EU urges Texas to halt executions
BRUSSELS, Belgium

The European Union on Tuesday urged the governor of Texas to halt executions and introduce a moratorium on capital punishment in the United States' busiest death penalty state.

In an unusual direct appeal, the EU said Texas Gov. Rick Perry must "exercise all powers vested in his office" to halt the impending 400th execution since Texas resumed carrying out death sentences in 1982.

The execution of Johnny Ray Conner is scheduled for this week. He is to die for the shooting death of a Houston grocery store owner during an attempted holdup in 1998,

"The European Union notes with great regret the upcoming execution in the State of Texas," the bloc said in a statement.

The death penalty is banned in the 27-nation EU, which also fights for its the global abolition.

"The irreversibility of the punishment means that miscarriages of justice - which are inevitable in all legal systems - cannot be redressed," the EU said in a statement.

[And, as long as we are all offering constructive advice to foreign countries, what could EU do that the US wants?]

[This message was edited by JB on 08-21-07 at .]

[This message was edited by JB on 08-21-07 at .]

They need to start shouldering their fair share of the cost of the war on terror. Which means, they need to start spending the bucks so they can have a serious military. I think the Texas Air National Guard has more airlift capability than the entire E.U.

Oh yeah. They also could start locking up more of their criminals. Much of the E.U. has a higher crime rate than Texas. It would be nice to be able to visit Europe and not have to worry about being mugged.

I think Nickolas Sarkozy (known as "le Americaine" by the French) is a step in the right direction.

Dear EU:

Thanks for ya'll's concern. It had not occurred to us here in Texas that anyone might have objections to the death penalty, but I have done some looking into it, and now I see that lots of folks don't like it. Since Texas government is all about making sure that everybody is happy, I'm gonna do what you suggest.

In fact, you've really opened my eyes to all the things we do that might cause the unnecessary death of an innocent person in the name of justice. So I'm disarming all the police officers, to make sure that they never accidentally or mistakenly shoot and kill someone. This hardly ever happens, but I've heard of cases where little kids with toy guns got shot by mistake, and I'm making sure that never happens again. In fact, I better get rid of all the handguns everywhere in the state. Oh, and the long guns, too. Accidents do happen.

Then it occurred to me that we aren't going far enough. I've reduced the speed limits all through the State to 15 miles per hour, because any faster than that and we risk death on our highways, and getting where you want to go a few hours earlier isn't worth a single innocent person's life. In fact, I'm closing all the airports. Sometimes those planes come down, and somebody almost always dies when that happens.

You know, when you start to think about it, every day our society over here places innocent people at a much greater risk of death than the death penalty representts, and in the name of much more frivolous things than justice--things like convenience and even entertainment. If I put my mind to it, I could probably think of a lot more ways to... hang on, I've got to take a call.

Sorry, EU, that was one of my constitutents. She reminded me that I'm supposed to enforce the laws that the people of Texas have asked me to enforce, not circumvent them. In the EU, do ya'll let other countries have input into your policies?

Oh, well. Sorry I couldn't help.
Sincerely,
Rick Perry
Governor of the State of Texas
U.S.A.

How about SOME of the EU countries stop harboring terrorists out of a tacit understanding that their countries will not be targeted for terrorist attacks?

How about actively seeking, detaining and arresting known terror suspects living within their countries?

Finally, Rick should quote the late, great Hank Williams: "Mind your own business and you won't be minding mine".

Oh, and if you don't like the way we live our lives here in Texas, you can stop sending your masses to our medical centers for the finest medical care in the world, bar none.

Dear European Union:

First, allow me to express my congratulations on being able to unionize all of Europe. Unfortunately, I cannot say that unions are as well received in Texas, but that's an admonishment from y'all that will have to wait for another day.

I have considered the regret you have about the way we administer punishment for capital crimes, and, quite frankly, I'm touched. In fact, I'm moved to do something about it. So, given your apparent concern for the well-being and rehabilitation of our convicted capital offenders, I would respectfully request that your designated union official let us know, pronto, where you would like us to drop all of our death row inmates off so y'all can care for them consistent with your world view.

Thanks for taking the time to help us out.

Rick Perry
Governor of Texas

P.S. Please tell the mayor of London that I walked down to the corner Stop 'N Go, instead of driving my SUV, in his honor. Just kiddin'. I send my people to the Stop 'N Go. Thought you'd get a kick outta that, though.

I hear the refrain from a Toby Keith song as a suggestion...

quote:

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Originally posted by Scott Brumley:
Dear European Union:

First, allow me to express my congratulations on being able to unionize all of Europe. Unfortunately, I cannot say that unions are as well received in Texas, but that's an admonishment from y'all that will have to wait for another day.

I have considered the regret you have about the way we administer punishment for capital crimes, and, quite frankly, I'm touched. In fact, I'm moved to do something about it. So, given your apparent concern for the well-being and rehabilitation of our convicted capital offenders, I would respectfully request that your designated union official let us know, pronto, where you would like us to drop all of our death row inmates off so y'all can care for them consistent with your world view.

Thanks for taking the time to help us out.

Rick Perry
Governor of Texas

P.S. Please tell the mayor of London that I walked down to the corner Stop 'N Go, instead of driving my SUV, in his honor. Just kiddin'. I send my people to the Stop 'N Go. Thought you'd get a kick outta that, though.

---

PSS: My suv is a hemi and it hauls ass!

From the Austin American-Statesman:

Perry spokesman Robert Black responded that while Texas "respects our friends in Europe" the state would decline the call for a moratorium.

"The reason our forefathers fought a war 230 years ago was to throw off the yoke of a European monarch so that we may have the freedom of self-determination," Black said. "Texans long ago decided that the death penalty is a just and appropriate punishment for the most horrible crimes committed against our citizens."

The American Revolution was over the death penalty? Awesome.

"Governor, you had me at roadkill."

(a little inside joke for those who came to our legislative updates! )

Dear EU,

Exit only.

By the way, forgive my carelessness, but I think I misplaced your thank you notes. You know, for when Glen Merillat was killed in 1918, trying to help keep the Kaiser from destroying your lives and making a mudhole out of your land, or the one from when my mom's brother left home whole and healthy in 1942 and came back sick and feeble-minded, doing his part to keep Hitler from turning the Eiffel Tower into scrap metal.
Oh, that's right, there weren't any thank you notes. Dad would have rather been home raising his family instead of eating C-rations during the Korean Conflict, and my cousin Gary probably would have rather not been blown off that PBR in Viet Nam. I'm sure Cpl John Stalvey would have much more preferred coming back to Conroe and getting married and seeing his 24th birthday instead of losing his legs, arm, top of his head and his life in Karabilah. But at least you're living free and content.

I wonder though: Reckon without any of those sacrifices and the thousands like them, made by strangers to your ways of life, would you folks even be called the "EU" - and would you have the liberty to tell Texas and the rest of the world how they should conduct their business?

ap - I'm in the directory.

As a student of International Relations, I can tell you that unfortunately, America (and especially Texas) is commonly lumped together with some of the worst human-rights violating countries in the world. The remaining countries not partial to international treaties banning the death penalty are ones like Syria, Saudi Arabia and the Sudan. The EU knows it has no hope of its idealized death penalty-free world without the U.S. And there is no better place to start than in Texas. Comparing our justice system with other death penalty countries is the true injustice.

eu:
we dont like the death penalty. it feels wrong.

texas: http://www.cca.courts.state.tx.us/OPINIONS/HTMLOPINIONINFO.ASP?OPINIONID=14711

It's a shame when all the news reports I've seen only mention the first half of the Guv's reply and leave out the best part!

quote:

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Originally posted by AndreaW:
It's a shame when all the news reports I've seen only mention the first half of the Guv's reply and leave out the best part!

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Aug. 21, 2007

Statement by Robert Black, spokesman for Texas Governor Rick Perry, concerning the European Union�s appeal that Texas enact a moratorium on the death penalty:

�230 years ago, our forefathers fought a war to throw off the yoke of a European monarch and gain the freedom of self-determination. Texans long ago decided that the death penalty is a just and appropriate punishment for the most horrible crimes committed against our citizens. While we respect our friends in Europe, welcome their investment in our state and appreciate their interest in our laws, Texans are doing just fine governing Texas.� {emphasis added}


I had not read the full press release until Andrea brought it up. The last line is, indeed, the best part of the response. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. You should post more often, Andrea!

Gosh, Greg, you're going to give me a swelled head. But usually I'm better off biting my tongue and not immortalizing some of the things I'm thinking!

Members of the EU can't go to a soccer game without getting injured or killed by rioting soccer team fans. Yet they want to tell us how to treat vicious murderers. Perhaps their citizens and sports fans would be a whole lot safer if the lawless elements were held to answer according to the Texas Justice System.

Dear EU,

We'd be happy to consider your request if you'd institute a moratorium on soccer. You can start with a show of good faith by first calling it "soccer" because everyone in Texas knows there's only one football. If you can do that (and take that David Beckham guy back), then maybe we'll have something to talk about.

Yours truly,

Guv.

P.S.-I sure do like that Pele character though, he was so good in Victory. I blame soccer for stunting his acting career. So you can see why I have such antipathy for your national pasttime.

Well Newell, make them take David Beckham back but leave Posh Spice here.

i can see what you want, what you really really want.