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    the johnEnid Shaw
    9/17/14 8:50pm

    Cases like this truly try my belief in abolishment of the death penalty. It serves no useful purpose in terms of deterrence, only vengeance - and poorly applied, at that. But Jesus, if anyone deserves a full measure of society's collective vengeance, it's this sack of excrement masquerading in human form.

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      aergagaegzdfgadfgthe john
      9/17/14 9:57pm

      It's justice, not vengeance. Read what she did to that poor child. And if you don't get it, read it again.

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      the johnaergagaegzdfgadfg
      9/17/14 10:05pm

      I disagree with your concept of justice, but for the sake of argument if you can guarantee me that every person given a death sentence was in fact guilty of the crime for which they were convicted, I wouldn't tie myself to a pole to stop this lady's death. But you can't, and I'm unwilling to sacrifice an innocent person to satisfy some blood lust.

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    Jerry-NetherlandEnid Shaw
    9/17/14 9:20pm

    "Stickels said Coleman wasn't ever offered a plea, telling the Fort-Worth Star Telegram, "What [Coleman] is really guilty of is being a black lesbian. If she is executed, it will be because of her sexual orientation. I have hope that I can save her.""

    NOPE! Bad spin. Normally I am extra skeptical about Texas justice (and especially their willingness to use capital punishment). I am gay and I am opposed to the death penalty, but I have no tolerance for child abuse and sexuality has nothing to do with how I would perceive a story of brutality towards a child.

    In this case McWilliams got life imprisonment, and so should have Coleman. They are/were both lesbian, so how is Coleman's death sentence anti-LGBT based if McWilliams got life in prison? Cleary, McWilliams made a better deal or had a better lawyer. All of that said, these two are clearly and absolutely unfit mothers who should have had the kids taken away years before the child died (like after the second or fourth or sixth CPS call?)

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      myprettyponyJerry-Netherland
      9/17/14 9:37pm

      She probably just had a crappy lawyer. She tortured and starved a child to death. I don't have much sympathy for her. This has nothing to do with her skin color or her sexual orientation.

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      sizor_sisterJerry-Netherland
      9/17/14 9:45pm

      I can recall that more than a couple of the women executed since 1976 have been lesbians (or at least in lesbian relationships). So, if 3 (the ones I know about) of the 15 women executed since 1976 have been lesbians, that's not reflective of the general population.

      There definitely is the chance for bias against a lesbian, and especially a butch Black lesbian given the associations of lesbians and of Black women with masculinity and how the death penalty favors men (masculinity). I wouldn't be surprised if Coleman's lover was the more "feminine" of the relationship (especially since she was the one with children). That's were the bias comes in; when it conflates with race and ideas of gender transgression.

      ETA: I looked into it further, and at least 5 (!) of the women executed since 1976 have been lesbians, and all but one of them have been Black women.

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    SharksOnCouchesEnid Shaw
    9/18/14 8:37am

    This just showed up on my Facebook feed

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      LalarooSharksOnCouches
      9/18/14 9:32am

      That case is a little confusing. Some of the articles say the son was seven months, but it seems like he was actually seven weeks old when he died. The mom said he was having trouble keeping down formula, and she waited too long to get help because she thought she could handle it herself. It doesn't really seem comparable to the case in Texas, where the woman maliciously abused and starved the child for years on purpose. In one case the woman was criminally abusive, in the other criminally stupid.

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      SharksOnCouchesLalaroo
      9/18/14 9:48am

      Thus Spake Zarathustra plays

      Daaaaaaaaah

      Http://www.indystar.com/story/news/201…

      Daaaaaaaaaah

      http://www.mystateline.com/fulltext-news/…

      daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

      http://ksn.com/2014/09/09/sal…

      DAA DAAAH. DA DA DAAAH DAAAAH DAADADAH DAH DAH DAH

      http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines…

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    MissNudeBurnerEnid Shaw
    9/17/14 8:47pm

    Rare for a female to be held fully responsible for her crimes like this. Good.

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      CraniestEnid Shaw
      9/17/14 10:00pm

      no one showed up to represent Devontae Williams.

      saddest article end ever.

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        BaaaaaaaaadoinkEnid Shaw
        9/17/14 8:42pm

        Well, it's no mystery what she did with the food.

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          Búho se PierdeEnid Shaw
          9/17/14 9:03pm

          I remember the Devontae Williams case well. So horrific. I never realized this element of it though. Lots of horror all the way around I see.

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            The Ghost of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ AKA BabyStepsEnid Shaw
            9/17/14 9:24pm

            "Tell them I finished strong."

            Stay classy, bitch!

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