Dallas County's Democratic DA: Texan of the Year (DNA exonerations)

[crispini]

This article is totally awesome and it makes me darn proud to be from Dallas county. We may have to put up with the Chimperor come January (ugh) but Dallas county is Democratic territory, and we have some damn fine elected officials to prove it. Here's an interesting, nuanced article about what is going on here with the new DA and the fact that Dallas County now leads the nation in DNA exonerations.

*snip*
Here in the state that sanctions killing more often than any other, Craig Watkins is not just another cog in the machinery of death. The first-term Dallas County district attorney has quickly emerged as a transformational figure who has made a name not by securing convictions, but by clearing the way for them to be overturned.

Under his watch, the prison door has swung open again and again, as the wrongly convicted have walked out as free men. He is a prosecutor who has sought the death penalty because it is his professional responsibility but who is personally conflicted.

Mr. Watkins has trained a spotlight on the flaws in the system, and two years after becoming the state's first black district attorney, he is suddenly the new face of Texas jurisprudence.

For his efforts to reform an imperfect criminal justice system and for his willingness to stake out politically precarious territory somewhere between "hug a thug" and "convict at all costs," Mr. Watkins is the 2008 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year

more, good article....
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/texanofyear/stories/DN-toy1_28edi.State.Edition1.204965b.html

[Heidi]

1. Kick.

:kick:

[TEmperorHasNoClothes]

2. a true hero

[BlueCollar]

3. K&R

Now if we could just turn Tarrant...

[crispini]

5. Keep trying!

One thing we've learned over here, you don't get anywhere unless you fight. Keep up the good work! :hi::kick:

[recoveringrepublican]

4. That's wonderful!! I hate voting for prosecutors it's always "vote for me! I've put xx people away"

I would much rather vote for someone who demonstrated their passion to ensure it was a fair trial. Sounds like Watkins is somebody along that line! Lucky you!!

[tammywammy]

6. Craig Watkins is doing a great job!

Recommended.

[RB TexLa]

7. I remember when he first ran and was making his own fund raising calls from his home

[UTUSN]

8. K&R big #5!1 n/t

[Peace Patriot]

9. I greatly admire leaders who take political risks like this, in order to do what is right.

Kudos and congratulations to Mr. Watkins!

[Hydra]

10. I don't mind the death penalty

BUT it's clear that we're putting away WAY too many people who didn't do it, whether due to lazy policework, politics, scapegoating, etc.

Honestly, though, I wish people would pay more attention to the ones put away for life who probably didn't do it. 30+ years in prison is worse than death, IMO.

[Th1onein]

11. Killing just a few of the innocent is okay, though, right?

As long as the stats for killing the innocent are kept low, then it's okay to kill a few of them.

Yeah, right.

[Hydra]

13. Yes, actually

If we had a way to be absolutely sure that the people being executed were the ones responsible, I would support it. That isn't feasible in the real world, though, so I don't support the death penalty and fully support the efforts to check cases over and using things like DNA to prove innocence where applicable.

Having been held illegally before myself, I have no faith in our current system, but I see nothing wrong in the execution of those who cannot or will not keep themselves from hurting others while benefiting from our society.

[Th1onein]

14. On the other hand...how about leaving a few of the guilty alive?

Don't you think that that would be a better solution? Since we don't have a perfect system? Since the purpose of our system is to protect innocent people?

[Hydra]

15. That's where I stand on the issue

Since we can't be certain of their guilt(despite the insincere acclamations of our leaders), the death penalty is nothing more than a rush to bury a case in the name of "justice." It shouldn't exist, and we shouldn't have life terms for the same reason.

[Th1onein]

16. I don't know about life terms. I think they are necessary.

To protect people from monsters.

[Hydra]

17. And when they are innocent?

A fair number of people have spent 10+ years behind bars in the worst conditions possible before being recognized as being not the culprit. As I stated before, I think that's actually more inhumane than killing someone.

[rainbow4321]

12. I can't believe the right wing rag DMN actually picked him

given who they put on their top ten finalist list..Laura Bush, T Boone Pickens, Phil Gramm


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/texanofyear/vitindex.html