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The Supreme Court saved the lives of many raped children in the United States today. Politicians, ever on the lookout for ways to prove how tough they are on crime from time to time pass legislation ensuring the initiator of force will murder their victim(s) rather than leave them behind sobbing, terrified and scarred. They do this for votes.
Such has been the historical case when the rape of a woman, or rape for the third time, or rape of a child, et cetera has brought about the death penalty upon conviction. As any criminal well knows, it is much, much harder to prove a crime without a victim's testimony. If the penalties for murder are the same as the crime one has perpetrated, then murdering your victim makes perfect rational sense to eliminate the witness of your crime.
How many strangled or stabbed rape victims have been left behind at some Congressman's behest? Plenty. Which is why those laws came noisily and eventually went quietly -- because no Congressman wants to be seen as soft on crime -- after the innocent bodies had piled up along with problematic trials.
So politicians do what they always do; pass legislation, grandly puff up their chests in front of a group of supplicant media and plan on letting the courts strike down their unconstitutional legislation.
Such has been the historical case when the rape of a woman, or rape for the third time, or rape of a child, et cetera has brought about the death penalty upon conviction. As any criminal well knows, it is much, much harder to prove a crime without a victim's testimony. If the penalties for murder are the same as the crime one has perpetrated, then murdering your victim makes perfect rational sense to eliminate the witness of your crime.
How many strangled or stabbed rape victims have been left behind at some Congressman's behest? Plenty. Which is why those laws came noisily and eventually went quietly -- because no Congressman wants to be seen as soft on crime -- after the innocent bodies had piled up along with problematic trials.
So politicians do what they always do; pass legislation, grandly puff up their chests in front of a group of supplicant media and plan on letting the courts strike down their unconstitutional legislation.
Then they get to hold another press conference, beat their chests at the liberal, outrageously soft on crime judges.
Meanwhile the weak and defenseless, such as kids, pay for those votes. Remember that the next time you meet a legislator, or think your legislator, governor or mayor is pretty good.
Meanwhile the weak and defenseless, such as kids, pay for those votes. Remember that the next time you meet a legislator, or think your legislator, governor or mayor is pretty good.
And in case you had not heard, the U.S. Supreme Court just ruled the death penalty is for murderers only. As much as I oppose the death penalty, I am glad of this for the lives it will save. It blocks the temptation to expand the death penalty into crimes other than murder, to go after say businessmen engaged in non-tax generating exchanges, also known as "drug kingpins." Oh wait, we already do....
Powell Gammill is the Senior Editor of Freedom's Phoenix, and his column originally appeared here.
