Sobriety Checkpoints

My colleague Lauren Klein discusses an article from Austin YNN about passing two pieces of legislation that could possibly save lives. Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD) have asked the legislature to pass laws allowing police officers to enforce sobriety checkpoints so they can check for drunk drivers. It is said that these checkpoints could save 200 lives here in Texas each year. I personally think this is a good idea. People can easily get into their car after a night of drinking, cause a car accident, and kill themselves and others. I don't think enough is being done to prevent this issue and any possible prevention should be attempted. How will we know if this works if it is never tried? There should also be more punishment for those convicted of drunk driving. It is easy for someone to continue to get DUI's. How many is too many? ONE! But there are cases where some individuals have 8+. I think drunk driving is a big enough issue that any means of prevention is necessary. Put these checkpoints in place and let's see if we can save lives.

More Capital Punishment

            I'm back with more on the death penalty. Yippee! My colleague Robert, whom is also unsure where he stands on the issue, brought up some very important situations in his comment on my last post of the death penalty, which is great! I never even thought about the situations that he brought to my attention. He brought up the point of what if the person is found innocent after being executed? How can the individual be repaid for the time spent in jail and the loss of their life? They really can't. You can’t give someone his or her life back after it’s gone. Even if a person is acquitted before being executed, the money they are granted for the time served can never make up for the time lost and the damage done by the years spent in solitary confinement.

            As Robert pointed out, there is a famous case of Cameron Todd Willingham who was executed for burning down his house resulting in the death of his three children. Willingham was executed in 2004; however, new arson investigation techniques prove Willingham did not start the fire that killed his children. The evidence could have acquitted Willingham, but acquitting him now doesn't repair the damage.            

            Robert also shows an example of why we use the death penalty. He explains another famous case of Kenneth Allen McDuff who was convicted of murder and was sentenced to death. He had committed other murders that he was not convicted of. Before he was executed, the death penalty was repealed in Texas and he was given life without parole. Somehow McDuff was paroled and committed several more murders. After being caught, he was executed with a total murder count of fourteen.

            I’m glad to have these situations presented to me, but I am not any closer to deciding where I stand on the death penalty. What is the right use of punishment for murder? If an individual is put to death for a crime they didn't commit or if an individual is released and continues to kill, either way it's a lose-lose situation.