The Governor Of California, Gavin Newsom, has announced a moratorium on carrying out the death penalty. Thus providing a temporary reprieve for the more than 700 people, on the State’s death row.

A spokesman for the Governor, Ian Napton, said, “He thinks that killing people doesn’t really set the best example. You wouldn’t believe how incredibly expensive it is, so he’s  proposing to stop doing it. However, he’s asking if citizens could meet him halfway and stop killing one another, too, that would be lovely. Then there wouldn’t be newcomers clogging up his death row. It’s terribly busy.”

California’s San Quentin prison is home to America’s largest death row population. It’s not that the State’s population is especially blood thirsty by nationwide standards, it’s just that the authorities haven’t been terribly keen on killing their prisoners off. This means there is a bit of a backlog. Since the death penalty was reintroduced in 1976, just thirteen inmates have been killed. By comparison, 79 have died of natural causes, whilst waiting to be killed.

But this new policy of not killing people hasn’t been met with approval in all quarters. A very annoyed President Trump tweeted, “Namby pamby, wishy-washy liberal thinks killing is bad. I’m not thrilled. Let’s execute all 700 and Make America Great Again!”

The moratorium lasts for the Governor’s term in office, until 2023. The President must wait until a more sensible policy in favour of indiscriminate killing can resume.

The Origins of the Death Penalty story

The story originates from our fascination with the differences in American culture, highlighted by contradiction between the liberal West Coast and the rather more Trumpian south. 

Meanwhile, Trump manages to appall with almost every utterance. 

We have written, previously on related themes. For exampe, our shooting template, is a recurring favourite: https://atomic-temporary-148424745.wpcomstaging.com/shooting_template

The original news story is here; https://www.bbc.co.uk/death_penalty