Bring Ol’ Sparky back to CA?
by John Seiler | May 23, 2014 12:33 pm
California hasn’t executed anyone in more than 8 years[1]. And just 14 since it was allowed again in 1978.
Problems remain with lawsuits concerning the lethal-injection method. And a proposed initiative[2] would shorten death-penalty appeals.
But maybe Tennesses has found a way to re-start executions: Bring back Ol’ Sparky, the electric chair. AP reported[3]:
Tennessee has decided how it will respond to a nationwide scarcity of lethal injection drugs for death-row inmates: with the electric chair.
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill into law Thursday allowing the state to electrocute death row inmates in the event prisons are unable to obtain the drugs, which have become more and more scarce following a European-led boycott of drug sales for executions.
Tennessee lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the electric chair legislation in April, with the Senate voting 23-3 and the House 68-13 in favor of the bill.
Personally, although I believe the death penalty can be moral in a society that at least tries to be moral, that does not describe our amoral society. If our current governments start killing a lot of people, even criminals, they might come after innocent people they just don’t like.
But in 2010, Gov. Jerry Brown campaigned on a platform on which, unlike in the 1970s, he favored the death penalty. He said[4], “The courts have upheld it. I’ll carry it out.”
If so, he should be pushing the Tennessee solution.
- more than 8 years: http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Capital_Punishment/Inmates_Executed.html
- proposed initiative: http://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb/12/local/la-me-ln-california-death-penalty-initiative-20140212
- AP reported: http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_25821807/electric-chair-brought-back-tennessee-executions?source=rss#
- He said: http://www.crimeandconsequences.com/crimblog/2010/09/jerry-brown-interview-on-the-d.html
Source URL: https://calwatchdog.com/2014/05/23/bring-ol-sparky-back-to-ca/