quick note

sorry, i mistakenly disabled comments for my last few posts. fixed! please comment away folks.

kinda-sorta lethal injection

ok, so it was indeed a lethal injection, and stanley williams, the co-founder of the crips, did indeed die. but this article indicates that he wasn't pronounced dead until 34 minutes after the injection and that there were complications in getting the injection into williams. most people probably think nothing of this, but it really bothers me because i thought lethal injection was the "humane" way for the government to kill its prisoners. didn't we eliminate other form of capital punishment because they could be considered cruel and unusual punishment? and if lethal injection is the best way to put someone to death, why does it take over a half an hour. my guess is that it may appear more humane to the on-looker, but it certainly doesn't feel quick and painless.

every time i read about someone being put to death (albeit not very often, because many states have stopped using the death penalty altogether) it brings the whole capital punishment debate to the forefront of my mind. since the sixth grade, i have been against the death penalty. i was in an academically-gifted program called ACE (academic curriculum enrichment) where we has to choose a side on a specific topic and have a mock debate. i researched the topic in our library and on the computer (at school, because we had no internet at home yet). at that point, i decided i was against the death penalty. though, i already knew i didn't like the idea of killing people, it was a decision i made because of the numbers and facts surrounding the death penalty. it statistically has never been a deterrent to murder, it is not cost effective, and at the time, in nj alone, approximately 25 cases (23 exactly, i think), had evidence appear that may have proven people innocent after their execution. that being said, i still feel this way and think that every time i read more info and articles regarding the topic, my position is solidified.

tell me how it can be right for a government to kill someone. from a functional point of view (i personally am somewhat of a functionalist when it comes to law), it doesn't matter what it right and wrong, but rather it matters what works and is good for society. i am not sure at all that capital punishment has ever adequately served its purpose in history. i have never seen one example that it can deter crime, more specifically murder. serial killers make a point to get caught in states where they will be put to death quickly and efficiently. ted bundy got caught on purpose in florida, so that he would be put to death for his crimes. true, the man would never be able to kill again, but killing him didn't accomplish anything other than taking his life. did murder rates go down? did people think twice about murdering someone because of the imminence of the death penalty?

then, you look at someone like williams. he was convicted of 3 or 4 murders, which he claims to be innocent on. but that isn't to say that he states he never killed anyone. he was a violent criminal who started one of the most infamous and dangerous gangs in american (perhaps, world) history. but in prison he became an anti-gang activist and made a difference in how people view and work with gangs. he shed light on gang mentality and discouraged youth from joining. this is quite an accomplishment. then, we put him to death, silencing a now-positive voice, that could have made much more difference than another body in the morgue.

what do you think? is the death penalty administered fairly? if reformed, could it be more effective? is it simply outdated and useless? what would better penalties be? am i way off base in saying that the death penalty is immoral and ineffective? tell me what you think.

crap filter

i have a few posts in the works, but in the mean time please check out my writings on crap filter.

recent articles (all music related):
not bad, not folk-ing bad at all
someone sign these guys
taste the mint
diy ethic and beautiful music
not all indy music has to end in "-core"

so stay tuned for a new post on here by the end of the week and more posts on crap filter.

class isn't enough, but it sure counts for a lot

as an eagles fan, it is safe to assume that i am not very happy with this year's football season. though i attribute the failures of this season to two men, terrell owens and drew rosenhaus, it is fair to say that even without the t.o. drama there are tons of other things going wrong this season. our franchise man and one of the league's best quarterbacks is out for the season, and previous to his being placed on the injured list he wasn't healthy enough to actually play like the real donocan mcnabb can. now, brian westbrook is done for the season... i am okay with that because the loss to the seahawks thwarted ANY chance of a playoff run. and though the season is just for dignity and a chance at ending the season as a .500 team, no team handles things with more calss than the eagles.

yesterday, i watched andy reid's press conference on comcast sportsnet. he said that if anyone wasnted to point fingers, start with him. how classy is that? in essence he is saying, "forget the drama, the injuries, and how my players are playing, just talk to me and i'll handle the rest." he is saying to just keep the blame on him, he doesn't pass the buck or retailate against media attacks. this is so different from so many of the nfl's coaches. bill parcells, revered as such a great coach, is now coaching his team to a very possible playoff birth, but this wasn't the case just a year ago. when his young team dropped 3 games in a row, he didn't say "i'll take the blame," but rather he said "the team sucks." he said that the team he coached SUCKED. that is not class, it's barely even keeping your job in my eyes. if i was jerry jones, he'd have been suspended for saying anything like that. a coach can't put all of the blame on his players, especially a team that is very young, like his was.

so, to sum up my post: being an eagles fan this year is hard, but the team is very respectable. they aren't going to pack it in, but they are going to struggle. even if they can't pull out the .500 season, the organization's class and strength has been shown this year. i am proud to be an eagles fan... but i'm ready to gear up for the 2005-2006 season and not look back.

ps. thanks for reading my blog folks. i didn't know that anyone actually read this, but i have been using an analytics program to see how many hits i get and i was wrong to think that no one reads this. quite a few people do, so thanks. and with that in mind, i will try my hardest to get posting more often, and hopefully some post with more substance again soon. cheers!