re: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown commutes sentences of all death row inmates

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the fairly regular occurrence of death row inmates being found innocent prevents the state from doing this.

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That number is 190 since 1973. I wouldn’t call that “fairly regular”

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The state is just the hangman following orders from the citizens.

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The state sets the procedures by which an individual can be put to death. Their agents elect to seek the death penalty in the first place. They are active participants in its application and implementation. And even assuming that they aren't, why should I have any faith that 12 average Americans won't make a mistake?

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Pass the bill to keep these criminals alive until they die to her.

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Or just give them supervised house arrest…at her house

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"I have long believed that justice is not advanced by taking a life, and the state should not be in the business of executing people — even if a terrible crime placed them in prison," Brown said in a statement.

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I mean, that's true, to say nothing of the wrongfully convicted. Plus, somehow, it's apparently cheaper to have someone on a life sentence than death row.

It makes economic and policy sense. Plus I don't believe God has some desire to see us necessarily execute people. Maybe vult leaders and the Hitlers of the world so radical followers don't break them out. But incarceration has certain purposes: rehabilitation (the effectiveness of that is highly debatable, but I think we could make our system better at that); protection of society (just keep murderers away from society simply so society isn't hurt, which has nothing to do with punishment); and then punishment.

Punishment is the least relevant reason to send someone to prison. Sure, we need to protect society and hopefully "fix" the broken. That won't always work, of course. But as to punishment, it's really just retribution. It's not forgiveness, which I think actually has more to do with the victim being able to rationalize and then move on to not be burdened with that harm repeatedly forever more. So punishment is just an eye for an eye thing. It's base. Primal. It's not the point and doesn't fix or further anything. The only thing it might do is deter the certain of murders. But at that point, that kind of murderer will not be deterred by possible death. They've made up their mind.

So I just don't know that the death penalty 1) financially makes sense, 2) has little to do with justice and in fact negatively affects hustice in a big way, and 3) does not exactly comport with a Christian approach--which is not to necessarily have sympathy for child rapists, etc. but more so to help victims and move society away from reciprocating brutality.

Having said all that, if I got my hands on the mf'er what rapes or kills my wife or kids, all that pontificating will probably have to be used on me, cuz that'll be one quick (but maybe not too quick) execution.

Should be executed immediately. Death Row can be for years.