Mass. House Defeats Death Penalty Bill

Mass. House Defeats Death Penalty Bill
Massachusetts House Defeats Death Penalty Bill Put Forward by Gov. Mitt Romney
By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

BOSTON Nov 15, 2005 — House lawmakers on Tuesday soundly rejected a bill put forward by Gov. Mitt Romney to restore capital punishment in Massachusetts.

Romney had said the bill had strict safeguards and would seek the death penalty only in "very, very rare circumstances," such as terrorism, serial killing or murdering police officers or other public servants.

But critics said innocent people could still have been put to death.
The House defeated the bill on a 99-to-53 vote. The Senate has not debated the bill.

Romney, who is weighing a Republican presidential run in 2008, said his plan would have set the nation's highest standard of proof for ensuring that only the guilty were executed, using scientific evidence such as DNA and multiple checks and balances, including review by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
(snip/...)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter/wireStory?id=1316558

And yay for them for putting that bill down!

But Mitt the shitt did run well to the left of where he sits his pearly ass now. He actually said he had NO intention of trying to change the pro choice attitude up this way while running--he was pretty emphatic, too. Much later, he decided no, he was an anti-choice type.

The bastard is TOAST. He is going down if he stupid enough to run again. Seriously, they could run any sleazy crony out of a jail cell, and he would beat Mitt.

I don't know a soul who likes the slick, slimy bum.

...it made me smile!!!!!!!

on quite a number of things since taking office. a lot of these shifts have to do with his consideration of a presidential run. in the past year or two he's leaped to the right, not that he was any good to begin with.

mitt, not matt

Here's the lesson,

The Massachusetts state legislature is overwhelmingly controlled by Dems.
It has often described as "all democrats all the time". This invites some unsavory doings by party officials. Last election for governor they did not put forward or support a fresh new face but a party operative. Ask anyone from Mass. about the hijinks of Tom Finneran of Billy Bulger. For these reasons Mass. voters have not been entirely trustful of giving the Dems. control of the Mass. house, Senate, and Governor's office. As a result voters tended to vote for Repubs as means of balancing the power of the Dems. Although they tended to favor Repub centrists or moderates like Bill Weld.

When "Mitt the Shit" was elected it did not take voters long to realize what he was really about. His popularity has been on steady downhill slide ever since. In Mitt's eyes being governor of Mass. was merely a necessary evil in his path to running for President, kind of like a teenager taking out the garbage or mowing the lawn. He could also use his term as trumpet in other states "Hey, I was a repub governor in the Bluest of the Blue states. Vote for me!"

Massachusetts has always had a conflict with the Death Penalty. A tendency that puts the death penalty, not as a form of justice, but a form of retribution. I also think that Mass. voters might be aware that the death penalty can mix with politics, in which NOBODY is safe and the real possibility of the wrong person being put in the gas chamber weighs them against it.

The ruleing was basicaly that he was not allowed to run under MA law but hey lets... "let the voters decide"... what was the point of that law again?? oh right... Make sure we DONT let the voters decide.

Mitt sucks.

I was born here, was gone a lot, but always wanted to come on home.

Now, in geezerdom, I get my wish! Pure joy!

Aren't conservatives always the ones griping over the cost of social programs? Well, it seems they put aside their frugality when it comes to their impulse for DEATH!

Imagine the extra legal costs for supreme court review, DNA tests and other 'checks and balances'. Not to mention the inevitable state and federal appeals that follow a capital conviction. It would be cheaper to house all the murderers in the Hilton with room service, than enact this procedure! And, for what benefit? Please, don't waste money trying to satisfy your dark-ages sense of justice.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

I wonder if Mass Repubs and conservatives will ever figure out that the good people of Massachusetts are not clamoring for a death penalty. (It never comes up at my Town Meeting. "Oh yeah, we need an additional $20,000 for the cops, $150,000 for the schools, and, oh yeah, could we please have a Death Penalty. Richie overcharged me again for that car battery and I want a strong deterrent.")

Gawd, every dozen years or so somebody suggests that answer to all crime in Mass would be a death penalty. After the whole Salem thing and Sacco and Vanzetti, well, I don't think it worked out too good for us in the past. I think they should hang it up. We don't need a death penalty. (More money for schools, well, that's another matter.)

Gov. Romney is a reject.

Always in the wake of some brutal or horrific murder. It surfaced when Charles Stewart shot his pregnant wife for insurance money. It surfaced again a few years ago when a young woman was brutally attacked and strangled in the Cape Cod Canal area. Despite it all they keep the Death Penalty at bay.

One note: For those of you who may not know about the Charles Stewart murder case above. He jumped off a bridge in Boston to his death before law enforcement could arrest him. Although it is well known they were definitely on to him and were likely hours away from his arrest.

Criminal investigation in Massachusetts is a mess,
especially in Boston. Mass. has seen several
high profile investigations corrupted
by police misconduct or bungled lab work.

Full disclosure: I am against the death penalty.

Hey Mittens, are you ready to guarantee us more
honest cops and more competent lab technicians?
Until then, please don't insult our intelligence
with a foolproof death penalty.

Go Massachusetts! :bounce:

promoting him for prez in '08. http://www.cafepress.com/progopgear/798707

Thats true in vertualy every jurisdiction including at the FBI.

No way we can fairly administer the death penalty.
No way we can be 100% sure of guilt.
Its more expensive than the alternative.
I have never seen any well documented proff that it affects crime rates.

Hate to fill certain people in on it (read conservatives) but people who are about to kill other people... they don't tend to think about the concequences and certainly don't think they will suffer them (ie get caught) otherwise life in our shitty jails would be a very strong deterant.

We're just waiting for the rest of the country to join us!

Good news indeed.

...that I am now against the death penalty.

I applaud this decision!