Does Jindal need a civics class?
Bobby Jindal is outraged over the Supreme Court decision that deemed Louisiana’s law allowing the death penalty for child rape unconstitutional.
He states:
We will evaluate ways to amend our statute to maintain death as a penalty for this horrific crime.
The Supreme Court said that death is not an appropriate penalty for child rape under the Constitution of the United States. The only change that could be made to alter this is a change to the Constitution. No state level action would be good enough because the ruling would still stand. So does Jindal need to back to school and learn about civics? I’ll get back to that in a second.
Now, Jindal did say this:
The most repugnant crimes deserve the harshest penalties, and nothing is more repugnant than the brutal rape of an eight-year-old child.
I agree. I also agree that the death penalty should be used to punish child rapists. So there you have it, another thing I agree with Jindal on.
However, Jindal needs to understand that there actually are things that the Federal Government gets to trump the State Government on and one of those things is deciding if punishment is cruel and unusual.
So regardless of how much we may disagree with the Supreme Court on the issue, there is nothing that can be done at the state level to allow for the death penalty in child rape cases… period.
I would be tempted to say that Jindal is ignorant of Constitutional law but that probably is not the case. He probably knows full well that no state action will be able to override a ruling by the supreme court. What I think is more likely is that he is playing up to the conservative base who may not realize that Jindal’s disgrace is just a ploy to either distract those conservatives who are angry at him over the pay raise issue or to get more conservative voters behind his possible nomination for V-P.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
So, who are you? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a “bobby fan” but this looks like a La. Dem party supported site and not a personal blog.
THIS is really what is wrong with the process.
June 26th, 2008 at 4:18 am
The guy at Revolution 21 did a good blog entry about Jindal’s support for the death penalty being contrary to Catholic teaching he subscribes to.
Jindal is grandstanding for the benefit of his conservative base. I guess he feels the need now that PAR came out with their report that Jindal’s promised reform has amounted to nothing.
June 26th, 2008 at 6:35 am
“THIS is really what is wrong with the process.”
What, that someone is not in lockstep with the republican party?
June 26th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Rocky: The Democratic Party tends to be against the Death Penalty. You picked the post that shows my support for the Death Penalty to try and claim that this is not a personal blog but a blog supported but he Democratic Party? That isn’t very logical now is it?
But let me put your doubts to rest. This is my personal blog. If you click on the 1&1 link on the front page of the site and sign up for service, I get money and not the party. If you go to the LJ4a Store at cafepress I will get the money from any purchase made and not the party. The thoughts on this blog, unless attributed to someone else, are my own. And if the time comes where I have to be critical of the party, I will be.