A few days ago, the United States Supreme Court accepted a Kentucky case regarding the death penalty. There have been several screw-ups in recent lethal injection executions, including one where it took the condemned man nearly 30 minutes to die. The Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether lethal injections constitute "cruel and unusal punishment".
When the high court agreed to hear the Kentucky case, most states put their scheduled executions on hold until the case has been decided. But not Texas. Our state government is far too bloodthirsty for that.
Texas has already put 405 inmates to death using lethal injections, and Attorney General Greg Abbott says he sees no reason to put "an abrupt halt to the Texas executions". However, he may not have any choice in the matter.
The Supreme Court has already delayed the execution of an Irving man, and may well stop other scheduled executions in Texas until they decide the Kentucky case. They will just have to stop them one at a time, as each inmate's attorney takes his case to the court.
Since the Supreme Court will probably stop the executions one at a time, it seems silly for Texas to keep scheduling them. It just makes our state look bad. No one is asking Texas not to execute these condemned men -- just to delay the executions until the court verdict is rendered a few months from now.
Our state Republican leadership is just playing a game with Texas voters. They know they will probably not be able to carry out any executions, but scheduling them appeals to their death-loving political base.
Is there anything these right-wingers won't play politics with?
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