Re: stuff

["Sunil Ramalingam" <sunilramalingam@hotmail.com>]

Doug wrote,

"I really wish that liberals would not play the race card in discussions of 
capital punishment because it gives encouragement to racists out there who 
want to argue from those same statistics that blacks, for example, are more 
likely to be guilty of violent crime. Justice really needs to be color 
blind, and we need to practice this in our debates. If we find it is not 
color blind, then let us address that problem -- rather than tacitly 
approving racist life-time incarcerations over against racist executions."

I'd like to raise a couple of points - ok, probably more than two-about this 
paragraph.  First of all, I disagree with the use of the term "race card," 
in this discussion.  I'm used to seeing the term used to describe the 
raising of racial issues in order to distort the real issues at hand, and 
when used in that manner, it brings to an end any rational discussion.  I 
don't think that pointing out the disproportionate use of the death penalty 
against blacks is 'playing the race card'; it is simply pointing out a fact 
that should be deeply troubling to all whether liberal, conservative, or 
other.

I agree that we should examine our judicial system and try to address the 
problems that lead to innocent people being convicted. And you're also right 
that justice should be colorblind.  It's clearly not when it comes to the 
imposition of the death penalty.  At the same time we cannot ignore the 
problem of people convicted of similar crimes, in similar circumstances, 
receiving different punishments.  You're right, a life sentence is no day at 
the beach, but at least it leaves the possibility of being corrected, unlike 
the death penalty once it's imposed. We can't examine this unless we raise 
the issue, and I think conservatives should be as willing to raise it as 
liberals.

If discussing the issue allows racists of any color to claim that blacks 
commit more crimes, well, I don't think that should prevent anyone from 
raising the point.  Racists will use this as eagerly as they use other 
arguments. We can't remain silent because we're worried how they may 
misrepresent facts.

Finally, I must disagree with your straw-man description of opponents of the 
death penalty on racial grounds "tacitly approving racist life-time 
incarcerations over against racist executions."  That's a remarkable 
generalization, and an untrue one.  I certainly don't approve of racist life 
sentences for any innocent person.

Mike Rush made a comment about requiring affirmative action being used to 
get more white people on death row.  It's an argument I've seen before, and 
I don't believe that it's what Garrett was getting at. I oppose the death 
penalty, but I think if we're going to have it, it should be applied evenly. 
  When people of one race are more likely to be executed than people of 
other races, when they've committed the same crime, the penalty is not being 
evenly applied.  People of all political persuasions ought to be able to 
recognize that.

Sunil




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