Dennis McGuire

It appears the son of Killer Dennis McGuire was upset about the manner in which his father was executed this past week, even going so far as to suggest that McGuire’s victim was somehow better off because her murder was not witnessed by her children. I’m sorry?

I would remind Mr. McGuire that newlywed (Joy Stewart) did not have any children present at her kidnapping, brutal rape and murder, because her only child had been inside her for eight months at the time of her demise. I would also remind McGuire, that Stewart’s distraught husband took his own life in grief, during the investigation. I do understand to some degree, the pain of watching a loved one die and not having any control over the outcome. But McGuire’s analogy speaks to his grasp of reality, (or lack of it), and his understanding of the value of human life as it relates to his fathers crimes.

The issue of the death penalty is worthy of debate to be sure. Even I’m not necessarily a proponent, as much as someone who understands by way of my work experience, that our prisons are no longer representative of punishment and rehabilitation, but rather are “growing rooms” for criminals. With that said, I believe most Americans will continue to support capital punishment until they are comfortable that justice may be served without it.

This brings me to a few of today’s headlines. I ask that you ponder the above and below, then tell me where “you” think we’re headed as a nation.

–          A federal appeals court in Boston on Friday, upheld a judge’s ruling granting a taxpayer-funded sex change operation for transgender inmate “Michelle” Kosilek, who’s serving a life sentence for a murder conviction, saying receiving “medically necessary” treatment is a constitutional right that must be protected “even if that treatment strikes some as odd or unorthodox.”

–          A North Carolina law requiring women who want an abortion to have an ultrasound and then have a medical provider describe the image to them, is a violation of constitutional free-speech rights, a federal judge ruled Friday.

–          Pennsylvania judge on Friday, struck down a requirement that nearly all of the state’s 8.2 million voters show photo identification at the polls, saying it imposes an unreasonable burden on the right to vote.

–          And finally, some Patriots fans are running to marijuana stores in Denver to get a “mile high” before the game… Just threw that one in… Go Pats!