Jose Ernesto Medellin Back in the News

CNN reports today on the decision handed down in the Hague concerning the case of Jose Ernesto Medellin.

A United Nations court has found that the United States violated an international treaty and the court's own order when a Mexican national was executed last year in a Texas prison.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a ruling Monday in an unusual case that pitted President Bush against his home state in a dispute over federal authority, local sovereignty and foreign treaties. Mexico had filed a formal complaint against U.S. state and federal officials

"The United States of America has breached the obligation incumbent upon it" to stop the execution, the ICJ announced in a unanimous opinion.

The Medellin story was the most popular one over at the old Wordpress Blog. Unfortunately, my opinion of opposition to the death penalty was in the minority. With the International Court of Justice's decision, we're once again faced with big questions. Is the United States somehow above the law? Can we do what we want with respect to terrorists and murderers? Can we torture them, violating international treaties? Can we execute them in violation of other treaties?

The Latin Americanist posted a very thorough résumé of the Medellin case, but as usual the comments were predominantly pro-capital punishment, spearheaded by Dudley Sharp.

Mr. Sharp, who has written extensively in favor of capital punishment and claims to formerly have opposed the death penalty, as if that gives his present position more credibility, is a refreshing change from many of the furious ranting commenters who cry out for vengeance. I frankly have a hard time understanding both. Dudley has all the legal and historical information at his fingertips, but doesn't seem to understand my idea that if killing is wrong, then it's wrong. We can't tell the regular folks not to kill and then, as the State, do it ourselves. The ranting people are another story. They often remind me of the very ones they say should be put to death.

What's your opinion? Is capital punishment good for a society? Does it deter crime? Does it serve justice?

Please leave a comment.

Colombian Drug Kingpin Extradited to Miami

The Miami Herald reports that Diego León Montoya Sánchez, was extradited Friday from Bogotá to Miami on federal charges of trafficking cocaine, laundering money and murdering witnesses.

At the peak of his power during the past decade, ''Don Diego'' commanded a narco-trafficking empire that exported at least 1.2 million pounds of cocaine to the United States and raked in $1 billion in illicit profits, authorities said. Montoya Sánchez's organization rivaled that of earlier generations of Colombian traffickers, from the Ochoa's operation in Medellín to the Rodríguez Orejuela's syndicate in Cali.

Since the defeat of the Medellín and the Cali cartels and now the extradition of this guy, perhaps the War on Drugs is succeeding. What do you think?

According to the article, back in the 1990s Montoya Sánchez took advantage of the demise of his former bosses in the Cali organization. Does that mean there's someone stepping up right now to fill his spot? It is said he controlled "export corridors along the southwestern Pacific coast." Does that sound like Mexico to anyone? Could this have something to do with the other discussions we've been enjoying lately.

I suspect in the big picture, arresting these guys and bringing them to justice costs a lot and does no good whatever. This is the War on Drugs at its worst. I suppose, attacking the problem at the source, at the place where the coca is grown and processed is as futile. That leaves only one aspect of the complex problem to focus upon: the hunger for drugs in the U.S. Can't something be done about that? What do you think? Is addressing the drug problem in America as much a waste of time as the other efforts that make headlines?

What's your opinion?

The Sad Story of Jose Ernesto Medellin

One of the most popular posts on the old Word Press Blog was this one about Jose Ernesto Medellin. I've retained the same title, which I thought was cleverly ambiguous. Although I often write about the rights of convicted murderers, I'm quite aware of the victims' tragic stories as well.

This comment from Jessica came in today, which made me think about the revenge aspect of capital punishment and incarceration. It suddenly struck me that Jessica, as justified as she thinks she is, sounds oddly similar to the criminal she's raging about. Isn't it a contradiction to say that his fury and rage towards those girls was wrong but our fury and rage towards him is all right? This is a good illustration of exactly what I find objectionable with the death penalty. What do you think about it?


Like the comment below states; if it was your loved ones lying in bushes with maggots covering their face and genitals, their faces unrecognizable, smashes in by the steel toed boot of the same demon possessed killer that just got through taking her viginity by rape on train tracks, on the same tracks they drug them up and down, up and down by their feet, after jumping up and down on their throats and faces. This land we live in is a wonderful land made by the people WE OURSELVES elect. Once we elect these officials, IT IS OUR CIVIL DUTY TO SUPPORT those officials and what they do for our country. The death penalty has been around for centuries. If in fact the God we trust in has beef with our capital punishments, I do believe it would not still be here in this century. And to be honest, this 'poor poor' boy GOT MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT THE GIRLS GOT! I can only hope he GOT IT in prison like he gave her years ago, and I'm not talking about the beating, I am obviously referring to the gang rape! And I can only hope that he gets it OVER AND OVER AND OVER again in the after life! I believe Satan will reward with an eternity of sodomy!, for such work he did for his master.