Comments on: Exchange with L.A. Times Reporter About Death Penalty Article

By: Patterico

Patterico — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 02:32:55 +0000

Mr. Redmond, I’ll say that this article was one of the most blatant misrepresentations of the facts I have seen in over three years of writing about this paper — and your friend Mr. Tempest never responded to my lengthy e-mail.

I conclude he just doesn’t care about accuracy. At all.

By: Patterico

Patterico — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 02:23:32 +0000

Yeah, but about my point about how the article misrepresented the facts?

Oh yeah — you don’t care. Just like Mr. Tempest doesn’t care.

By: Jerry Redmond

Jerry Redmond — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 23:50:44 +0000

Just out of curiousity I typed the name Rone Tempest into my search engine and found your article. I knew Mr. Tempest briefly way back in the early 1970’s when we both lived in Norman, Oklahoma. He was a reporter then, too, working for one of the Oklahoma City papers. Interesting guy. I think he had actually gotten a philosophy degree from Stanford, if I remember correctly. Nice to know he’s still out there working as a journalist. We shared an interesting group of friends that included a young Iranian woman named Azar Nafici who went on to write a best selling memoir a couple of years ago entitled “Reading Lolita in Tehran.” Quite a story. And as for the subject of the death penalty, here’s my thoughts, short and to the point: 1)The death penalty is not uniformly applied, which is evidenced by the fact that we have upward of fifty thousand murders each year and only execute at most a dozen murderers, 2) As of this time at least 100 death row inmates have been exonerated after trial by new DNA evidence, clearly demonstrating failings in the system, 3) It places a terrible emotional and psychological burden upon prison staff to have to terminate the lives of inmates that they have often come to know well over a period of many years, 4) I believe Rone’s point that the appeals process is excessively expensive is well taken, 5) Life without parole may be a harsher punishment than lethal injection when you consider the misery of spending decades behind bars with no hope of parole, 6) Half the states in this country don’t even execute prisoners for murder anyway. BOTTOM LINE: Although I fully agree that the death penalty is an appropriate punishment for the most heinous crimes in our society, when you add it all up the death penalty is really more trouble than it’s worth.
-Jerry Redmond

By: The Angry Clam

The Angry Clam — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 07:13:59 +0000

He’s wrong about the California Appellate Project, too- they do everyone.

By: Kevin Murphy

Kevin Murphy — Wed, 09 Mar 2005 21:47:45 +0000

Another issue not addressed: Why does it take 20 and 30 years of appeals before an execution can occur? Is this particular to California? To the 9th Circuit? How much money does the death penalty process (versus LWOP) cost in other states with the death penaly? Is this cost largely imposed by a foot-dragging appeals system rather than some inherant problem? Etc.

In short, why are confessed and beyond-any-doubt-guilty murderers like Richard Ramirez still engaged in these costly appeals?

By: Boman

Boman — Wed, 09 Mar 2005 20:39:51 +0000

Mr. Tempest seems to think that Patterio is arguing that there is no difference in costs between death penalty case and LWOP cases.
Obviously, this is not Patterio’s argument, which should be plain to anyone interested in open debate.
Kudos to Mr. Tempest for replying. I can’t say the same for missing the point.

By: Local Liberty

Local Liberty — Wed, 09 Mar 2005 17:20:24 +0000

LAT v. Patterico
Patterico engages the LAT on a recent article they ran on the death penalty. See some our writings on the death penalty….

By: Bill Millan

Bill Millan — Wed, 09 Mar 2005 07:04:09 +0000

Glad I was able to serve as a messenger. You must have struck a nerve with your article for me to get that answer. You will notice that Rone “CC’d” his response to me to a couple of his editors. I knew the details of this subject was over my head. It will be interesting to see if Rone responds. Your mention of his courtesy in responding to me echoes my comments to him. I send quite a few very polite emails to reporters about their articles nationwide, and almost never get a response. They really seem to be uncomfortable with the concept of talking to their readers.

By: Patterico

Patterico — Wed, 09 Mar 2005 06:26:10 +0000

I thought about it, but didn’t feel the need to rely on that. The illogic of the article is enough.

As it happens, I can tell you that any conviction I get after a trial where the defendant goes to prison for any length of time is bound to be appealed. As the trial lawyer, I get copies of the appellate briefs. I got one such brief just today, as a matter of fact.

By: BigFire

BigFire — Wed, 09 Mar 2005 05:56:54 +0000

Re:

Hum, you didn’t mentioned that you’re also a prosecutor, and you actually spoke from experience on just how much it takes to appeal any given case.