A convicted murderer was put to death Friday in the nation’s 1,000th execution since capital punishment resumed in 1977.
Kenneth Lee Boyd, 57, received a lethal injection and was pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m., said state Department of Correction spokeswoman Pam Walker. Boyd was convicted of killing his estranged wife and father-in-law in 1988.
His death came after both Gov. Mike Easley and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene and stop the execution.
U.S. Executes 1,000th Person Since 1977
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December 2, 2005
Thou Shall Not Kill
Comments
As one whose husband and mother-in-law have died the victims of murder assassination, I stand firmly and unequivocally opposed to the death penalty for those convicted of capital offenses. An evil deed is not redeemed by an evil deed of retaliation. Justice is never advanced in the taking of a human life. Morality is never upheld by a legalized murder.
– Corretta Scott King
Posted by: Outraged | Dec 2 2005 13:36 utc | 1
Family mourns Nguyen at Singapore service
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It is horrible…he was only 25 and much younger when he did drug trafficking…Punishment yes…but this is state’s crime…
Quote:
“To remember the fact that he was a person who sought to atone for his wrongdoing, he sought the forgiveness of the community, he sought to turn his life around, he sought to become a person of usefulness, but unfortunately the actions of the Singapore Government have prevented him from fulfilling those desires,” he said.
Father Hansen says he is proud of the compassion Australians have shown.
“People realise that what’s happed to Van is something that no civilised society should ever be prepared to tolerate,” he said.
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I don’t think I will ever again visit Singapore…I didn’t like their arrogance anyway…except for Singapore Airline that is great air company, I have to admit…
I wouldn’t know why but I never felt really good and secure in Asia…maybe just my xenophobia because of different culture that I don’t know too much about.
Posted by: vbo | Dec 2 2005 14:10 utc | 2
The death penalty and executions are the spectacular, polarising tip-of-the-iceberg of the US prison industry.
I sometimes think that crime is encouraged (particularly drugs) so that there are plenty of warm bodies available for that industry. Full time workers, low pay, no insurance, etc. – a great deal.
In effect a large part of prisoner’s ‘salaries’ (which goes mostly to buildings, guards, probation officers and all the rest that ensures they will sit still and work) is paid by the US taxpayer. A new, and very expensive and wasteful, form of slavery. I’m perpetually surprised that US taxpayers put up with this shit. (Here in CH we support the Pharma industry thu our taxes…people are catching on though…I hope…)
If the prisoners were freed and properly paid for what they do (I realise that is only some %) and the guards were sent home, every American would have money to spare and .. and .. according to free market tenets it would boost the economy tremendously, creating millions of jobs…entrepreneurship, all that. But would the ‘guards’ find work? …
That analysis must be faulty!
Anyway, to keep that system going it is necessary to flaunt Crime and Punishment and the ultimate horror (state ordered death) as a ‘societal’ issue, to be treated by quasi-philosophical argumentation, divorced from practical or financial matters. (I myself am against the death penalty.) Airy-fairy ethics will trump class issues everytime!
The underlying principle, which whites and the rich cannot give up, no matter how much it costs them in dollars, is that there are bad and poor people around and these must be controlled at gun point.
Posted by: Noisette | Dec 2 2005 18:09 utc | 3
As this lethal injection is just the tip of the US prison system, so the US prison system is just the tip of the overall government system, which is just political terrorism misused for the *destruction of the human life force*, first through taxation, then through physical control, finally, thought control,
and teetering on thought control into martial law.
Welcome to 1984. Please pass the f–k’g Kool-Aid.
Posted by: tante aime | Dec 3 2005 4:35 utc | 4
Re the Prison Industry – one way it allows them to keep prisons full – according to Barry Shenk(sp) – is it allows them to incarcerate innocent poor people for life. They threaten them w/the Death Penalty, and given that they can’t afford their own lawyer & will prob. be framed & executed, they’ll willingly plead guilty to life sentences for something they haven’t done.
Also, it redirects the murderous rage of the seriously fucked over lower classes onto an even more abused class – if you’ve ever heard a profile of the average person on death row, you’ll hear a heartbreaking tale..that’s before you throw in the Psychopaths (Scott Peterson), victims of racist prosecutions, etc.
But beyond that it provides cover for the Corporate Thieves. Ca. had an Outstanding Supreme Court under Rose Bird in the 70’s. It correctly saw it’s role as balancing the various interests & constituencies in crafting their decisions. The Thieves were just beginning their march to national power, and went into a hysterical rage at notion that anything should count except their Raging Greed, so they mounted a campaign to throw the liberals off the court. But running a campaign shrieking that the Court doesn’t allow them to steal Everything Always wouldn’t play terribly well in the court of public opinion. Presto, they ran continuous ads screaming that the liberals were “soft” on the Death Penalty. They won. It may have been an early test in finding an emotional issue to drive the disenfranchised to the polls to further agenda of the Kleptocrats.
Posted by: jj | Dec 3 2005 5:55 utc | 5
P.S. If anyone listened to the confirmation hearings of johnnie rotten roberts to scotus, you’ll probably remember that he considers it perfectly acceptable for the state to execute the innocent. One of the Dems. on the Comm. got him to admit it. When asked directly, he was p.c. enough to say No. But he admitted it immediately when asked about limiting appeals. After all, these scum shouldn’t be allowed to keep using our precious courts for their endless appeals..even if they are innocent. Quickie trial…pro forma appeal, then kill ’em.
Really Terrifying if you’ve heard how their “laws” define “terrorist”. johnnie rotten roberts is one sicko twisted schmuck – as an Opus Dei faggot to be would have to be.
Posted by: jj | Dec 3 2005 6:02 utc | 6