Following the botched execution of Joseph Wood in Arizona, Rare featured an article on why conservatives should be concerned about the death penalty. The author, Matt Naham, quoted me as saying,
“If you can’t trust the government about healthcare, how can we trust it with the death penalty?” Hyden asked in an interview with Rare. “To accept the death penalty you need to say what kind of collateral damage you’re willing to accept.”
NBC News is following the developing story of Joseph Wood’s botched execution in Arizona. They highlight the lack of transparency in death penalty drug acquisition and the untested new combination of drugs used in the execution. NBC quotes Marc Hyden, stating,
“After last night’s botched execution in Arizona and the national spate of executions marred by mistakes, it appears that the government cannot execute someone without committing serious errors,” Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty said in a statement.
“This is a perfect example of why an inherently fallible system run by human beings must be limited especially when the system is veiled in secrecy.”
July 24, 2014 – Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty (CCATDP), a national network of conservatives and libertarians questioning the alignment of capital punishment with their principles, issued the following statement by Marc Hyden, Advocacy Coordinator:
“After last night’s botched execution in Arizona and the national spate of executions marred by mistakes, it appears that the government cannot execute someone without committing serious errors. This is a perfect example of why an inherently fallible system run by human beings must be limited especially when the system is veiled in secrecy. The execution in Arizona, much like many botched executions predating it, was problematic from early on, including secretly obtained drugs and untested, experimental protocols. Conservatives are right to be wary of a government acting in secrecy, which may well be covering up its own mistakes and abuse. This is not the transparent government that we demand.”
About Us
Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty is a network of political and social conservatives who question the alignment of capital punishment with conservative principles and values.
Death Penalty Concerns Keep Growing
From Ron Paul to Young Libertarian Leaders
NATIONAL CONFAB TO HIGHLIGHT THE ISSUE
July 23, 2014 – Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, a national network of conservatives and libertarians questioning the alignment of capital punishment with their principles, will once again be a sponsor of the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) national convention (Arlington, VA. July 30th – August 3rd).
“We come into this year’s national convention with incredible momentum among young conservatives and libertarians,” said Marc Hyden, National Coordinator of CCATDP, who will be making a brief presentation to the convention. “Having Dr. Ron Paul publicly support our efforts immediately following last year’s convention, and then becoming a YAL Strategic Partner, has accelerated our efforts to change the national narrative regarding the death penalty.”
In recent months CCATDP has presented and exhibited at YAL state conventions in Kentucky, Texas, and California, and has participated in a number of smaller YAL events.
“Conservative and libertarian student activists are increasingly getting involved once they learn more about the death penalty system’s many pitfalls; like the real risk of executing innocent people and the fact it costs far more than life without parole,” Hyden said.
BBC World’s Rajini Vaidyanathan travels to Tennessee to discuss the future of the death penalty in in Tennessee and across the US. Rajini interviews voices from across the state of Tennessee including Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty’s Marc Hyden to learn why more and more conservatives are questioning the death penalty. You can hear the documentary here.
Fresh off of our success at the Road to Majority conference, Ben Jones of Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty (CCATDP) traveled to Pittsburg, KS, on June 27 for the grand opening of the Crawford County Republican Party’s new headquarters. CCATDP exhibited there, and he shared information on the death penalty with attendees involved in their local GOP, who were interested to learn why more and more conservatives are questioning the death penalty.
Conservatives Concerned in the media
CCATDP was featured in a USA today article written by pro-life evangelical, Kirsten Powers. The article spread rapidly as more than two dozens publications reprinted the piece including the Huffington Post, Washington Post, Religion News Service, and Real Clear Politics.
I was also a guest on the Edward Woodson Show and the Tami Jackson Show. Both are conservative talk radio shows heard across the nation.
Upcoming
On July 30 – August 3, we will return to the Young Americans for Liberty national convention in Arlington, VA where we will be exhibiting and have the opportunity to make a brief presentation to the convention.
USA Today columnist, Kirsten Powers, interviewed me while I was at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference in Washington DC. She was interested in learning about the response to Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty and the conservative case against the death penalty. Powers reported,
Hyden said, “The case is simple. Conservative policies are supposed to be … pro-life, fiscally responsible and limited government. We risk taking innocent life, it costs more than life without parole, and I can’t think of a bigger government program than one where you can kill your citizens.”
She said,
Conservatives have a strong case on this issue. Hopefully, people will listen.
We are proud to announce two new supporters, Jeffrey Tucker and Ron Briggs. Jeffrey Tucker, CEO of Liberty.me, recently said, “The state’s right to kill you is the final demonstration of its power. The death penalty isn’t about justice; it is about the supremacy of the rulers over the ruled.”
Ron Briggs was a Republican lawmaker and helped lead the effort when California brought back the death penalty in 1978. He has since changed his mind and said, “With hindsight’s 20-20 vision and three decades of obstinate data, it’s clear to me that California created a fiscal monster that’s taking a human toll on the very people we wanted to protect. I support the efforts of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty.”
Conservatives Concerned in the Media
National media coverage has been terrific this month, with a number of major news outlets talking about the changing conservative position on the death penalty.
Here are a few of our favorites:
Questioning a system marked by inefficiency, inequity, and inaccuracy.
Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty is a network of political and social conservatives who question the alignment of capital punishment with conservative principles and values.
We are a project of Equal Justice USA, a national organization working to end the death penalty in the United States.
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