Letter: What difference does drug make?

I’ve said it before, and I say it again. Let’s abolish the death penalty in Louisiana. I’m in favor of the death penalty, but since it isn’t enforced in a timely manner, it isn’t a deterrent and it certainly isn’t cost-effective. I’m sure the millions paid to lawyers and experts by the state — i.e., you and me — to salvage the precious life of a convicted murderer far exceed the cost of keeping him in prison for life.

This letter is prompted by an article in The Advocate on Feb. 8 about a judge blocking the execution of a man convicted of beating and scalding to death his 6-year-old stepson 23 years ago and sentenced to death in 1993!

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear this murderer’s appeal several years ago. According to the article, the execution was blocked because the murderer and his attorneys weren’t informed that officials had decided to execute him with a single dose of pentobarbital rather than a three-drug concoction used in the state’s last execution in 2010.

His lawyer says he needs the age of the drugs and the identity of the place where they were manufactured. He also wants to confirm that the supply was FDA approved. As Hillary Clinton so famously exclaimed recently at a congressional hearing, “What difference does it make?” Whatever drug they use to kill him will kill him.

Have we reached the point where a murderer who is to be executed has the right to order from a menu of lethal drugs? Did this man’s lawyer give any thought to the choice his client gave his stepson on how he would die before he beat and scalded him to death?

William Bonin

lawyer

New Iberia

Comments

1) Comment by InPVille - 20/02/2013

@tradewinns: "when i see religious quotes i skip them. they are totally useless to any discussion of life on earth." -[**]- And how many of those quoting scripture here against the death penalty would be condemning imposing religious views on other subjects in the legal realm.

2) Comment by ABayouBoy - 20/02/2013

Just "Choot 'Em".

3) Comment by prbeav - 19/02/2013

@jedleland: the seventh is "for posterity." @wobonin: the legal system IS silly and it is good to see one of its members admit that it is silly. But lawyers make it that way at We the People's expense: do you admit that?

4) Comment by tradewinns - 19/02/2013

when i see religious quotes i skip them. they are totally useless to any discussion of life on earth. if you believe in God, you have to figure he/she/it started life then left it to rule itself. otherwise we wouldn't have all the misery, wars, etc that permeate history. regardless. i am glad DNA was found as a way to help determine a persons innocence where possible. future development may make guilt/innocence even more definite. that does not equate to this is what we have at this time and what do we do to not only punish the guilty but protect society from future harm and discourage others from commiting the same crime. if murderers were executed in a timely (max 4-5 years) perhaps the senseless slaughter we curently have would at least decline. no one is afraid of dying by execution in america presently. if you are executed you are the unluckiest person in whatever state you reside in, don't buy a lotto ticket you aren''t going to win.

5) Comment by wobonin - 19/02/2013

Focus on the point, people. The ONLY point of my letter was that it was kind of silly for the legal system to focus on the type of drug that would be used to execute the man. It's lke Butch Cassidy saying they had to have some rules before engaging in a knife fight to the death. A lot of your comments had no connection with my point. I got the impression that some of you post comments letters just to argue with each other about other topics. I hope you enjoy that, but it's a little strange. William O. Bonin

6) Comment by potkcalb - 19/02/2013

Was anyone able to wade through jedleland's verbiage? Tell the truth.

7) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

no indeed. and whats more ive never actually met one. not a real one.

8) Comment by Whatnow - 19/02/2013

Gee, jedleland, are you a Christian?

9) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

i had no idea it was 'my' scripture - I dont even subscribe to any of that stuff. i just like to remind those that pretend they do exactly what it is to which they offer lip service, if nothing else. the preamble, as with any preamble, is so vague as to be meaningless. i count only six general goals. whats the seventh?

10) Comment by prbeav - 19/02/2013

Sorry: " in the Civil War upon its 100 year anniversary" should have the phrase "and upon".

11) Comment by prbeav - 19/02/2013

Our greatest failing is that in the 225 years since nine states ratified the seven goals for governance by We the People, politicians who have been elected, starting with thirteen states, have distracted the people by Machiavellian means, such as focus on religion, and the willing people have gone along with it. jedleland provides an example, by directing HIS discussion to HIS interpretation of HIS scripture. He perceives that his approach is effective--gets the job done because he perceives the majority is, to quote President Obama, "we, the people." They both are correct, as far as they go; the problem is that "we, the people," is not in control and never will be as long as this country survives. The majority will always struggle to fulfill the preamble, as we witnessed in the Civil War upon its 100 year anniversary. The sooner the people commit to and trust the preamble to the US Constitution, the sooner we'll see this republic's promises begin to be fulfilled and the world will celebrate for its own sake.

12) Comment by prbeav - 19/02/2013

I don't know the intent, but jedleland's outpouring seemed to come after my post. Regardless, I choose to respond.>>>>I support the death penalty for the sake of victims and the rule of law. We the People govern in the absence of God--not by hope or choice but under the objective truth. We the People agree to seven secular goals, which are stated in the preamble to the US Constitution. To accomplish those goals, we maintain the institutions and laws that are specified in the amended Articles. People who are not committed to those seven goals are of the people but are not of We the People. For example, the traitor, well aware she/he opposes We the People, risks his life. In the same way, the premeditated murderer risks his/her life, except perhaps not recognizing that he/she has withdrawn from We the People to be counted only among the people subject to the law. As We the People, we must maintain perfected institutions. In this case, we failed to but must reform and be able to respond about the details of the drug to be used in executions. The judge who oversees the proceedings should see to it that they are expedited, for both parties sakes.>>>>I write opinion only because I do not possess the objective truth.

13) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

its a peculiar irony but the deeper it seems you go into the bible belt, the less empathetic, more judgemental, conformits, and right wing people become. cling to their religions and guns for sure, but guess which one of those actually means anything to them? an interesting bible verse that i dont suppose many of our regular right wign readers worry about on sundays :34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” How many of our regressive troglodyte friends spend their weekends visiting those in prison and helping them? Why none, id guess. But they have plenty of time to bemoan execution infrequency, to expres a desire to flip the switch themselves, to complain about the cost of housing inmates in luxury accomodations with 3 hots, a cot, and free insurance. Its a regular pensacola resort youd think woudlnt you? but ive been there. it aint. why do the loudest most obnoxious and self righteous christians have such a hard time being christ-like? want to know how to do it? read above. its simple. see you at your local prison for volunteer work Saturday morning right? no, didnt think so. might see a black person, or a gay person, or a mexican.or even, maybe, a convict. jesus obviosuly wasnt referring to THEM. right? right?

14) Comment by DMJ - 19/02/2013

Good point, jedleland. "Expedited justice" will almost certainly mean (more) innocent people executed. Is it worth killing innocent people in order to expedite the death penalty for the guilty? I say no... And why? Because what if it were a friend or family member that was wrongfully convicted? It's called empathy. Lack of it used to be considered a severe character flaw; now, among some, it's a badge of honor. Very sad.

15) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

that wasted 20 minutes! suppose its time to move on. how about those gun nuts eh? scared old men! cant stand creationists either, or tea baggers. dont talk to me about Romneycare. or foxnews. or david vitter. there, that should take care of most every topic for a while.

16) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

as for the sorry letter above, if a lawyer doesnt know the answer to his last question, then he's a pretty poor lawyer. its called advocacy. the man in question certainly did what he did. i wouldnt bet against it. ive walked Louisiana death row. ive gone inside Angola and Dixon. Ive looked Derrick Todd Lee in the eye and, for that matter, Damon Thibodeaux. I saw two guilty men waiting to die. Mr Thibodeaux knew better didnt he? i bet the same bloodthirsty knuckleheads were all over newspaper comments section every time his appeals hit the paper. how about if he had his two years or even 5? it took 15 for him. Some have been over 30 years. most are guilty, some are not. are you prepared to make that call and live with it? if so, dont bother with your church on sunday. slap on the wrist? time out? only a fool would spend a day or three at angola in the summer, see where the prisoners are buried, walk the massive fields, and make such a summation. its hard and grim and most all of them are coming out in a box.

17) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

So you do not trust your govt to fix a road, deliver a letter, balance a budget, administer medicine, teach a child, provide a bus service, install drainage, regulate firearms, hold an election, or tell the truth in any capacity. the govt does only two things well and should do them more quickly and frequently -wage war and kill prisoners. Despite its incompetence in every other forum, in these two disciplines it is given total leway and encouragement to do more, more, more. Only when it comes to killing! taking a life. the most serious and final act any person or governing body of people can commit. and yet when it comes to that, the govt needs to do it faster and more often. even though Damon Thibodeaux was the 300th exoneration. 300! one more time 300! still love that big govt? WWJD? what the heck do you care!

18) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

For further sober reading for our more bloodthirsty and judgmental 'christain folk' hereabouts, read these eye opening tales of prisoners convicted, and often executed, before being freed or pardoned. Right here in the US of A.http://rawjustice.com/2010/10/18/15-people-who-were-jailed-andor-executed-then-found-innocent/?doing_wp_cron=1361305065.3902521133422851562500

19) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

20) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Love for Enemies 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[b] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

21) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

"On a warm, overcast Friday in September 2012, Damon Thibodeaux walked out of Death Row at Louisiana’s Angola Prison a free man. He had the clothes on his back, a small bag of personal items in his hand, and a smile of unmitigated joy on his face. Since 1997, Damon had been on Death Row for a crime he did not commit. For 23 hours a day, he was confined to a small, cramped cell. One hour a day, he was let out to shower, exercise, or move up and down the halls under guard. Damon, now 38, was the 300th person nationwide and the 18th on Death Row to be exonerated by DNA evidence. Lawyers from The Innocence Project, the Minnesota law firm of Fredrikson & Byron, the Capital Post Conviction Project of Louisiana, the Capital Appeals Project of Louisiana and the ALCU had worked on Damon’s case for more than a decade. On Sept. 27, 2012, the court, with the agreement of the District Attorney's Office vacated Damon’s conviction and ordered his release." Damonthibodeaux.com

22) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

"if we the people would have our useless lawmakers pass a law that sets a maximum of say 5 years from conviction to execution"

23) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

"I think a two year time limit should be enforced in cases like this."

24) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

In the last 10 years 6 inamtes have been exonerated and released from Louisiana death row. none has been retried.

25) Comment by jedleland - 19/02/2013

In the last 10 years 3 inmates have been executed at Angola

26) Comment by prbeav - 19/02/2013

I appreciate Mr. Bonin's attention to the crime and regret the delay. My concerns are with the court proceedings; why did the state not have the answers the judge needed? Why is there no pressure to defend the taxpayers from lawyers and jugges (point made in early comments)?

27) Comment by billynurse - 19/02/2013

expedite.

28) Comment by billynurse - 19/02/2013

Life sentences almost always involve years of appeals/lawyer fees , then the murderer gets decades of 3 hots & a cot (+healthcare, etc.) at our expense. How about streamlining and reforming the death penalty process to expidite the justice they so richly deserve?....Just a thought.

29) Comment by DMJ - 19/02/2013

When even those who are in favor of the death penalty know it needs to be abolished, perhaps we should abolish it? Just a thought.

30) Comment by nimby? - 19/02/2013

99 percent of those in jail/prison will claim innocence . in the while many guilty are walking the street due to a technical/judicial error . truth in sentencing , mandatory sentencing for certain crimes .

31) Comment by tradewinns - 19/02/2013

the main problem with execution of the death penalty is it pays lawyers too much to continue to work it. if we the people would have our useless lawmakers pass a law that sets a maximum of say 5 years from conviction to execution which can be done by setting laws such as one appeal (all items at same time). or even something so simple as a maximum amount of money per case spent (the lawyers can proceed at their own unreimbursed expense).

32) Comment by DMJ - 19/02/2013

Also, in terms of harshness of punishment, what's worse: a couple years in prison then a lethal injection....or the rest of your life in prison with no possiblity of parole? I know which one I'd pick. Secondly, if we're trying to send the message that killing is wrong, shouldn't we....not kill? Not because they don't deserve it, but because, as a society, we're supposed to be better?

33) Comment by [e-mail] - 19/02/2013

Bighug has a point; judges have been chickafied to the point that some of them have no concept of right or wrong regarding swift punishments except when the media tells them it's politically correct or not. Consequently they can't ever cut through the ***** and end it.

34) Comment by DMJ - 19/02/2013

Surely, even the world's worst lawyer knows that our justice system is designed to do 2 things: protect the innocent and punish the guilty. IN THAT ORDER. Obviously, the death penalty makes this impossible, as we know now that we've executed dozens of innocent people over the years. Mr. Bonin's conveniently ignores WHY executions are not "enorced in a timely manner." Still...he's right, we should abolish the death penalty, like every other wealthy, civilized country has done.

35) Comment by jdk944 - 19/02/2013

Like many other things in this country the legal/justice system is "broke"!! It's no longer about a fair and speedy trial but one that lawyers use to further their own careers under the idea that getting someone off under ANY technicality is somehow to be admired.

36) Comment by Bighug - 19/02/2013

If they decided to hang him, the lawyer would want to insure that the sisal to make the rope was organically grown, and the judge would agree and postpone the execution. The lawyer is doing his job, and the judge is avoiding his.

37) Comment by Whatnow - 19/02/2013

Just another instance of lawyers dragging things out to benefit themselves. Drag it out as long as possible. I think a two year time limit should be enforced in cases like this.