Blogging Against Senator Sam Brownback Since March 2005
While Senator Sam Brownback is normally a staunch proponent of the “culture of life” when it comes to executing prisoners he has not made up his mind. The KC Star reports:
“If use of the death penalty is contrary to promoting a culture of life, we need to have a national dialogue and hear both sides of the issue,” Brownback said at a Judiciary Committee hearing he held.
“All life is sacred, and our use of the death penalty in the American justice system must recognize this central truth.”
If Senator Brownback is to avoid being a hypocrite, he should condemn the usage of the death penalty. Having an absolute solution with a fallable justice system is a recipe for disaster and to respect life there can be no room for the death penalty.
If he comes out against the death penalty I think it would help him in the GOP primary. I know this is counter-intuitive, but holding an unpopular stance on principle could make him more attractive as a leader to the GOP. Of course, he would also invite attack ads featuring victims families and gruesome murder scenes. It’s a tough call, and I’ll be interested to see where he ends up.
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Blogging Against Senator Sam Brownback Since March 2005
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February 3rd, 2006 at 3:08 pm
Hypocrite? Is there not a difference between an innocent unborn child or disabled woman on the one hand and a convicted killer on death row on the other? Of course there is. The point here is that capital punishment in our country is unfair and unjust. People convicted of similar capital crimes committed in different parts of the country face different sentences. Some people put to death by the state have been proven innocent after the fact. The proportion of Blacks on death row is greater than their percentage of the population. And many Americans are questioning the idea of stopping violence with more violence. The senator’s Catholic faith, I believe, is moving him to question this, not politics as you suggest.