« Sunnis Propose Deal For Peace In Iraq | Main | Mohammed Cartoon Conflict Geting Even Hotter »
February 2, 2006
Alito Apparently More Independent Than Ted Kennedy
Topics: Political News and commentariesCaptain Ed writes that "It didn't take long for Justice Samuel Alito to make news from the bench, although the news is different than either Democrats or Republicans would have predicted. Alito voted yesterday to uphold a stay of execution for a Missouri death-row inmate, aligning himself for his first vote with Ginsburg and Stevens rather than Thomas and Scalia."
It's worth noting the Justice's independence of thought and consideration of the law. This should embarrass every Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, as well as everyone who took part in anti-Alito smears. It didn't take long for Alito not only to prove them wrong but to expose them for the hysterics and McCarthyite wretches they are. Will they apologize? No way; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they take credit for expanding Alito's vision of the law with their disgraceful conduct in the hearings.Read more...
As seems to be the case with Captain Ed, I'm no fan of the death penalty so Alito's ruling doesn't bother me. Actually, Alito has come down on the side of life, which is a good sign, although this particular ruling doesn't bring finality to this particular case. Conservative and pro-life should mean that one believes that all life is sacred, regardless of whether a "person" is unborn, an infirmed child or adult, or a brutal killer.
For the most part, those who support capital punishment do so because they judge that the threat of death will prevent people from committing crimes. Others judge that some crimes are so horrible that the only appropriate punishment is death. On the surface, and I have to admit in my first thoughts on the subject, these are indeed reasonable assumptions - and apparently 75 percent of the public agree with them.
On the other hand, there is another side to the issue, and I have to admit feeling a pull in both directions, before coming down on the side of life. So I tend to follow the teaching of the Catholic Church on this matter (and I recognize that there is disagreement on this even among Catholics - which includes me): " "Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. AND if "non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.""
Related: Readings on "The Death Penalty and the Catholic Church"
Teaching of the U.S. bishops
When Is War Justified?
Posted by Richard at February 2, 2006 8:17 AM
Articles Related to Political News and commentaries:
- The Truth About Tuskegee And The Lie Of Black Left-wing Paranoia - May 02, 2008
- Bad News (For Democrats): Jobless Rate Falls - May 02, 2008
- Here We Go Again: Meet Obama's ''New'' Pastor - May 02, 2008
- Contrary To What Democrats And Jeremiah Wright Want Americans To Believe - May 02, 2008
- Accepting Michelle's Invitation - May 01, 2008
- On 'Wright's Wrong' And Obama's Response - May 01, 2008
- Despite Claims To The Contrary, Obama 'Did Inhale' - May 01, 2008
- The Party of Defeat - Apr 30, 2008
- Obama Counsels With New Radical Minister - Apr 30, 2008
- Obama Runs Grandmother Under The Bus, Then Runs Rev. Wright Under The Bus, Who In Turn Ran Obama Under The Bus, Who Then Ran The Bus Over The Reverend - Oh My, What A Mess! - Apr 30, 2008
