{"id":137774,"date":"2019-02-08T21:24:18","date_gmt":"2019-02-09T04:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2019\/02\/08\/but-some-murder-convicts-being-executed-are-more-equal-than-others.html"},"modified":"2019-02-08T21:24:18","modified_gmt":"2019-02-09T04:24:18","slug":"but-some-murder-convicts-being-executed-are-more-equal-than-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2019\/02\/08\/but-some-murder-convicts-being-executed-are-more-equal-than-others.html","title":{"rendered":"But some murder convicts being executed are more equal than others"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let's set aside discussions of whether capital punishment is applied in a racially biased fashion in the US. Let's set aside discussions of whether this case was tried accurately and justly. <\/p>\n

Let's assume that this guy is guilty as sin, and that putting him to death is unquestionably the right thing to do.<\/p>\n

Even in such a case, it is unconscionable that the state of Alabama requires<\/i> a Christian minister be present in the execution chamber unless the executee asks otherwise … but that only<\/i> a Christian<\/i> minister can be present, because Alabama only allows Dept.of Corrections employees present at the execution, and the state pen only has a single Christian minister on staff.<\/p>\n

Or, in other worse, if you are a Christian (and of a compatible denomination), you get to have a spiritual advisor in the room when you are put to death.<\/p>\n

If not — if you are a Jew, or a Muslim, or a Buddhist, or a member of a Christian denomination that has much more strict requirements as to what sort of minister can minister to you … well, sucks to be you.<\/p>\n

If that's unconscionable, it's even moreso that the Supreme Court took such a blindingly clear violation of the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution (and, I suspect, the Alabama state constitution) and, as a majority, shrugged. "Hey, dude didn't ask for an imam in time, so sucks to be him."<\/p>\n

I am not surprised, of course, that Alabama has that sort of policy. Nor am I surprised that there are some SCOTUS justices who are either so gung-ho for capital punishment, or so blase about minority religions. But it's a dire day for religious freedom (you know, that thing that conservative Christians keep saying is the most fundamental freedom of all)<\/i> when the state, with the Supreme Court's backing, can decide what religious counseling is appropriate for any<\/i> person.<\/p>\n

Justice Kagan's blistering dissent: https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/18pdf\/18a815_3d9g.pdf<\/a>
The Fox News Coverage (which is largely neutral, if mostly boilerplate from the AP, but which features just the bloodthirsty and theocratic comments one would expect from the Fox News site): https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/alabama-executes-muslim-inmate-who-requested-imam-present<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n
\n
\n<\/a>
\nUS inmate executed amid imam row<\/a><\/span>
\nThe Supreme Court denied a Muslim man’s request for an imam to be present at his death in Alabama.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Original Post<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let's set aside discussions of whether capital punishment is applied in a racially biased fashion in the US. Let's set aside discussions of whether this case was tried accurately and justly. Let's assume that this guy is guilty as sin, and that putting him to death is unquestionably the right thing to do. Even in … Continue reading “But some murder convicts being executed are more equal than others”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plusposts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":130420,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2016\/04\/14\/because-religious-exceptions-are-awesome-for-little-kids.html","url_meta":{"origin":137774,"position":0},"title":"Because religious exceptions are AWESOME for little kids!","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 14-Apr-16 4:14pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Alabama is first and foremost among several states that keep persecuted church (usually Christian) day care centers from harassment and evil government regulation. Alabama doesn't even let state investigators of day care problems investigate church (usually Christian) day care centers when there are complaints. Because that would violate their religionnness!You\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20376,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/03\/03\/unblogged-bits-thu-3-mar-11-2231.html","url_meta":{"origin":137774,"position":1},"title":"Unblogged Bits (Thu. 3-Mar-11 2231)","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 3-Mar-11 10:31pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries .... Alabama Lawmaker Wants Ten Commandments Displays To Stop People \"From Going Berserk or Killing Folks\" - I'd argue that it's, itself, blasphemous to argue that the Ten Commandments are NOT \"distinctly religious\". I mean\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Potpourri"","block_context":{"text":"Potpourri","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/potpourri"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":48662,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/12\/05\/and-theyll-know-we-are-christians-by-our-love-2.html","url_meta":{"origin":137774,"position":2},"title":"And they'll know we are Christians by our love","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 5-Dec-14 10:35am","format":false,"excerpt":"At some point this week I read a Christian pastor defending the rejection of a mosque by a town council because, well, Muslims kill people. I guess this particular video indicates that maybe we should start rejecting applications for new Christian churches, too.And I read about another Christian pastor, an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8824,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2006\/04\/10\/doubtless_its_a.html","url_meta":{"origin":137774,"position":3},"title":"Doubtless it’s all because of the persecution","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 10-Apr-06 10:49pm","format":false,"excerpt":"The Christian Coalition is threatened with extinction. What could be the reason? Evil satanic atheist secularist humanist Hollywood types, turning public opinion against them? No, just the march of time...","rel":"","context":"In "Politics & Law"","block_context":{"text":"Politics & Law","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4460,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2003\/08\/27\/rock_of_ages.html","url_meta":{"origin":137774,"position":4},"title":"Rock of Ages","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 27-Aug-03 10:55am","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ten Commandments monument at the Alabama Judicial Building has been finally removed. Thank God. A chorus of demonstrators joined an irate man in screaming \"Put it back!\" Wednesday morning...","rel":"","context":"In "Religion"","block_context":{"text":"Religion","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/religion"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43402,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/07\/09\/looking-at-religious-discrimination-in-job-applications.html","url_meta":{"origin":137774,"position":5},"title":"Looking at religious discrimination in job applications","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 9-Jul-14 6:31am","format":false,"excerpt":"Sociologists sent in resumes to online job postings for various entry-level positions around the South. The only variation was participation in a campus organization while in college.What they found was that, in general, if the campus organization mentioned was any kind of religious organization (\"University of Alabama Catholic Association\"), it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137774\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}