The Austin American Statesman featured an editorial titled Death row inmate entitled to delay for DNA tests. The article discusses a man named Henry W. Skinner, 47, who is scheduled to be executed at 6pm Wednesday, March 24, 2010 for brutally murdering his girlfriend and her two sons.
The author of the article is making an argument towards Gov. Rick Perry for a 30-day reprieve. There are seven untested items that contain DNA that could set Skinner free. The state has blocked the testing because Skinner passed on a chance to have the testing done prior to his 1995 trial. Skinner's trial lawyer made that decision because other DNA tests on items found at the crime scene damaged his case. The author wants Gov. Rick Perry to delay the execution for 30 days and order the DNA testing.
Gov. Rick Perry has done this before in the case of Frances Newton, a death row inmate who claimed she was innocent and that retesting of gunpowder residue from the crime scene would clear it. It did not, and Newton was killed. In granting the Newton reprieve, Perry wrote that "Justice delayed in this case is not justice denied."
I do not know many facts from the Skinner case but I do agree that we should give Skinner the 30-day reprieve and if the DNA does not prove his innocence then we can still execute him 30 days later. I don't see the harm in that.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Will the children really use the crosswalk?
The Austin American Statesman features the editorial Round Rock's tragic lesson in traffic safety. The author is urging the Round Rock City Council to approve the installation of a crosswalk and four-way stop signs at the intersection of Gattis School Road and Windy Park Drive.
On January 28th, a sixth-grade girl was hit by two vehicles near that intersection just before 7pm. She was walking home from a skate park behind the Clay Madsen Recreation Center that is along the road. There is no safe way for her to cross this busy so she tries to run and race against traffic and is killed.
The author of the article thinks this issue is a matter of live and death because the road has became so dangerous for pedestrians. In 2004 the City transportation staff counted 908 vehicles entering the east driveway of the recreation center during a 24-hour period. Now because of all the construction of new buildings along this road, the amount has almost doubled at 1,758 vehicles.
The author argues that officials need to be more proactive in protecting pedestrians by doing more to identify roads with heavy traffic and no signals or stop signs. The author also states that officials need to pay more attention and identify intersections that can be a danger to children who are crossing the road to reach popular sites on the other side.
I do agree that we need to pay more attention to busy streets and create ways to prevent accidents like this one happening. It should not take a tragedy like this to make us realize the dangerous road crossing. But then again children do not always use cross walks. Will putting up stop signs make sure the kids cross the street safely? Do speed limit signs make us not speed? No, they do not. So kids are still going to be kids and do stupid things and run across the street even if we have these things. But it will at least help most of the kids who will hopefully use the cross walk.
On January 28th, a sixth-grade girl was hit by two vehicles near that intersection just before 7pm. She was walking home from a skate park behind the Clay Madsen Recreation Center that is along the road. There is no safe way for her to cross this busy so she tries to run and race against traffic and is killed.
The author of the article thinks this issue is a matter of live and death because the road has became so dangerous for pedestrians. In 2004 the City transportation staff counted 908 vehicles entering the east driveway of the recreation center during a 24-hour period. Now because of all the construction of new buildings along this road, the amount has almost doubled at 1,758 vehicles.
The author argues that officials need to be more proactive in protecting pedestrians by doing more to identify roads with heavy traffic and no signals or stop signs. The author also states that officials need to pay more attention and identify intersections that can be a danger to children who are crossing the road to reach popular sites on the other side.
I do agree that we need to pay more attention to busy streets and create ways to prevent accidents like this one happening. It should not take a tragedy like this to make us realize the dangerous road crossing. But then again children do not always use cross walks. Will putting up stop signs make sure the kids cross the street safely? Do speed limit signs make us not speed? No, they do not. So kids are still going to be kids and do stupid things and run across the street even if we have these things. But it will at least help most of the kids who will hopefully use the cross walk.
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