I like Guy Benson a lot, but his column on Troy Davis got my blood pressure up.
I’m hearing a lot from people opposed to Troy Davis’s execution that there is no physical evidence in the case — and a whole lot of other hoo-haa.
First of all, let’s set out that the case has been going on for twenty years.
Second, let’s point out that two witnesses at Davis’s trial testified under oath that Troy Davis admitted to the shooting.
Yes, those witnesses have now, twenty years and much badgering by anti-death penalty advocates later, recanted. A federal judge spent two days reviewing the evidence and the testimony last year and issued a 178 page order explaining why the witnesses recanting was “smoke and mirrors.”
In fact, one of the chief nuggets of the case is that there was no physical evidence. Except that is crap.
There was a .38 caliber gun. Both Troy Davis and the man Davis’s team claims in the real murderer, Sylvester Coles, had a .38 caliber gun.
Davis’s gun had been used in another shooting and the gun casing were linked between both shootings. Everyone likes to gloss over that. They point out that the man who claimed Davis fired on him has now recanted — yet again 20 years later.
But here are some additional facts — if we’re going to deal with things that weren’t in contention twenty years ago.
The federal courts and state courts in Georgia have all denied Davis’s appeal. Prior to 2008, Georgia’s Supreme Court was decidedly liberal and even they passed.
For the first time in 50 years the United States Supreme Court ordered a federal court to conduct an entire rehearing of all the evidence. The court did and found all the new stuff was, again, “smoke and mirrors,” including the retracted confessions. And while building the case to claim that Sylvester Coles was the real murderer, the defense would not call Coles in for examination.
But then there is Officer MacPhail himself and what the defense all too conveniently forgets to bring up. Officer MacPhail “testified” at Troy Davis’s murder trial. See, MacPhail, an Army Ranger and police officer was working a second job that night as a security guard. He chased Davis and Sylvester Coles, who were assaulting a homeless man over a beer.
MacPhail reported in that he had run passed Sylvester Coles. MacPhail was shot from the front in the chest and face — not from behind where Coles was, but from the front where MacPhail himself located Troy Davis.
And then, if we really want to get into the weeds and talk about facts, consider this fact. Troy Davis immediately became the suspect and fled. Police roped off his house, obtained entry, and searched the home. In the laundry they found Troy Davis’s shorts from that night with evidence on the clothing directly tying him to Officer MacPhail’s murder — Officer MacPhail’s blood.
. . . And ALL 9 Supremes did what every other Judge who ever heard these appeals did, . . . they found no reason to over-turn the decision.
He’s had the biscuit. The world is a better place.
@Skookum:
Yay! Na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, good bye!
(yes leftists, I am cheering the execution of a murderer-suck it)
@ Hard Right
That made me laugh. As a citizen of the Great State of Georgia, I’m very happy with the outcome.
I am not cheering the execution of Davis in GA or Brewer in TX.
Both are prime examples of lives wasted. Lives that could have been used to accomplish good things had those individuals made better choices. Because of their bad choices, society is better off without them.
Yes, they both deserved to pay the ultimate penalty for what they did. That is not, however, a reason to cheer or celebrate.
Both of these episodes are very sad. Especially for the families of all involved.
May the MacPhails, the Byrds, the Brewers, and the Davis families all find peace and comfort during this final chapter of their respective sagas.
Obviously I do disagree you Aye, but you are correct that we shouldn’t forget the families of the victims. This doesn’t bring back their loved ones.
The issue is not being faced. Among us live those who do not value human life, and take that life without any hesitation or moral qualm. It is not possible to allow such persons to openly live in our society; we run the risk that they will kill again, whenever they feel like it.
I apologize to the bleeding heart liberals in this audience; facts are facts, and such persons do indeed exist.
What is the morality in incarcerating these persons for life, feeding them, keeping them in comfort, providing them with entertainment, guarding them, keeping them from harming other inmates, providing medical and mental care and so on?
What part of the Social Contract obliges us to provide life to persons who are such risks?
I don’t get it. A life for a life, it says in the Bible.
Get real. Either we have a civil society or we don’t. Too much harm has been done by another class of offenders: child molesters. Let these people run free and they offend again. Where is the morality in allowing this to happen?
Let us please address the issue at hand.
@Curt I never knew the facts of the case, but I’m astonished that, after reading your post, delays were actually granted. McPhail’s blood in Davis’ laundry room. WTF!
I scan USA Today on the net every day. This AM there was a photo of two female partners wailing away post execution. I wasn’t convinced. Blatant phony liberals at best.