Comments on: Justice for Andrea Yates http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/ Exposing the ugly truths about the Bush Administration. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:58:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1.3 by: Brian http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-198255 Sun, 08 Apr 2007 17:17:03 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-198255 Just from the press reports it was obvious Yates had a major psychotic break consistent with the comments above. Why people feel this need to punish such outrageously insane behavior says more about them than the accused. Putting such a disturbed person through the trial process is cruel but unfortunately the usual initial punishment. It would be a lot cheaper to have her administratively commited with periodic fair reviews to see if a time would come to even try the case to achieve some resolution. What I find particularly disturbing is why would a prosecutor with at least 4 years of college and 3 years of law school even want to try and find her guilty of murder as a sane person? Don't they have any sense of doing the right thing rather than over-exercising their state given moral license to flaggelate the disturbed for political points? While she sounds stark raving, the prosecution sounds morally tone-deaf. We are supposed to be a modern country yet we encourage such prosecutorial malpractice all the time. Its an expensive mistake and a waste of resources. Just from the press reports it was obvious Yates had a major psychotic break consistent with the comments above. Why people feel this need to punish such outrageously insane behavior says more about them than the accused. Putting such a disturbed person through the trial process is cruel but unfortunately the usual initial punishment. It would be a lot cheaper to have her administratively commited with periodic fair reviews to see if a time would come to even try the case to achieve some resolution. What I find particularly disturbing is why would a prosecutor with at least 4 years of college and 3 years of law school even want to try and find her guilty of murder as a sane person? Don’t they have any sense of doing the right thing rather than over-exercising their state given moral license to flaggelate the disturbed for political points? While she sounds stark raving, the prosecution sounds morally tone-deaf. We are supposed to be a modern country yet we encourage such prosecutorial malpractice all the time. Its an expensive mistake and a waste of resources.

]]> by: Bobby http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21553 Thu, 27 Jul 2006 17:26:00 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21553 As a juror on this second trial there is no doubt in my mind that the evidence supported Texas' affirmative defence of not guilty by reason of insanity, and Texas' law is one of the hardest to prove in the country. We had a very intelligent jury and we returned the correct verdict. Mrs. Yates was suffering from psycosis, and this was not disputed on either side. Even Dr. Dietz, who testified for the state that Mrs. Yates was suffering from an obsession when she drowned her kids, admitted that she showed symptoms of psycosis. He was impeached several times by Mr Parnum however on his obsession theory during cross. Post partum psycosis was one of the diagnosese but schitzophrinea (spelling) was another. Either way, the evidence supports that Mrs Yates did not believe what she was doing was wrong. These children will never be forgotten. I plan to visit the grave site this weekend. A foundation has already begun in their name to further awareness on mental illness, in an effort to ensure this never happens again. The judge ensured us that Mrs Yates faces many years in a maximum security mental hospital and very likely will never live anywhere else. She told us that even if she is allowed visit's outside the hospital she will be monitored. Any flippant remarks about this case without knowing the testimony just shows your ignorance. As a juror on this second trial there is no doubt in my mind that the evidence supported Texas’ affirmative defence of not guilty by reason of insanity, and Texas’ law is one of the hardest to prove in the country. We had a very intelligent jury and we returned the correct verdict.

Mrs. Yates was suffering from psycosis, and this was not disputed on either side. Even Dr. Dietz, who testified for the state that Mrs. Yates was suffering from an obsession when she drowned her kids, admitted that she showed symptoms of psycosis. He was impeached several times by Mr Parnum however on his obsession theory during cross.

Post partum psycosis was one of the diagnosese but schitzophrinea (spelling) was another. Either way, the evidence supports that Mrs Yates did not believe what she was doing was wrong.

These children will never be forgotten. I plan to visit the grave site this weekend. A foundation has already begun in their name to further awareness on mental illness, in an effort to ensure this never happens again.

The judge ensured us that Mrs Yates faces many years in a maximum security mental hospital and very likely will never live anywhere else. She told us that even if she is allowed visit’s outside the hospital she will be monitored.

Any flippant remarks about this case without knowing the testimony just shows your ignorance.

]]> by: maha http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21534 Thu, 27 Jul 2006 13:48:02 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21534 The United States has disproportionately high murder rates. Sometimes people blame guns, but the fact is that we kill each other using other tools -- knives, baseball bats, etc. -- at disproportionaely high rates also. I think the mindset that sees capital punishment as "justice" is exactly the same mindset that fuels our homicide rates. Too many people see killing as a proper way of dealing with "problems." The United States has disproportionately high murder rates. Sometimes people blame guns, but the fact is that we kill each other using other tools — knives, baseball bats, etc. — at disproportionaely high rates also. I think the mindset that sees capital punishment as “justice” is exactly the same mindset that fuels our homicide rates. Too many people see killing as a proper way of dealing with “problems.”

]]> by: Bonnie http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21529 Thu, 27 Jul 2006 12:56:50 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21529 How does it make any sense to tell a murderer that it is wrong to kill people; therefore, I'm going to kill you to prove it. The death penalty is barbaric. How does it make any sense to tell a murderer that it is wrong to kill people; therefore, I’m going to kill you to prove it. The death penalty is barbaric.

]]> by: maha http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21511 Thu, 27 Jul 2006 10:28:57 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21511 <i>Anyone who commits a murder (let alone her own children) is insane.</i> Not true. First, "insane" is not a medical term. It has no meaning in modern psychiatric medicine, which makes its use in law problematic because people can't agree on what it means. The medical term is "psychotic." Only a very tiny portion of people who commit homicides are psychotic. <i>Society has an obligation to prevent murderers from harming anyone ever again, the death penalty.</i> Yates won't harm anyone again. She's going to be heavily medicated and hospitalized the rest of her life. The hell she's in now is that when her mind clears enough to realize her children are dead, she relapses back into psychosis. Anyone who commits a murder (let alone her own children) is insane.

Not true. First, “insane” is not a medical term. It has no meaning in modern psychiatric medicine, which makes its use in law problematic because people can’t agree on what it means. The medical term is “psychotic.” Only a very tiny portion of people who commit homicides are psychotic.

Society has an obligation to prevent murderers from harming anyone ever again, the death penalty.

Yates won’t harm anyone again. She’s going to be heavily medicated and hospitalized the rest of her life. The hell she’s in now is that when her mind clears enough to realize her children are dead, she relapses back into psychosis.

]]> by: Dennis http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21501 Thu, 27 Jul 2006 08:26:14 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21501 Of course she was/is insane. Anyone who commits a murder (let alone her own children) is insane. Now would you like to be the one (if it was possible) to explain to the children why that is an excuse to avoid the death penalty? Society has an obligation to prevent murderers from harming anyone ever again, the death penalty. Insanity is NOT an excuse for murder and the penalty for murder should be death in all cases and as soon as possible. Of course she was/is insane. Anyone who commits a murder (let alone her own children) is insane. Now would you like to be the one (if it was possible) to explain to the children why that is an excuse to avoid the death penalty? Society has an obligation to prevent murderers from harming anyone ever again, the death penalty. Insanity is NOT an excuse for murder and the penalty for murder should be death in all cases and as soon as possible.

]]> by: justme http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21484 Thu, 27 Jul 2006 03:38:51 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21484 Justice in texas??? Go friggin figure!!!! It is one for the history books to be sure.. Justice in texas??? Go friggin figure!!!! It is one for the history books to be sure..

]]> by: Kewalo http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21480 Thu, 27 Jul 2006 03:05:25 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21480 You are right on. Thank God this jury was a little smarter. But I'll tell you the fact that the prosecution had the balls to use that same lying doctor that told the whopper about Law and Order just frosts me. Does anyone know if they plan to go after her on the other two children? There must be some nefarious reason they only tried her for 3 of the kids. The prosecution is scum in my estimation. By the way, Catherine Crier gets major kudos from me on this case, she's had it right from the beginning. AND she has been doing anti-administration editorials that are hot. Yesterday she went after signing statements. She's the only one that seems to get it right. It scares me she's being so honest, I hope she's not putting her job is jeopardy. You are right on. Thank God this jury was a little smarter. But I’ll tell you the fact that the prosecution had the balls to use that same lying doctor that told the whopper about Law and Order just frosts me. Does anyone know if they plan to go after her on the other two children? There must be some nefarious reason they only tried her for 3 of the kids. The prosecution is scum in my estimation.

By the way, Catherine Crier gets major kudos from me on this case, she’s had it right from the beginning. AND she has been doing anti-administration editorials that are hot. Yesterday she went after signing statements. She’s the only one that seems to get it right. It scares me she’s being so honest, I hope she’s not putting her job is jeopardy.

]]> by: marilynj1 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21477 Thu, 27 Jul 2006 02:28:17 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21477 I'm glad that the poor woman finally will receive the treatment she needs. My heart always went out to her and her family, no one in there right mind would drown their children in cold blood. The Texas Courts have a lot to answer for. I’m glad that the poor woman finally will receive the treatment she needs. My heart always went out to her and her family, no one in there right mind would drown their children in cold blood. The Texas Courts have a lot to answer for.

]]> by: maha http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21469 Thu, 27 Jul 2006 01:56:59 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2006/07/26/justice-for-andrea-yates/#comment-21469 apocalipstick -- I suggest you and anyone else who caught Filan's act email Countdown and complain: countdown@msnbc.com Please be polite; just say that Filan had her facts wrong, and her commentary didn't come up to Countdown's usual standards. apocalipstick — I suggest you and anyone else who caught Filan’s act email Countdown and complain:

countdown@msnbc.com

Please be polite; just say that Filan had her facts wrong, and her commentary didn’t come up to Countdown’s usual standards.

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