Lethal-Rejection

The article "The Humane Death Penalty Charade" by the Editorial Board in the NY Times discusses the constitutionality of lethal-injection and capital punishment as a whole (link to article).  The Supreme Court agreed to hear the Warner v. Gross lawsuit that is fighting lethal-injection as it puts the inmates at risk of pain and suffering.  Warner was convicted of rape and murdering an 11-month old child in 1997.  His execution was scheduled for April last year but was postponed due to a botched lethal-injection of Clayton Lockett right before his.  Lethal-injections have been deemed constitutional in the past, but currently there have been several cases against its humanity and possibility of inducing suffering and pain.  Those against capital punishment do not want to find more "humane" methods, but those who support it don't care what a condemned person is going through in his final moments.

I find this to be quite interesting.  As Catholics, we are supposed to fight for all lives no matter who the person is, but when I read an article discussing what sickening deeds someone does, such as Warner, makes me all for capital punishment - for certain people.  I think those whose crimes are bad enough to be put on death row are there for a reason.  I do feel humanity is an important part of how you kill someone, but for those who dislike lethal-injection, I find it to be possibly one of the quickest ways to get the process over with.  If lethal-injection is so bad, then heck, why not go back to using the electric chair?  The process is faster, and the person wouldn't feel anything that long.  Honestly, I have mixed feelings from this article.

Where have you been?

President Obama's State of the Union Address this week surprised a lot of Americans as discussed in the article "Obama: 'Tonight We Turn the Page'" (Link to article).  Beginning his speech, Obama started by saying that "the shadow of crisis has past, and the state of the union is strong."  He stated that new plans such as a tax on wealthy Americans is necessary to keep the economy growing, since our economy is growing significantly according to him.  He favors the middle-class and says "middle-class economics works."  Of course, he was met with opposing views from the Republican party, especially from Mitt Romney.  They see a "president in denial who hasn't learned anything from last year."  "He is more interested in politics rather than in leadership" (Romney).

Since I still have yet to watch the State of the Union, I cannot say how the president's speech was. From what I have read, I disagree with Obama.  The Union is not at its strongest point and we have a long way to go before we get there.  Our nation is still in crisis; civil rights activists and conflicts have damaged society and we cannot get any better if nobody steps up and helps, and I think Obama should have to do this to calm the black communities.  ISIS is also a scary thing that could impact our nation horribly in the near future.  So from what I have read, I disagree with Obama's 2015 State of the Union.

Rebellious Actions

The article "114th Congress Opens with Tea Party Rebellion, White House Fight" discusses the events of the kickoff of the new Congress (Link to article).  To start things off, John Boehner was elected for a third time to be Speaker of the House.  Surprisingly, there were 25 Republican members who opposed him, the most since "at least 1923."  In the Senate side, Mitch McConnell ascended to Majority Leader, and introduced a bill to approved the Keystone XL Pipeline.  Since this is the first time in the Obama era that the GOP has controlled Congress, Republicans are hoping they will be able to get things onto Obama's desk as to be either signed or vetoed.  The Pipeline was looking hopeful as it received some Democratic support, but it the president would not sign it as "it would bypass the State Department's ongoing evaluation of the project."

It's interesting to see what is going on in Congress as everyone gets situated.  I was quite surprised to see so many Republicans against Boehner.  Since I don't pay that much attention to the leaders' actions, I cannot take a specific stance on each situation.  I hope the Keystone Pipeline gets passed because it will give many Americans jobs and the possibility of a leak is significantly low.  As the 114th Congress continues, I am interested to see what will arise.