W - the happy executioner - chart of Texas executions by governor

[The Count]

http://www.thedailybackground.com/2007/03/26/chart-executions-in-texas-by-governor-1976-2007/

[bdamomma]

1. just looking at the chart, should show all those who think W

is a "godly" man are all wrong.

[Fresh_Start]

2. I saw that Bush averaged less than five minutes

for clemency appeals.

I keep thinking "as you judge, so shall you be judged".

[AndyA]

3. The Bush Hypocrisy: The Sixth Commandment

"THOU SHALL NOT KILL"

So much for being a good Christian.

So much for caring about others.

So much for being compassionate.

Are we sure Bush is human?

[ljm2002]

4. Oh it doesn't mean anything...

...those are just part of the normal fluctuations that occur historically. Doesn't have anything to do with GWB.

Do I really need the :sarcasm: tag??? :-)

[Igel]

9. Some of it does have something to do with "GWB",

some doesn't.

Some has to do with the length of time it takes to try and adjudicate all the appeals. Some has to do with the number of death penalty cases brought and guilty verdicts returned by the juries. The yields the number of cases that finally cross the governor's desk. The governor has little to say about that, most of the ways he influences the number of cases he gets handed to him are indirect--he can argue for different laws, he can try to influence DAs, he can file briefs with courts.

A real indication of mercy or pro-/anti-death penalty would be the percentage he commutes (with an indication of the number of cases he reviewed).

Somewhere I saw/heard a study done comparing the number of Texas death penalty cases with those in other states. I don't know how valid it was, but IIRC the death penalty was returned with about the same frequency in Texas as elsewhere (where the DAs didn't have moral objections to the idea), with fluctuation from city to city. But in other states the verdicts were overturned or reduced on appeal, acting as a filter; not so in Texas.

[kwyjibo]

5. This information has been available all along, and yet

so many people voted for him because they were told he was a good Christian.

I can't see how they could still possibly think so after knowing how many people he has put to death.

[geardaddy]

6. I'm a little saddened that there was an increase

under Richards. Granted not as dramatic an increase as under Chimpy McCokespoon.

:(

Edited for spelling

[Sweet Freedom]

7. From the site

"It should be noted that Bill Clements served two full terms, and Rick Perry is in his second term. Perry is likely to surpass Bush’s record during his second term, although because Bush served only one term (actually less than a term, since he resigned as Governor before the 2002 Texas Gubernatorial election to become President), he will probably still hold the record for highest number of executions even by the time Perry leaves office in 2010."

[deadmessengers]

8. Please don't think I'm defending that prick

...but, I'm pretty particular when it comes to factual accuracy, and they got one thing WAY wrong in that article:

because Bush served only one term (actually less than a term, since he resigned as Governor before the 2002 Texas Gubernatorial election to become President)

This is just plain sloppy. Shrub served one full term (not less than a term), and then resigned to become president just under 2 years into his second term as governor.