More than one person has told me in the last 24 hours that the case of
Edward N. Bell is driven by politics. And to some extent, they're
undoubtedly right.
It's an immutable fact of our representative democracy that criminal laws are made by elected officials. And where there are elections, politics follow close behind. As one of my first political science professors said many, many years ago, "Politics is how people decide who gets what in situations of limited quantities."
But in the case of Edward Bell, politics have been at the forefront for years. The most notable proof is this ad:
Former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore used Bell's case to attack then Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on the death penalty.
Kilgore's ads caused a stir when their first hit the airwaves. A number of observers, including the occupant of the Cheap Seats, thought they'd prove decisive in the 2005 tilt. And they were, just not in the way people thought. Team Kaine's deft handling of the situation proved to be the last nail in the coffin for GOP hopes.
Politics are everywhere. For better or worse, the art and science of people and how they vote impacts almost every aspect of our lives, from how much bread costs to where we build our houses to what kind of clothes we wear.
Even how, or if, we as a society hand out the ultimate punishment.
It's an immutable fact of our representative democracy that criminal laws are made by elected officials. And where there are elections, politics follow close behind. As one of my first political science professors said many, many years ago, "Politics is how people decide who gets what in situations of limited quantities."
But in the case of Edward Bell, politics have been at the forefront for years. The most notable proof is this ad:
Former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore used Bell's case to attack then Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on the death penalty.
Kilgore's ads caused a stir when their first hit the airwaves. A number of observers, including the occupant of the Cheap Seats, thought they'd prove decisive in the 2005 tilt. And they were, just not in the way people thought. Team Kaine's deft handling of the situation proved to be the last nail in the coffin for GOP hopes.
Politics are everywhere. For better or worse, the art and science of people and how they vote impacts almost every aspect of our lives, from how much bread costs to where we build our houses to what kind of clothes we wear.
Even how, or if, we as a society hand out the ultimate punishment.
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I have in my records of account many first hand situations of life and death. I served in the Armed Forces long enough to be qualified an expert with all of my weapons, and was well aware of why I had been given them. I volunteered for the tag and bag team when I was 17, and enlisted a year early. To serve on missions of the highest importance and secrecy is the highest honor a soldier can hope to earn from the Government in charge. I have never waivered from that understanding of being in position to take a life and still sleep well. It has made me a sound father of 2 and friend to many. Some people theorize that we should examine the persons aptitude for weapons before we actually issue them, and I being a master martial artist disagree. Within reason of insanity; Weapons teach young and older people alike what the capabilities for damage are to another human being by a choice that is made to injure. It's a very conscious choice and must be recognized to control ones impulse behavior. Impulse behavior to harm in a playful manner that many young people possess. My control over my physical self when I am faced with confrontation is very realized in me, because I am capable of killing a man with my strikes easily. If you wield a system of unforgiving terror ruled by the restraint of an army you will see situations unfold themselves right in front of you, and at the same time your reservation to strike with deadly force is only a thought being comanded by an action of great force. The action of great force is just a reflex1