Marvin Olavski from World Magazine reported on Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty and how the national debate is changing. He said,
“Capital punishment debates used to pit liberals against conservatives. That’s often not the case anymore. The Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty website has an impressive array of folks from the right who characterize capital punishment (as currently practiced in the United States) as one more failed government program.”
World Magazine is a right-leaning Christian news magazine headquartered in Asheville, NC.
CONSERVATIVES CONCERNED ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY TO BE AT CPAC ST. LOUIS
Conservative group to highlight the flaws in America’s death penalty
September 23, 2013 – Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, a national network of conservatives questioning the alignment of capital punishment with conservative principles, will be an exhibitor at CPAC St. Louis in the St. Charles Convention Center on September 28th.
“We are looking forward to building on the momentum of when we debuted at CPAC 2013 in National Harbor, MD,” said Marc Hyden, a national coordinator for Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. “Many conservatives keep telling us they are questioning whether the expensive, error-prone, and endless death penalty system fits with their beliefs in limited government, basic justice, fiscal restraint, and a right to life.”
Conservatives Concerned About the Death has the support of such leading conservatives as Brent Bozell III of the Media Research Center, Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice, Dr. Ron Paul, former Congressman and GOP Presidential candidate, and Richard A.
I was recently interviewed by the Brenner Brief in a two part series (Part 1 and Part 2), which covered the specific issues that give conservatives concerns about the death penalty. I said,
“For me the death penalty boils down to my conservative ideology. I believe in pro-life policies, fiscal responsibility, limited government, and I have a strong desire for justice to be tough and swift. The death penalty is inconsistent with all of these points.”
I went to on say,
“The death penalty offers zero margin for error, it’s burdensome on the taxpayers, fails as a deterrent, and it’s horribly arbitrary. If the government kills an innocent person, then it’s no better than the criminals it seeks to protect us from, and we, as citizens, are also to blame because we were complicit and allowed it to happen.”
Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty
Reaction to Assessment of Capital Punishment in Texas
Report Raises More Questions about Fairness and Accuracy
September 18, 2013 – A new assessment of the Texas capital punishment system released today by the American Bar Association found significant flaws in the way that Texas metes out the death penalty.
The in-depth two year study was conducted by an independent team of former judges, a former prosecutor, a former governor, and others. The study revealed an error-prone system marked by an array of failures that end up costing taxpayers far more money, while putting innocent people at risk of execution.
“The key findings of the report are an affront to core conservative beliefs such as individual liberty, limited government, and fiscal restraint,” said Marc Hyden, a national coordinator for Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. “Problems with laboratories and the inconsistent reliability of forensic evidence must be addressed before a state exercises the power to take a life.”
Two conservative members of the assessment team held leadership positions in the administration of Texas criminal justice policies.
We’re thrilled to welcome a new national supporter to our cause:
Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood Clinic Director who is now a committed pro-life advocate, recently told us, “My own story is one of redemption. I vehemently oppose the death penalty because it perpetuates the illusion that certain individuals are beyond redemption. Regardless of someone’s past actions, their life always has value. For all who are pro-life, we are called to oppose all threats to life from conception to natural death – including the death penalty.” You can read what other political leaders who support CCATDP have said here.
Meanwhile Dr. Ron Paul’s statement of support for us is still reverberating throughout conservative and libertarian circles. Media inquiries continue to roll in, as the conservative world is hungry to hear about conservatives making this principled stand. Political and thought leaders are eager to increase their involvement in our work, we are continuing to present at conferences across the nation, and we have a busy schedule coming up over the next month.
Yesterday, All Right Magazine published a piece written by Ian Huyett. Ian described Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty’s reception at CPAC,
“When Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty made its striking debut at CPAC 2013, its booth was overwhelmed with hundreds of conservative supporters. To the group’s members, this warm hospitality “confirmed what we already knew” about conservatives and the death penalty.”
Ian Huyett went on to describe conservative philosophy and why conservatism and capital punishment cannot coincide in America,
“Conservatism, then, does not merely reject the ideas which make possible today’s system of capital punishment. It might even be said to have originated in opposition to the death penalty. Conservative calls to reform this wasteful and systemically unjust arrangement should then be seen, not as a peculiarity, but a welcome return to tradition.”
DEATH PENALTY TO BE DISCUSSED AT LPAC
LIBERTARIAN CONCERNS GROW
September 11, 2013 – Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, a national network of conservatives and libertarians questioning the alignment of capital punishment with their principles, will be exhibiting at the 3RD Annual Liberty Political Action Conference (LPAC) September 19-22 in Chantilly, VA.
Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty heads into the conference on the heels of the recent endorsement by Dr. Ron Paul, Chairman of LPAC’s host organization the Campaign for Liberty. “I believe that support for the death penalty is inconsistent with libertarianism and traditional conservatism. So I am pleased with Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty’s efforts to form a coalition of libertarians and conservatives to work to end capital punishment.”
LPAC will bring together leaders of the liberty movement – conservative, libertarian, constitutional and free market organizations, elected officials and grassroots activists, as well as businesses – to discuss the issues facing America.
“Members of the liberty movement want to reel in the power of government, including the death penalty, which is a failed government program that risks killing innocent Americans,” said Marc Hyden, a national advocacy coordinator for Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty who will be at LPAC.
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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