Supreme Court bans death penalty?

I'm against the death penalty. It's as much of a Big Government tool to use against the public as the terrifying prison boom is.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking the death penalty is only used against murderers and terrorists and possibly child rapists, so why should we be worried about it? Quite the contrary. There have been documented instances in recent American history of people being put to death who were almost certainly innocent of the crime they were executed for.

Not only that, but the death penalty no longer applies to just those convicted of murder, child rape, and terrorism. In the '90s alone, the federal government established at least 60 new crimes that were eligible for capital punishment. These days, even certain drug offenses can bring a federal death penalty, even when the offender played no role in any murder.

Today, however, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a Louisiana case that the death penalty can't be imposed for raping children - a crime so unspeakable that it's enough to make anyone sick. According to the court, the punishment is out of proportion to the crime under evolving standards of decency - despite child rape being among the worst crimes imaginable.

Like I said, I'm not a capital punishment supporter. But what this ruling really means is that the death penalty is also out of proportion to any other crime. What crime is worse than child rape? I don't think there is any. Child rapists are the criminals I hate the worst.

I believe the crime of child rape is worse even than murder. Child rapists kill souls slowly.

If capital punishment is banned for the worst criminals for being too severe for the crime, then obviously I'd have no choice but to say the death penalty is also illegal for everyone else. Based on the reasons given for the ruling, I'd be inclined to interpret this decision as effectively a total death penalty ban.

Think how bad it's going to look when the government tries executing a farmer for growing too much pot when you're not even allowed to execute a child rapist.