Is Illinois Governor Pat Quinn Reading the News? Maryland Movement to Rev Up Executions, While Some in New Jersey Seek to Reinstate Death Penalty
We're all still waiting to see whether or not Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will sign into law the proposed legislation on his desk which would abolish capital punishment in that state. You can almost hear the sound of a thousand fingernails drumming impatiently on tabletops across the country ....
Meanwhile, over in Maryland it's a different ballgame. The President of the Maryland Senate, Democrat Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., has told the media that he's working toward Maryland doing what's necessary regulation-wise so Maryland can start executing again. Right now, the death penalty is sought in Maryland courtrooms, but executions have been halted by the state's high court for over four years now due to concerns over lethal injection procedures.
And in New Jersey -- which abolished the death penalty in 2007 -- there's a continuing movement by some to reverse that decision and reinstitute capital punishment in New Jersey. The latest has been three (3) capital punishment bills proposed by GOP state senators in New Jersey, their position getting further support in the public outrage at the shooting death this month of Lakewood township police officer Christopher Matlosz.
So, Democrats in Maryland's state house and Republicans in New Jersey's legislature are all pushing for capital punishment in their states. What message does this send to Governor Quinn, in politician-speak? We'll find out soon enough.
