Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 'Love will have the final word' Tuesday is Kiwanis International Day 10 things to know for Monday Getting a lift from climbing a tree Striking a balance Education Ashland schools expand chicken pox exclusion rules Students go behind the scenes at hospital Ashland robotics team aims to build a winner AHS ranked No. 7 by Niche College debt load balloons: What could, should be done? Environment The top five conservation success of 2014 Protestors want Keystone pipeline plans stopped New wandering wolf arrives in Southern Oregon Turning fire fuel threat into wood stove heat Ashland watershed trails would change under proposal Business Silvio Calabi: Ford Escape Still a Solid Player Ride & Drive: 2015 Cadillac Escalade Brammo bought by Polaris They have a plan Ashland coffee roasters win nationwide honors Politics and elections Chief Holderness retiring, wants to help find successor State News New wandering wolf arrives in Southern Oregon Police officer shoots armed driver near Reedsport Nation - World Obituaries Susan Lynne Schaffer Dolores M. Edwards Betty Jean Gee Death Notices Elizabeth Hope Garrett Shareable Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Sports Latest Stories Seahawks see need for improvement Springfield takes advantage of Ashland letdown Leonard's strong return powers Spurs past Blazers Mariota wins Manning award Respect: sock it to him High school Springfield takes advantage of Ashland letdown A Grizz sweep Comets press past Grizzlies Raiders put on a show Graham sparks Grizzly rout Southern Oregon University Springfield takes advantage of Ashland letdown Mariota wins Manning award Heisman winner Mariota says he's going to the NFL Buckeyes won title behind line play, Elliott and Jones Sayre says character key to SOU's success Opinion Latest Stories Letters to the Editor, Jan. 19 Chris Honoré: The Lewis Glacier on Mount Kenya — an elegy Our View: King's other message Herb Rothschild Jr.: King's provocation Kent Bush: Capital punishment raises questions Editorial Our View: King's other message Our View: A matter of survival Other Views: Get GMO rules right Our View: No benefit from LNG pipeline Our View: Putting slash to work Letters Letters to the Editor, Jan. 19 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 16 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 14 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 5 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Guest opinions Chris Honoré: The Lewis Glacier on Mount Kenya — an elegy Herb Rothschild Jr.: King's provocation Guest Opinion: Bikes, hikers/equestrians need separate watershed trails Guest Opinion: SOU biomass burner would be big mistake Guest Opinion: City hiring policy is fair, unbiased Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Community gathers for William Stafford celebration Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Cardenio' Best Bets: Jan. 15-22 A look at the life and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. 'Spotlight' highlights Orbison's life, music Theater Roy Orbison tribute hits high note Insights into the gifts theater offers off the stage Theater is an act of co-creation Music Roy Orbison tribute hits high note Jeff Kloetzel at Belle Fiore The Farr Side: Top 10 album count-up for 2014 Visual Art Schneider winter exhibits on tap: 'Baker's Dozen' and 'New Works' First Friday kicks off a new year Movies Interview: Jennifer Aniston works through her character’s pain in ‘Cake’ Movie review: ‘Blackhat’ is a frustrating 404 error Movie review: ‘A Most Violent Year’ is a gritty look at oily dealings in ’80s New York Movie review: Clint Eastwood shines as director in ‘American Sniper’ 'Selma' struggle remains relevant today Food and Drink Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Episode 18: Boomers' anti-establishment meetings now at senior center It Is What It Is: How to tell the difference between tattling and telling Kitchen Call: Try roasting these veggies Silvio Calabi: Ford Escape Still a Solid Player Get A Life: Make your universe a happy place Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business NEWS NOW Chris Honoré: The Lewis Glacier on Mount Kenya — an elegy ... Our View: King's other message ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: King's provocation ... Chris Honoré: The Lewis Glacier on Mount Kenya — an elegy ... Our View: King's other message ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: King's provocation ... Kent Bush: Capital punishment raises questions Comment By Kent Bush More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Jan. 16, 2015 @ 8:17 am Updated Jan 16, 2015 at 9:00 AM By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Jan. 16, 2015 @ 8:17 am Updated Jan 16, 2015 at 9:00 AM » Social News Asking the wrong questions always leads to the wrong answers. When considering the death penalty, the question may not be whether it is right or wrong, but is it worth the cost. Since the companies in the European Union that produce a key ingredient of the chemical cocktail used to carry out the death penalty began withholding them from the United States as a protest against their use in executions, the method used to exact the state’s most severe punishment has come back under fire. More than 35 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court signed off on the chemicals used in lethal injections. With sodium thiopental — the first drug used in the process that renders inmates deeply unconscious — being withheld by European companies, states that still use the death penalty are forced to use different combinations of drugs. Oklahoma and Ohio have both had difficult executions since the change in chemicals. Part of the problem appears to be the chemicals used and part in how they are administered. Thursday night, Oklahoma ended a nine-month hiatus from capital punishment when Charles Warner was executed. Warner earned his trip to death row by raping and killing the 11-month old daughter of his roommate. Because that crime landed him on death row, he hasn’t even been forced to stand trial for the abuse and rape of a 5-year-old girl. It is going to be difficult to convince me that anything we do to bring his life to an end was overly cruel or unusual. Warner did his best to convince courts and medical personnel that the process should be stopped. “Before I give my final statement, I’ll tell you they poked me five times. It hurt. It feels like acid,” he said as the execution process began. “I’m not a monster. I didn’t do everything they said I did. My body is on fire.” The only physical signs that Warner even felt the effects of the drugs was a slight twitching in his neck for a few minutes. That will make it hard to make a case that the punishment is cruel and or unusual. When compared to the crimes he was convicted of and accused of that he never faced trial for, I don’t expect an outpouring of sympathy. As a member of the media, I witnessed executions using the former combination of drugs. I never walked out of that chamber with any sympathy for the felon whose sentence was carried out. My focus has always been on those families whose last hope for closure came after the person who devastated their lives was finally out of the picture for good. I don’t think criminals have a constitutional right to know what chemicals will be used to fulfill their death sentence. The information should be a public record, but the fact that it isn’t doesn’t appear to violate Eighth Amendment protections. However, we don’t intentionally torture these convicts to death because we are not knit together with the same evil thread that became knotted in the consciousness of those facing the state’s ultimate punishment. I also wonder if death sentences accomplish any goal beyond vengeance. I understand the desire for vengeance, but is it worth the increased risk and costs involved? There are three arguments I would consider for abolishing the death penalty in its entirety. First, the death penalty is impossible to overturn if you find a mistake after the sentence is carried out. That’s a valid argument. However, that can be resolved easily enough by raising the bar even higher when deciding which cases are eligible for the death penalty. Second, the death penalty tends to be more attractive to juries considering the fate of minority defendants — especially minority defendant accused of crimes against white people. The executions I witnessed were white males. But statistics show that poor minorities face a far greater likelihood of being executed. Being represented by court-appointed counsel with limited budgets compared to private practice defense attorneys obviously plays a role in this inequity. Once again, the argument is valid but could be easily — if not inexpensively — resolved. The final argument that is exemplified in the recent Oklahoma actions will never be resolved. Thanks to the severity of the punishment, and the fact that no one wants to execute the wrong person, death row inmates have increased access to courts and that is very expensive. It can cost four times as much to try a suspect facing the death penalty. It usually costs far more to house them and hear their appeals and motions as well. I have no problem with the death penalty, but I am willing to consider whether life in jail with no chance for parole wouldn’t be a less risky and more efficient way to punish the worst among us. Kent Bush is publisher of Shawnee News-Star, and can be reached at [email protected]. By Kent Bush More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Jan. 16, 2015 @ 8:17 am Updated Jan 16, 2015 at 9:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501