What's The Deal With Texas?

Ah, Texas. Where everything is big, except their sense of compassion and fairness.

From Texas executes man at centre of mental disability row by Chris McGreal:

Texas has executed a child killer at the centre of a bitter dispute over what defines legal mental impairment after several courts ruled that he could be put to death despite a low IQ.

Bobby Wayne Woods, 44, was killed by lethal injection for raping and murdering his girlfriend's 11-year-old daughter after the US supreme court denied a last minute appeal by lawyers who argued that the condemned man fell within a ruling by the same court in 2002 that the mentally impaired could not be sentenced to death.

After being told that the supreme court had refused to intervene, Woods' last words were: "Bye. I'm ready."

Tests on Woods in prison put his IQ as low as 68, below the widely accepted cut off for mental impairment of 70. However, in pursuing the death penalty, the state fell back on other tests conducted when he was a child that put his IQ as high as 86.

I’m sure that somewhere (probably in Texas) a certain ex-president is having a good laugh.

What A Waste Of Money

Whatever happened to investigating a crime before acting on erroneous information?

From Texas raid on polygamists' compound cost $14 million plus by John Moritz:

The state's tab for operations associated with the roundup of more than 460 youngsters from a polygamist sect's ranch in West Texas has already topped $14 million, a figure that will rise as still-unsubmitted overtime, travel and professional services bills are tallied, newly released records show.

Read the rest here.

It cost $14 million to traumetize 460 children, and Uncle Sam says: “Just add it to my tab.” Because you know you can't get elected by raising taxes.