The UN World Court recently ordered a stay of execution for Texas death row inmate Jose Medellin.  The rationale being that, as an illegal alien, he should have had access to the Mexican consulate after his arrest for the rape and murders of two teenage girls in 1993.

Texas' response?  They're executing Mr. Medellin on August 5, 2008 regardless.

Texas to World Court: Execution still on
July 17, 2008

Texas is refusing to bow to yesterday's World Court order to stay the Aug. 5 lethal injection of convicted rapist-killer and illegal alien Jose Medellin.

The highest U.N. court insisted that five scheduled executions of Mexicans be immediately halted until the cases undergo further review. Mexico's government filed a petition with the court last month because it said the men had been deprived of assistance from their consulates following their arrests.

According to Geneva Convention rules, illegal aliens must have access to their national consulates once they have been detained.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry's office rejected Mexico's complaint.

"The world court has no standing in Texas, and Texas is not bound by a ruling or edict from a foreign court," Perry spokesman Robert Black said. "It is easy to get caught up in discussions of international law and justice and treaties. It's very important to remember that these individuals are on death row for killing our citizens."

Randy Ertman, father of Jennifer, a 14-year-old girl Medellin raped and murdered, criticized the World Court for attempting to intervene.

"The world court don't mean diddly," he said. "This business belongs in the state of Texas. The people of the state of Texas support the execution. We thank them. The rest of them can go to h-ll."

Adolfo Peña, father of Elizabeth, a 16-year-old girl Medellin also raped and murdered, concurred with Ertman.

"I believe we've been through all the red tape we can go through," he told the Houston Chronicle. "It's time to rock and roll."

Source

Since when can Texas act as a separate nation?  They haven't been one since before the Mexican-American war.  Besides America is part of the UN.  I find it interesting that you resort to something like this to give yourself a rise. 

Since when can Texas act as a separate nation?  They haven't been one since before the Mexican-American war.  Besides America is part of the UN.  I find it interesting that you resort to something like this to give yourself a rise. 


Uh... Texas can do this because the United States Supreme Court says that they can.  The Federal Government currently does not have jurisdiction on this matter.  In fact under current laws, George W. Bush himself cannot pardon this scum-bag-no-good-murdering-waste-of-DNA because he was not convicted of any federal crime.

Texas authorities ought to put the murderer's dead body in a dumpster and ship it to The Hague.  On a nice hot summer day.

Uh... Texas can do this because the United States Supreme Court says that they can.  The Federal Government currently does not have jurisdiction on this matter.  In fact under current laws, George W. Bush himself cannot pardon this scum-bag-no-good-murdering-waste-of-DNA because he was not convicted of any federal crime.

Texas authorities ought to put the murderer's dead body in a dumpster and ship it to The Hague.  On a nice hot summer day.


Was that a case dealing with this one incident?  I think I remember that one.  I'm going to assume that he is being charged with a crime against the state.  Plus the fact that he is an illegal immigrant.  The anti-immigration platform is going to have a ball with this one.

It's very difficult for me to sympathize with a murderer and/or rapist.  It's also very difficult for me to sympathize with an illegal.  Finally, I think we should leave the U.N., because it's utterly useless anyway.

So, kudos to Texas.

  While I oppose the death penalty, the UN ordering us around gives me the creeps, but anyway...

  The US is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions.  Texas should follow procedure...

  Actually, while I'm thinking about it, Mexico should just take Texas back.  I'd be the first to sell it to them...for a penny...    
 

Uh, other countries think it's not OK to execute people.  We're one of the last hold-outs since the death penalty was phased out of most other judicial systems starting in the 1950s or earlier.  I'm not telling you capital punishment is one thing or the other.  I'm just saying even South Africa doesn't do this crap anymore!  Yeah, it's gonna get other countries mad.  The other states, even the ones that have the death penalty, don't practice it to anywhere near the extent Texas does.  Connecticut's had one execution in the last 50 years or something. 

But isn't the merry "screw you" part of the Texas image.  Don't mess with Texas! You don't like Texas git the heeelll out!
8)

  While I oppose the death penalty, the UN ordering us around gives me the creeps, but anyway...

  The US is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions.  Texas should follow procedure...


I agree, in that the UN has no right to order any nation around.  Especially in a case like this.  It is a clear case of a crime (a very violent and horiffic crime) comitted in this nation.  It is not an international crime.  And I do not have much reason to listen to them, considering all the horiffic crimes that the UN regularly ignores (such as declairing the slaugher in Darfur was not genocide, and China regularly executing "thought crimes" with a joke tribunal and no appeal).

And the Geneva Convention?  That is an international treaty that deals with war crimes and the law of war.  Unless these scumbags are trying to claim they raped and murdered a child during a time of war or conflict, I simply don't see how this applies. 

Uh, other countries think it's not OK to execute people.  We're one of the last hold-outs since the death penalty was phased out of most other judicial systems starting in the 1950s or earlier.  I'm not telling you capital punishment is one thing or the other.  I'm just saying even South Africa doesn't do this crap anymore!  Yeah, it's gonna get other countries mad.  The other states, even the ones that have the death penalty, don't practice it to anywhere near the extent Texas does.  Connecticut's had one execution in the last 50 years or something. 


Virginia has more executions per capita than Texas.

Anyway, many Asain countries, especially China, and Middle Eastern countries have the death penalty.  The "rest of the world" crowd seems to think the "rest of the world" is just Canada and Europe.

Virginia has more executions per capita than Texas.

Anyway, many Asain countries, especially China, and Middle Eastern countries have the death penalty.  The "rest of the world" crowd seems to think the "rest of the world" is just Canada and Europe.
So we are the last of the hold-outs along with China and the Middle East? - We're in great company  ::)

So we are the last of the hold-outs along with China and the Middle East? - We're in great company  ::)


Karma+1 :)

  While I oppose the death penalty, the UN ordering us around gives me the creeps, but anyway...

  The US is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions.  Texas should follow procedure...



This is not a Geneva Convention issue.  The Geneva convention has to do with declared wars and how uniformed soldiers are to be treated, amongst other war-related "rules".

This situation refers to some sort of international treaty that the US signed and ratified, whch requires foreign nationals to be granted access to their consulate officials.

Despite the fact that the treaty was ratified by the US government, the Supreme Court of the United States has found that the Federal Government does not have the jurisdiction to require the states to comply.  Just because the Federal Government signs a treaty does not cause it to be constitutionally compliant.

The world will be just a tad safer when that rat b*stard murderer Jose Medellin is executed, TEXAS STYLE.

Virginia has more executions per capita than Texas.

Anyway, many Asain countries, especially China, and Middle Eastern countries have the death penalty.  The "rest of the world" crowd seems to think the "rest of the world" is just Canada and Europe.

Well, hot goddam for Virginia!

Most of Latin America prohibits capital punishment.  Of course, if you walk the streets of San Salvador, you'll get killed by and by!

In how many other ways do we wish to resemble China or Iran?
::)

In how many other ways do we wish to resemble China or Iran?


Well, if all you care about is the thinnest of comparisons, then I guess that is all that ever really matters.  The appearance to you, and not the reality.

In most nations, justice is a joke.  In most cases in China, you are arrested on Monday, tried on Tuesday, sent to jail on Thursday, and executed on Friday.  Oh, and the next Monday your family is sent a bill to pay for the bullet used.

And in China, you can be executed for a huge number of "thought crimes".  Most of those executed there are not done for crimes they have comitted, but for "crimes against the state".  If this message board was in and about China, a huge number would probably be purged for speaking so critically against the Government.

That does not happen in the US though.  Only the most heinous murderers are sentenced to Death.  And they go through multiple levels of appeal before sentence is carried out.  And let's be honest, in most cases it is not.  20+ years is the average length of time between sentencing and execution in the US.  In CHina and Iran, I doubt it is even 20 hours.

Well, if all you care about is the thinnest of comparisons, then I guess that is all that ever really matters.  The appearance to you, and not the reality.




True....

There are many who would argue that the appearance of "Texas Justice" if far from the reality..  I am sure most of you remember this when it hit the airwaves. 

www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0820-06.htm

Of course there is always the case of James Byrd, too.
Texas, as well as most states in the U.S., has never been known for its fair and balanced sentencing.  The first time white men were sentenced to death for the murder of a person of color was the James Byrd case in 1999. When I last keyed they hadn't bothered to set a date.  I will also state that I am against state sanctioned blood lust, even in this case.

Of course there is always the case of James Byrd, too.


Does not even apply.  Mr. Byrd (and in a similar crime Matthew Shepard) were not killed by police, or anybody involved in law enforcement.  They were killed by murderous scum.  And between the 5 murderers, 2 are awaiting execution and 3 are serving life sentences (2 without parole).

And cops are people also.  And just like in any other field (lawyers, medicine, education, military, etc etc etc) there are a number of "bad apples", that slip into the system.  It always has happened, and it always will.  That is because nothing is perfect.  The most we can do is try to mediate the effects of those bad ones, and remove them as soon as it is discovered.

Does not even apply.  Mr. Byrd (and in a similar crime Matthew Shepard) were not killed by police, or anybody involved in law enforcement.  They were killed by murderous scum.  And between the 5 murderers, 2 are awaiting execution and 3 are serving life sentences (2 without parole).





Both cases apply.  They are examples of "Texas Justice" of a type that is, sadly, not confined to that state. As for the two sentenced to death, well, we can only wait and see if Texas in fact does give the ultimate punishment for the first time in a case like this.

Both cases apply.  They are examples of "Texas Justice" of a type that is, sadly, not confined to that state. As for the two sentenced to death, well, we can only wait and see if Texas in fact does give the ultimate punishment for the first time in a case like this.


You're correct that, culturally, America has plenty of racists.  However, I'd have to agree with Mushroom that this doesn't serve too well as an analogy, since again, Byrd was killed not by authorities but by criminals.

So were J.M's victims, so the analogy does fit.  Whites have historically been able to kill people of color with impunity, while when people of color commit crimes against whites, they always get the harshest punishment possible.

So were J.M's victims, so the analogy does fit.  Whites have historically been able to kill people of color with impunity, while when people of color commit crimes against whites, they always get the harshest punishment possible.


I think that has less to do with race and more to do with power.  If the majority of the world's wealthiest and most militarily powerful governments were run by black people, you can be sure the reverse would be true.

I think that has less to do with race and more to do with power.  If the majority of the world's wealthiest and most militarily powerful governments were run by black people, you can be sure the reverse would be true.


Of course, because power breeds evil, and people, whether they want to believe it or not, are much the same regardless of color.  Nonetheless, in this supposed "enlighted" country you would think this would have been, on some level, changed.

Of course, because power breeds evil, and people, whether they want to believe it or not, are much the same regardless of color.  Nonetheless, in this supposed "enlighted" country you would think this would have been, on some level, changed.


This is true.  Human evolution is globally uniform.  Culture defines the rest.