. Perry said Friday at a meeting with editorial writers from Texas newspapers. "You don't just walk in, because there are some victims of crime that you spit in the eye of."
Mr. Ryan, like Mr. Perry a Republican, took the action Jan. 13, calling the execution system "arbitrary and capricious and therefore immoral."
That "is not leadership in my opinion," Mr. Perry said.
"He may have been looking for a legacy for his political purposes, but I don't think that is an appropriate way to deal with that issue."
Gov. Rick Perry disagrees with
former Illinois Gov. George Ryan's
decision to commute 167 death row
inmates' sentences.
(AP)
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Texas ping list!. . .don't be shy.
No, you don't HAVE to be a Texan to get on this list!
Yeah, perhaps. But I think most Texans understand it and certainly agree the Illinois RINO did an injustice to the victims families...
Complete crap!!! Marjorie Loehlin has NO clue of which she speaks!!
I am a Texan and everybody that I know believes in the death penalty and would not vote for a pigeon puke that was against it!!
Stay safe; stay armed.
Eaker Freeper Status
Stay safe; stay armed.LOL !
Eaker Freeper Status
Death Check Date: January 26, 2003
This is the date I will be labeled as dead if I do not log back into diedonline.com
The executive right to commute a sentence, applied this broadly, undermines the entire concept of statutory law, as well as the jury process. The legislature, acting on behalf of the people, passes laws, the violation of which incur certain penalties. Those penalties are negated by this kind of clemency. The accused is brought before a jury of his peers, tried, convicted, and sentenced according to due process. That trial, conviction, and sentence is then set aside capriciously by the chief executive.
Unless the governor of Illinois is a king, whatever this is, it ain't democracy.
He should have spoken up the next day...
Certainly true here in Texas' Northeastern Piney Woods...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
