Child molestation is a horrific problem in our country, and all decent people want to put a stop to it, using almost any means possible. In Oklahoma, at long last, the state legislature decided that drastic means were justified, even necessary, to prevent these vile criminals from perpetrating their loathsome deeds.
On Friday, June 9th, democratic Governor Brad Henry signed Senate Bill 1800, which will allow repeat child molesters to receive the death penalty or life-without-parole sentences. Henry did not comment on the bill, which was introduced several times in the past by state senator Jay Paul Gumm, a democrat from Durant, Oklahoma. Three times the bill died in the house, but finally, probably due to the public outrage over the horrific nature of these crimes, the bill passed the Oklahoma legislature. Gumm was finally able to get the language permitting the death penalty to the bill, with the help of senators Jonathan Nichols and Fred Morgan, both republicans. All of these representatives deserve the thanks of their constituents.
Gumm, as one might expect, was highly pleased by the passage of his bill, and said that it will make the state safer for children. “We need to send the message,” Gumm remarked, “as a state, that if you repeatedly prey on children, we will find you, prosecute you, convict you, and execute you.” It is hard to imagine anyone with a sense of decency not applauding such a desire. Child predators not only harm the children they prey on, but destroy families and ruin people’s emotional stability for life.
To nobody’s surprise, however, there was opposition. The American Civil Liberties Union, defenders of anything and everything wrong in the United States, said that it is examining the law. It is not much of a stretch to imagine that there will soon be lawsuits in Federal courts over this new state law. Michael Camfield, the development director of Oklahoma’s ACLU, said, “Existing case law regarding the imposition of capital punishment for crimes other than murder would suggest this could ultimately be declared unconstitutional.” It is difficult to imagine anybody standing up in court to defend child molesters as having any kind of rights, but if anybody will do it, you can bet it will be the ACLU.
Senator Gumm has an unanswerable retort for those who might oppose his measure. Basically, his message is, “you are either for us, or against us.” There is no gray area in this struggle to punish these unspeakable criminals, and hopefully deter potential perpetrators from committing such a lewd felony. Critics of the legislation, Gumm defiantly stated, “can stand up with the rest of us for children, or they can stand up for the child molesters.”
Very well put. It should be hoped that all Oklahomans will stand with Gumm, no matter what the ACLU and their cohorts may say, and that other states will follow suit.
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