Okay, so they're not going to seek the Death Penalty for Robert Blake. Frankly, I don't care much if they do or they don't have mixed feelings about the notion of our government putting people to death, especially given how appallingly fallible our court system seems to be…but let's leave that aside for now. (I don't think that's a small thing, by the way. I think proponents of the Death Penalty are turning backflips to ignore the fact that folks on Death Row keep being found innocent. But that's not germane to the point I want to make…)
If we are to have a Death Penalty in this nation, I assume we're all in accord that it oughta be administered impartially, without regard to the race or wealth of the accused, only the nature of their crime. With me so far? Okay. And we think it ought to be applied in the most extreme, inhuman crimes, right? Fine.
Now, when a judge or a governor shows some hesitancy to fry a convicted killer, the Death Penalty folks howl, scream about recall petitions, accuse the official of disrespecting the memory of the victims and denying their loved ones closure, etc. And if we believe in the Death Penalty, that's probably an appropriate response. Now, here comes the But…
But! When the D.A. decided not to seek the Death Penalty for O.J. Simpson, I don't recall any outcry whatsoever about that. Not a peep, not a protest. Why? The man was accused of driving over to his ex-wife's home with a big knife and hacking her and a friend to death. Is that not a crime worthy of the Death Penalty? I mean, if that doesn't warrant it, what would? Killing three people that way? Five? How about if he'd killed them and then jaywalked to the Bronco?
Robert Blake is accused of taking a gun and shooting his wife to death. This is plain, old-fashioned, generic-brand murder, isn't it? The D.A. spent eleven months investigating and, aware that the case would be examined with an electron microscope, appears to have nailed down the facts and evidence with uncanny precision. Is there a reason this isn't a Death Penalty offense apart from the fact that the guy's famous and can afford a good lawyer? And if they aren't going to seek the Death Penalty in a case like this or Simpson's, why should they seek it in any premeditated murder of one or two human beings?
Just a thought.