On Wednesday and Thursday, as seen in this search result at its national site, the Associated Press devoted six stories and a morning "10 Things" tease to the death-penalty execution of Kimberly McCarthy.
Make that seven, as an unbylined AP story which appeared at USA Today the morning after McCarthy died appears to have been replaced at the wire service's national site by another during revisions. The "significance" of McCarthy's execution was that it was the 500th in Texas since the Lone Star State reinstated the death penalty in 1982 -- and of course, that a potential GOP presidential contender in 2016 happens to be the state's governor. Maybe I missed them, but I'm unaware of any AP stories in the past few years marking the one-millionth U.S. abortion in any calendar year, or the 500th murder in any state. Excerpts from the report appearing at USA Today, complete with "grim milestone" language seen so frequently during Iraq War coverage, follow (bolds are mine):
Texas carries out its 500th execution since 1982
Texas marked a somber moment in criminal justice, executing its 500th inmate since it resumed carrying out capital punishment in 1982.
Kimberly McCarthy, who was put to death Wednesday evening for the murder of her 71-year-old neighbor, was also the first woman executed in the U.S. in nearly three years.
McCarthy, 52, was executed for the 1997 robbery, beating and fatal stabbing of retired psychology professor Dorothy Booth. Booth had agreed to give McCarthy a cup of sugar before she was attacked with a butcher knife and candelabra at her home, south of Dallas. Authorities say McCarthy cut off Booth's finger to remove her wedding ring.
It was among three slayings linked to McCarthy, a former nursing home therapist who became addicted to crack cocaine.
... In her final statement, McCarthy did not mention her status as the 500th inmate to be executed or acknowledge Booth or her family.
"This is not a loss. This is a win. You know where I'm going. I'm going home to be with Jesus. Keep the faith. I love you all," she said, while looking toward her witnesses — her attorney, her spiritual adviser and her ex-husband, New Black Panther Party founder Aaron Michaels.
... Texas has carried out nearly 40 percent of the more than 1,300 executions in the U.S. since the Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976. The state's standing stems from its size as the second-most populous state as well as its tradition of tough justice for killers.
... Outside the prison, about 40 protesters gathered, carrying signs saying "Death Penalty: Racist and Anti-Poor," "Stop All Executions Now" and "Stop Killing to Stop Killings." As the hour for the execution approached, protesters began chanting and sang the old Negro spiritual "Wade in the Water."
So the 500th administrations of capital punishment administered to those found guilty of murder after 31 years, i.e., an average of 16 per year, gets seven AP stories, while the annual taking of a million innocent lives goes unremarked each year. At roughly 3,000 per day, abortion-related "somber moments" for each every 500th pre-born baby murdered happen six times each day.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
