Richard Eber, Exclusive to the California Political News and Views
As might be expected, Gavin Newsom’s pronouncement that he was suspending the executions of death row prisoners during his term as Governor was hardly a surprise. As an outspoken opponent of capital punishment, we could expect no less from him.
Newsom’s actions come despite the fact that California voters have three times affirmed their support of the death penalty since the California Supreme Court outlawed the practice in the case of the People vs. Andersonin 1972. Since then only 13 killers have had their lives terminated representing about 1% of the death row population over the years. No one has been executed since 2006.
With this being the case, why should the people in California get their panties in a bunch because of Newsom’s recent actions? More junkies perish in San Francisco each month using free syringes provided by the City than those who have been executed on death row in the last 47 years.
While the Governor cites bias in race, economic status, and color, along with concern that innocent prisoners might be put to death; does anyone really believe such nonsense? Hardly!
The bottom line is that Gavin Newsom and his progressive buddies who run “The People’s Democratic Republic of California” don’t give a damn what their constituents think about anything. Like almost all Socialists, they oppose the death penalty on so called “humanitarian” grounds.
On one level I agree with suspending capital punishment. Going back thirty five years ago when my public defender friend Joanne, was representing these derelict criminals, it was obvious to see that the system was rigged to have more stay of executions than public pension contributions are underfunded in California.
Despite the fact that the majority of the people want the 700 plus convicts on death row to meet their maker, the fact is it ain’t ever going to happen. If a scumbag like Richard Allen Davis, who abducted and murdered Polly Klaas over 25 years ago, is still breathing, it might be time to cry “Uncle” and stop pretending that we make murderers pay the ultimate price.
Unless some restraints can be placed on the legal system, it is likely best to end the death penalty, as it is known in California. Were this done there would be immediate benefits including:
- A cost savings of over $ 500,000 per case where the death penalty is sought rather than the punishment of life in prison without parole is agreed to.
- The extra price tag each year of maintaining prisoners on death row of $ 90,000 for inmate would be saved relieving tax payers from shelling out $37,260.00 million per year to house these creeps.
- Reduce legal fees of public defenders from wasting time representing these thugs as they play the system.
If death row were disbanded at San Quentin, what would happen to these inmates? Logically, they would be placed among the regular prisoner population doing time for robbery, assault, kidnapping, rape, and other assorted felonies. Why not just put them with these other derelicts. Would not such action create the diversity liberals crave so much for today?
Was this the case, it is likely more executions would occur than under the old system. Instead of the gas chamber or lethal injection, justice would be served by such notable characters as 300 pound “Tiny”, “Terminator Ted”, and “Bill the Shiv”, along with other notorious characters who dislike most death row inmates.
Of course Progressives would fight to protect the lives of these horrible killers entering the general prison population. Naturally, they would be likely more concerned about the welfare of these ruthless killers than the long forgotten victims who died at their hands.
So Gavin, as they say at Burger King, “Have it your way.”
It is ironic that the Governor wants to subvert the will of the people and ignore their wishes pertaining to the death penalty while at the same time demanding that the Federal Government obey the State’s Sanctuary City Laws which forbids the deportation of hardened criminals who are among undocumented residents of the State.
If this is not the definition of “pretzel logic”, what is? So it is OK to defy the Federal government protecting the rights of illegal aliens while telling California citizens that throwing out the death penalty is a matter of conscience. Under this cloud, how can a state effectively operate when it is demanding law enforcement personnel to ignore criminal conduct that endangers public safety?
Welcome to the Progressive Utopia of California (PUC).
What is even worse is that the double standards which exist on the “Left Coast” are spreading to the other 49 states. How can an individual such as Kamala Harris, who is obviously the Mega Princess in California politics, even be remotely considered to be a viable candidate to be elected President of the United States in 2020?
Does her background as a largely do nothing District Attorney in San Francisco and Attorney General in California, make Ms. Harris qualified to be the countries Chief Executive. The answer is emphatically “no”. Since entering the US Senate, she has not introduced one piece of legislation on her own that has ever passed. Harris’s performance on the Senate Judiciary Committee helped illustrate her inability to comprehend issues and work with others.
But the fact of the matter is that the State Government including the Governor, Legislature, and State office holders are a bunch of hard core leftists who don’t have a clue of what they are doing. The question is when the people of California who are victimized by high taxes, the Bullet Train, ridiculous environmental laws, poor public education, and billion dollar public employee pension deficits, will wake up and take corrective action?
Unfortunately, looking at the big picture Gavin Newsom and his death penalty policies are but a tip of the Progressive Iceberg when it comes to the hypocrisy of State government as it exists in California today. This moral decay that ignores laws on the books in favor of leftist ideology apparently will be around until the voters have had enough and kick the bums out.
Richard Eber studied journalism at the University of Oregon. He writes about politics, culture, education restaurants, and was former city and sports editor of UCSB Daily. Richard is president of Amerasa Rapid Transit, a specialized freight forwarder.
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