Meet President Bush: 43rd president, elected in 2000, from Texas, Governor of Texas for 6 years prior to presidency.
Meet Jose Ernesto Medellin: from Mexico, lived in America most of childhood, convicted murderer, would have been the 27th executed inmate in Texas.
According to the Associated Press, Bush has halted the execution of Medellin because during his arrest, he was not offered the right to "request assistance from the Mexican consulate" as was required by the Vienna Convention. The trial proceeded; he was deemed guilty. His crime? He, in addition to the members of his gang, raped and brutally murdered two girls in 1993. He was just 18 years old. Only after he was convicted and his appeal fell through did Medellin even object to this lack of assistance. Now the Supreme Court will decide this week whether Bush was out of line when he barred the Texas courts and governments from executing this man.
In light of this incident, we must wonder: Is Mr. Jose Ernesto Medellin less guilty because he wasn't informed of this right? Are international relations more important than making sure this man is not able to harm anyone else? Is Medellin just trying to get out of death?
And we haven't even considered the use of capital punishment...(Did you know it cost more to execute someone than to imprison them for life?)
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I didn't know it cost more for an execution--that is really interesting.
there is no way that Ernesto will be any less innocent. just because they forgot to give him a loophole, doesn't mean that the public wouldn't still be at risk if they let him go. it is just stupid to pu a convicted murderer back on the streets just because the law forgot about the paperwork!
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RB
When you least expect it, life throws you a curve--take it and put it straight again.
I know that there are many opinions regarding Capital Punishment but in the end, I do not believe it is really up to us at all. I know that we have government for a reason. I am also a patriotic citizen and proud of my country, even though I do not agree with all of the decisions that are made. Death sentence or life imprisonment, it does not really matter, because Medellin will have to answer to his Maker in the end anyway.