2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #224 "A DEATH PENALTY OBSCENITY!"

              I do not hide the fact that I am unalterably against the death penalty, arguing that, regardless of anyone’s philosophical beliefs, it simply doesn’t work.  Instead, it makes pawns of the victims, seldom gives them finality, and often requires them to relive the tragedy that occurred many years ago through retrials.  So now the present administration has announced – as the 2020 presidential election is getting into full swing – that it is reviving the federal death penalty.  “Hey I have an idea, let’s cater to our base in this election and get more votes by killing five people” is the message.  And, I hope every civilized person in our great country would agree, that is an obscenity!

                If the current president had originally campaigned upon implementing the death penalty and had won the election and had then proceeded to re-establish it, I would have disagreed but would not have argued that the action was political.  But that is not what has happened.  And even if the president was of that belief, why wait until the upcoming election season?  No, it is inescapable that this life and death issue is being used simply in an effort to attract votes.  Can you imagine anything more corruptive to the American name, and to what we stand for?  So, please, hold this administration accountable for this decision!  Take it upon yourself to write to the White House, every member of Congress you can come up with, as well as the media, and stop this wrongly-conceived policy in its tracks, at least until after the 2020 election.  We will not use death to garner votes – at least not on my watch!

Motto for the week:  “Never grow a wishbone where a backbone ought to be.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #185 “LET’S FOCUS MORE ON COMMONALITIES!”

     So now there is yet another situation in which we are pushing ourselves further away from each other due to a Nike ad about a former NFL quarterback “risking everything” by taking a position against police brutality.  This most recent “pushing” comes from two different police officers’ associations in the City of Long Beach, California.  Each of those two groups is trying to make the situation come down to: “Are you in favor of the police?”  Or “Are you in favor of Liberty and the victims of some incidents involving the police?”  I hope I speak for the vast majority of people in our country when I say I am in favor of both.  So let’s stop shouting at each other, and focus more upon that commonality.

      For heaven’s sake!  Of course we need educated, trained, competent and brave police forces to protect and serve us.  These officers can quickly face an unknown and potentially dangerous situation in which either they or we can be severely injured or even killed.  And in that regard we also must understand that sometimes even serious mistakes will be made.  But we also must understand that if the police have a badge and a gun, and that we as members of the community are held to obey their orders, they simply must be well trained and must keep our laws and our best interests strongly in mind.  In other words, all of us have a right to believe that all police officers will always try to do the right thing for the right reason – every time!  And they should/must be held accountable on those (few) occasions in which they lose control and fall below that standard of care.

        So let’s please try to stop so much of this “me the good guy vs. you the bad guy” stuff.  We should all be on the same side of both of these issues!  So I chastise both associations for not saying so.  And, while we’re at it, maybe a manufacturer that intentionally creates more dissension in our communities for the purpose of selling more products should also be chastised for the same reason.

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Our Quotation for the Week: “Expectation without Communication leads to Frustration.”

By the way, these columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray@wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty!