Texas executes white supremacist who dragged black man to death

[SaysWho?]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-william-king-execution-texas-man-executed-today-dragging-james-byrd-jr-to-death-hate-crime-2019-04-24/

 

Quote

An avowed racist who orchestrated one of the most gruesome hate crimes in U.S. history was executed Wednesday in Texas for the dragging death of a black man. John William King, who was white, received lethal injection for the slaying nearly 21 years ago of James Byrd Jr., who was chained to the back of a truck and dragged for nearly 3 miles along a secluded road in the piney woods outside Jasper, Texas.
 

The 49-year-old Byrd was alive for at least 2 miles before his body was ripped to pieces in the early morning hours of June 7, 1998.

 

Prosecutors said Byrd was targeted because he was black. King was openly racist and had offensive tattoos on his body, including one of a black man with a noose around his neck hanging from a tree, according to authorities.

 

Quote

King kept his eyes closed as witnesses arrived in the death chamber and never turned his head toward relatives of his victim. Asked by Warden Bill Lewis if he had a final statement, King replied: "No."

 

Within seconds, the lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital began taking effect. He took a few barely audible breaths and had no other movement. He was pronounced dead at 7:08 p.m. CDT, 12 minutes after the drug began.

 

[Remarkableriots]

He deserved to be executed for such a hideous crime.

[Mr.Vic20]

I get why we can't keep the death penalty as a system, but can we bring it back here and there for "special" chromosomal car wrecks like this guy? 

[Guest]

I still have vivid memories of seeing the news about Byrd being murdered. Having a black dad who occasionally had jobs out in east Texas left that story really doing a number on me emotionally.

 

Byrd’s son is actually part of a victim’s family organization that opposes the death penalty and he has advocated for not killing his father’s murderers. A more decent man than most.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

I'm anti-death penalty in practice, but for this scum's case, good riddance. 

[Bloodporne]

Cases like these are when I believe in hardcore Catholic eye-for-an-eye rhetoric suddenly and felt upset at the fact he was granted such a merciful death relatively speaking. 

 

 

[CayceG]

I'm still against the death penalty, even despite his actions. This is not justice. 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, CayceG said:

I'm still against the death penalty, even despite his actions. This is not justice. 

What makes it unjust in your view?

[Keyser_Soze]

I'd say you suffer longer if you stay in prison for life but maybe he's been in prison so long it no longer feels like a punishment for him.

[CayceG]

46 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

What makes it unjust in your view?

 

I don't believe that "murdering people back" is justice. 

[Joe]

Also, I think it's weird if you find the death penalty cruel, but not for especially sick individuals. Please show us your grotesque crime scale.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

9 hours ago, Bloodporne said:

Cases like these are when I believe in hardcore Catholic eye-for-an-eye rhetoric suddenly and felt upset at the fact he was granted such a merciful death relatively speaking. 

"An eye-for-an-eye" is most certainly NOT Catholic rhetoric or doctrine.

 

Unlike the Protestant heresy, Catholicism is consistent in its "pro-life" stance: opposed to abortion, opposed to euthanasia, and opposed to the death penalty.

[Bloodporne]

25 minutes ago, SFLUFAN said:

Psssstttt - "an eye-for-an-eye" is most certainly NOT Catholic rhetoric or doctrine.

It seems to me there is a very Old Testament biblical angle to the justice system and death penalty specifically in America, that's what I was saying. I can't fact-check every figure of speech I throw out in a quick post. I went to Catholic all-boys school and remembered the verse in Exodus, seems to mirror what goes on here to me. 

 

And I'm sure that was your intention but that "psssttt" thing is incredibly condescending and unnecessary. I'm clearly not as educated as yourself on many subjects but that doesn't mean I should be spoken down to.

 

Edit: Since you edited your post, nevermind I guess?

[Guest]

53 minutes ago, CayceG said:

 

I don't believe that "murdering people back" is justice. 

You essentially already said that in your first response. I am asking why is that not justice from your point of view?

 

I think it is just in the most plain meaning of the word. It is a fair thing to lose your life for taking the life of an innocent person.

 

But sometimes what is just is not what is best. I think the ideal should always be to treat people better than they deserve. I reject capital punishment because society can be better than than simple justice.

[SilentWorld]

Holy shit this happened in 1998 what the fuck. I remember hearing something about this when I was a kid but I always thought it was something that happened in the 60s.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

51 minutes ago, Bloodporne said:

It seems to me there is a very Old Testament biblical angle to the justice system and death penalty specifically in America, that's what I was saying. I can't fact-check every figure of speech I throw out in a quick post. I went to Catholic all-boys school and remembered the verse in Exodus, seems to mirror what goes on here to me. 

 

And I'm sure that was your intention but that "psssttt" thing is incredibly condescending and unnecessary. I'm clearly not as educated as yourself on many subjects but that doesn't mean I should be spoken down to.

 

Edit: Since you edited your post, nevermind I guess?

Yes, it was incredibly condescending and unnecessary which is why I self-corrected   Most sincere apologies from me!

 

In regard to the justice system in the United States, it's important to realize that the US was founded as a largely Protestant country and not a Catholic one.  This means that the Protestant preference for "Old Testament justice" was/is the guiding force in what constitutes the basis for "American justice".

[Bloodporne]

56 minutes ago, SFLUFAN said:

Yes, it was incredibly condescending and unnecessary which is why I self-corrected   Most sincere apologies from me!

 

In regard to the justice system in the United States, it's important to realize that the US was founded as a largely Protestant country and not a Catholic one.  This means that the Protestant preference for "Old Testament justice" was/is the guiding force in what constitutes the basis for "American justice".

I used it more as a figure of speech based on my background, should've said biblical instead. 

[CayceG]

1 hour ago, sblfilms said:

You essentially already said that in your first response. I am asking why is that not justice from your point of view?

 

I think it is just in the most plain meaning of the word. It is a fair thing to lose your life for taking the life of an innocent person.

 

But sometimes what is just is not what is best. I think the ideal should always be to treat people better than they deserve. I reject capital punishment because society can be better than than simple justice.

 

I agree with your third line. That's basically why I think this. 

[TheGreatGamble]

5 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

I'd say you suffer longer if you stay in prison for life but maybe he's been in prison so long it no longer feels like a punishment for him.

The justice system isn’t supposed to be about causing suffering. Though that is what it’s become

 

5 hours ago, CayceG said:

 

I don't believe that "murdering people back" is justice. 

In cases like this, I do.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

6 hours ago, Jose said:

Also, I think it's weird if you find the death penalty cruel, but not for especially sick individuals. Please show us your grotesque crime scale.

Did someone make that suggestion in this thread?

[Joe]

34 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Did someone make that suggestion in this thread?

 

You missed Vic's post?

[CastlevaniaNut18]

30 minutes ago, Jose said:

 

You missed Vic's post?

I guess I didn't quite interpret it that way. 

 

In my view, I don't necessarily have a moral objection to in for certain cases. That scope is very narrow, though. Some people I'm just not concerned if they no longer breathe air on this earth. 

 

However, there are numerous problems with implementing the death penalty in a fair and unbiased manner, it's super expensive and we still run into issues where people are executed in a rather inhumane manner. So in practice I generally oppose it. 

 

I guess that's how I took Vic's comment. He can feel free to elaborate on his statement, though. I could be wrong. @Mr.Vic20

[Mr.Vic20]

Yup, that’s my take. I accept that some people shouldn’t Draw breath, but I also accept we rarely have the objectivity, wisdom, and sense to determine the line at which death is warranted. Additionally, we have a “justice” system that is deeply imperfect and fairly racist. For those reasons, I think the death penalty should go away. I can’t deny thought that i’m Not going to lose sleep over this guy not being on Earth anymore though. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Glad I had the right interpretation!

[Joe]

49 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

I guess I didn't quite interpret it that way. 

 

In my view, I don't necessarily have a moral objection to in for certain cases. That scope is very narrow, though. Some people I'm just not concerned if they no longer breathe air on this earth. 

 

However, there are numerous problems with implementing the death penalty in a fair and unbiased manner, it's super expensive and we still run into issues where people are executed in a rather inhumane manner. So in practice I generally oppose it. 

 

I guess that's how I took Vic's comment. He can feel free to elaborate on his statement, though. I could be wrong. @Mr.Vic20

 

What are the certain cases you dont have an objection to? 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Just now, Jose said:

 

What are the certain cases you dont have an objection to? 

I thought I made myself fairly clear. And I've detailed my thoughts on the death penalty in numerous threads. 

 

 

[Dodger]

I think what Jose is trying to say is, just how much of a jerk do you have to be get the death penalty? Racist who tortures black guy to death, gets death penalty. But maybe the guy who walks into a 7-11, shoots the cashier in the head and walks out with the register money doesn't get it. It just now creates this weird gray area of who should get it and who should not, and now you're drawing a weird line on what murderers should be murdered back for their crimes.

[Joe]

If you have a moral objection to the death penalty in some cases, you should have it in all cases. 

[skillzdadirecta]

I don't have a problem with the death penalty at all in theory... in practice in this country? Yeah abolish it. Our Justice System is FAR too fucked up to have that kind of ultimate authority. I wonder how many completely innocent people have been executed in this country regardless of race. ONE is too many.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

9 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

I don't have a problem with the death penalty at all in theory... in practice in this country? Yeah abolish it. Our Justice System is FAR too fucked up to have that kind of ultimate authority. I wonder how many completely innocent people have been executed in this country regardless of race. ONE is too many.

The sheer disproportionality of the level of "justice" that is available to someone in this country solely as a result of their race and/or class negates any notion that the death penalty should even be a remote option. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

23 minutes ago, Dodger said:

I think what Jose is trying to say is, just how much of a jerk do you have to be get the death penalty? Racist who tortures black guy to death, gets death penalty. But maybe the guy who walks into a 7-11, shoots the cashier in the head and walks out with the register money doesn't get it. It just now creates this weird gray area of who should get it and who should not, and now you're drawing a weird line on what murderers should be murdered back for their crimes.

I think there are some crimes so horrific and the perpetrators so unremorseful and they can't be rehabilitated. In which case, I'm fine with locking them away from society for the rest of their lives, but if they no longer breathe air, then I'm not gonna get torn up about it. 

 

Like I said, I've detailed my thoughts on the death penalty numerous times.

22 minutes ago, Jose said:

If you have a moral objection to the death penalty in some cases, you should have it in all cases. 

Okay, but did you read what I actually wrote?

[Joe]

I feel like I'm coming as as a Boyle here so apologies, but I really dont understand where the line is where we care if some killers die, but not others.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

4 minutes ago, Jose said:

I feel like I'm coming as as a Boyle here so apologies, but I really dont understand where the line is where we care if some killers die, but not others.

"Caring" whether or not an individual such as this lives or dies doesn't necessarily have a direct correlation as to one's belief that they SHOULD live or die.

[legend]

36 minutes ago, Dodger said:

I think what Jose is trying to say is, just how much of a jerk do you have to be get the death penalty? 

 

Although this is often how we think about the practice of "justice" I don't think it's the right way. It should not be about what someone did, it should be about how our response to it protects society from further action of the individual and deters other individuals from similar behavior.  The past has already happened. You can't change it. Our decisions and policy should therefore only be based on the future impacts of the policy.

 

35 minutes ago, Jose said:

If you have a moral objection to the death penalty in some cases, you should have it in all cases. 

 

Only if you think "moral" reasoning must be deontological and devoid of context. There are scenarios in which killing someone may have a better outcome than all other responses. Given the various constraints and contexts of our society, I don't think a death penalty legal policy is practically the best, however.

[Joe]

7 minutes ago, SFLUFAN said:

"Caring" whether or not an individual such as this lives or dies doesn't necessarily have a direct correlation as to one's belief that they SHOULD live or die.

 

It's not about not caring whether they live or die. When that piece of shit dies, I wont care. But I'll certainly care that the government killed him, if that makes sense