Atty. General Bob McDonnell is a clear and present danger to Virginia

By: econlibVA
Published On: 12/5/2006 3:07:50 PM

I just read the Washington Post article (http://www.washingto...) about Percy WaltonGÇÖs stay of execution.  Percy Walton is a paranoid schizophrenic that was scheduled to be executed on Friday in Virginia for the murder of three people several years ago.  Gov. Kaine issued a stay of execution yesterday due to WaltonGÇÖs severe mental illness.  The Washington Post article is just OK (it really should be titled GÇ£Gov. Kaine Issues Stay of Execution of Mentally Ill ManGÇ¥) but IGÇÖll take what I can get.  However, there are some nuggets in this article that really deserve further comment.
In 1986, the Supreme Court ruled that executing the mentally ill is cruel and unusual and therefore against the 8th Amendment of the Constitution.  For an inmate to be executed, he must understand that he is about to be executed and why.  Unfortunately, the Supreme Court left it up to the states to decide who is sane or insane.

Gov. Kaine has chosen to follow the law.  Percy Walton is clearly insane.  According to the Washington Post, Walton:

GÇ£is nicknamed GÇ£Crazy HorseGÇ¥ by death-row guards for his bizarre behaviorGÇ¥,
GÇ£often refuses to shower and rarely speaks coherentlyGÇ¥, and
GÇ£has said that he will go to Burger King, that he will drive a motorcycle after his execution and that he believes his death will resurrect his three victims and his late grandfatherGÇ¥.

Wow.  If Percy WaltonGÇÖs not mentally ill, who is?

Of course, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and Atty. Gen. Bob McDonnell donGÇÖt believe in following the law and the United States Constitution.  Either that or they donGÇÖt believe that reality applies to them.  ThatGÇÖs the only reasons I can come up with for their approval of Percy WaltonGÇÖs execution.

The 4th Circuit ruled 7-6 that Percy Walton was sane and fit for execution.  In their decision, they stated that GÇ£questions about whether Walton understood that his "death means the end of his physical life" bordered on the "metaphysical."GÇ¥ Attorney General Bob McDonnell says he is "concerned about the impact today's action could have on our justice system."  WTF?  There is a fine line between interpreting the law and just making stuff up to fit your political biases, and Bob McDonnell and the 4th Circuit crossed that line a long time ago.  They should be ashamed of themselves.

Bob McDonnell and the 4th Circuit are a clear and present danger to the Commonwealth of Virginia.  They couldnGÇÖt care less about the law or the United States Constitution. God forbid that any of us get thrown in jail for something we didnGÇÖt do or have to make use of any of our Constitutional protections GÇô weGÇÖd be out of luck.  McDonnell has proven himself unfit for public office.  And as for the 4th Circuit, we need to appoint better judges GÇô hopefully the newly elected Congress will get that right.  In the meantime, we must all demand that our public officials follow and respect the Constitution.

(P.S.  If you want to end the death penalty in Virginia, please sign up and donate at Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (http://www.vadp.org).  And if you want to take out Bob McDonnell and the rest of the Republican lawbreakers, keep donating to and working for the Virginia Democratic Party and its candidates.) 

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