Topic category:  Other/General

Nothing runs more contrary to common sense than the notion of a "botched" execution.

Capital punishment exists as the ultimate penalty; the final sanction; reserved for those who must be eliminated to protect society. Child rapists, cop killers, serial killers, or those who are so greedy they would kill another for monetary gain.

It is the only way to protect us from some people.

On Wednesday December 13th, Angel Nieves Diaz was executed by lethal injection for the 1979 murder of a Miami, Florida bar manager during a robbery.

In a December 15th, 2006 AP article entitled "Official says Fla. Execution was botched" that was totally slanted against capital punishment, author Ron Word wrote that Medical Examiner Dr. William Hamilton characterized the Diaz execution as taking longer at 34 minutes than the average execution at about 15 minutes. Dr. Hamilton was never quoted as having mentioned the word "botched". Nor was any other government official.

The "official" cited in the headline who did mention the word "botched" was Dave Elliot, spokesman for the National Coalition to abolish the Death Penalty.

This is hardly an objective piece of journalism. The title is misleading.

I get so sick and tired of the same old arguments. The Bottom Line: Don't go to places like California, Florida, or Texas and commit murder, or you may very well end up executed after your twenty years of appeals have been exhausted. Period. Harsh, yes. Necessary, you bet.

Unless the death penalty is applied regularly when warranted, it loses the deterrent effect. That is precisely what opponents of capital punishment are banking on. When they can successfully argue there's no more deterrent, it opens the door to their next argument; that capital punishment should be ended altogether. That is what liberals do best. Chip away at your laws, border, culture, traditions, your religion, morals, ethics and intelligence, one little morsel at a time. One day, you're going to wake up, and it'll all be gone.

Inmates aren't even arguing their convictions or the evidence anymore. For the last few years, most of the death penalty challenges have been --not to the evidence or the prosecution's case-- but to the constitutionality of the death penalty in general, or to the legality of the method of execution.

This whole debate has gotten so far out of hand. I realize that Old Sparky making flames shoot out of people's heads may not be the cleanest way to go, but give me a break. Much like the country in general, lethal injection isn't perfect. Neither am I for that matter; nor you. Same goes for our laws and our system of governing. So we do the best with what we have, and try to improve the process. Just because the condemned felt pain doesn't mean we should throw the baby out with the bath water. It hurts to die in any manner.

Diaz was convicted of first degree murder, four counts of kidnapping, two counts of armed robbery, and one count of possessing a firearm during commission of a felony. It is still unclear whether Diaz or one of his accomplices killed the bar manager, but all three discharged their weapons. Under Florida, as well as California law, they're still guilty of murder. There were also five aggravating circumstances, including a prior conviction for a violent felony.

Why so much time spent agonizing over whether this felon felt any pain? I'm sure his life ended more comfortably than his victim; bleeding out on the floor whilst trying to earn a living.

I have written often about words being used as weapons. The AP article is yet another example of this trend.

The execution of Angel Diaz wasn't "botched". In fact, you might say it was flawless. The condemned died, didn't he? About the only thing that was botched, was the robbery that Mr. Diaz was involved in, and he had no one to blame for that but himself and his two accomplices.

Jayme Evans

Biography - Jayme Evans

Jayme Evans is a veteran of the United States Navy, a military analyst, conservative opinion columnist, and an advocate for disabled and other veterans. He has served for many years as a Subject Matter Expert specializing in the testing of systems software for numerous major US organizations. He has extensively studied amateur astronomy and metallurgy, as well as military and US history. His brutally honest, in-your-face political commentary has been published in many west coast newspapers, and he is a regular contributing columnist to a multitude of internet sites, including WebCommentary.com, The Conservative Voice, and Conservative Crusader. Mr. Evans has also written guest editorials for Military Magazine, and he has been a frequent guest columnist on WorldNetDaily, writing about legislative and veteran's issues.