Killing of Bin Laden Voted Top News Story of 2011 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 17, 2011 at 12:08 PM ET
NEW YORK (AP) — The killing of Osama bin Laden during a raid by Navy SEALs on his hideout in Pakistan was the top news story of 2011, followed by Japan's earthquake/tsunami/meltdown disaster, according to The Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors
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Comment:
I am not necessarily in favor of capital punishment. I have heard of some people being executed who, had I been governor, would have gotten a commutation to a prison term. I do admit, however, that when some people in death penalty states are put to death, I don't care. Gary Gilmore, for example. Last month, Paul Rhoades was executed in Idaho, after 20 years in prison and a multitude of appeals, for the murder of a school teacher whom he had kidnaped, raped, shot 9 times, and raped again. His death did not incite in me any sense of regret. And, had the death penalty been applied to Charles Manson or Sirhan Sirhan, , I wouldn't have cared.
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When campaigning for President, Barack Obama promised that he would hunt down Osama Bin Laden and kill him.
"And if we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we have to act, and we will take them out.
We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al-Qaida. That has to be our biggest national security priority."
(Oct. 7, 2008)
4 comments:
When I hear of people executed by death penalty states I am bothered.
Too often this is a cavalier, capricious system.
I've recently read a non-fiction book written by John Grisham - "The Innocent Man." While it focuses on one murder in Oklahoma, for which two innocent men were convicted, in the gathering of detail to tell this story he encounters three additional convictions of innocent men sentenced to death or life terms.
Another example of American exceptionalism.
If the readers, of this blog, are interested in another "innocence" saga I would offer "The Confession" by John Grisham.
A good read, too. It's difficult to accept that the real-life community in "The Innocent Man" acted as irresponsibly as the fictional community in "The Confession." Grisham bases "The Confession" in Texas but it's clear his inspiration was Ada, Oklahoma.
Thgis book oes on my reading list. Thanks.
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