YADPR - Yet Another Death Penalty Rant

I heard Ronn Owens of our local KGO Radio (ABC) discuss the Tookie Williams's execution - most listeners were outraged that someone would linger - spending precious taxpayers' money - for more than twenty years in Death Row. "Kill the bastard already!" "Five years should be enough due process", etc.

Now, here is someone who is innocent, and spent 21 years in prison, and has recently been set free:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=politics&id=3828805

If we had waited five years, would we have killed an innocent man? Is killing innocent people in the very blood of mankind? We call it collateral damage when we send missiles into Pakistan trying to kill terrorists - it seems worth it.

Judge Alito failed to answer the question of whether execution of an innocent violates his Constitutional Rights. Is Government-sanctioned murder (can the execution of an innocent be anything else) a violation of Amendment VIII - Cruel and Unusual Punishment? Surely, Death is a cruel and unusual punishment for a crime the executed victim didn't commit; yes, they become a murdered victim at that point, wouldn't you agree?

Alito puts the onus of proof on the accused - innocent until proven guilty, yet once convicted, guilty until proven innocent.

Alito: "Well, that is the ultimate tragedy that could possibly occur in a criminal justice system. We should do everything we can to prevent that from ever occurring." In my mind, "everything we can to prevent that from every occurring" equates to the abolition of the Death Penalty.

Here is an audio link (realPlayer) from Alito's confirmation hearings (12-January-2006):

http://audio.pbs.org:8080/ramgen/newshour/expansion/2006/01/12/alito/20060112_leahy28.rm?altplay=20060112_leahy28.rm