IF NOT THE EXECUTION CHAMBER, HOW ABOUT THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS?

In Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304 (2002), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that executing the mentally retarded violates the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishments.

In 1998, Elroy Chester, now 42, raped two teen age girls in Port Arthur, Texas and murdered their uncle, Willie Ryman III, a firefighter. After deliberating for only eleven-and-a-half minutes, a jury sentenced him to death for the murder of Ryman.

His lawyers appealed, contending that Chester was mentally impaired and prohibited from being executed under U.S. Supreme Court rulings. On Friday, two judges on a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Chester was not mentally impaired and upheld his death sentence. The other judge agreed with Chester’s lawyers. The appellate process is certain to end up in the Supreme Court.

During his trial, Chester admitted killing Ryman after raping the firefighter's two nieces. According to the Houston Chronicle, he also told police he had killed four other people, including his brother-in-law. Chester was also suspected in five other shootings and three other rapes. On the witness stand, Chester said that if he had known one of his rape victims was only 10, he would have raped her mother instead. He also said: "If I hadn't shot my brother-in-law, I'd still be out there shooting white folks."

Let’s see now. This worthless vermin raped two teenage girls and murdered their uncle. Chester admitted killing four other people and is suspected in five other shootings and three other rapes. And he obviously hates 'white folks' too. Let’s suppose he really is mentally impaired. To that I say, so what! That’s right, so what! Mentally impaired or not, Chester does not deserve the right to exist among the living, even within the confines of a prison.

If Chester is mentally impaired, imprisoning him for life would seem to be much more cruel than executing him by putting him to sleep like a beloved pet dog. If he can’t be executed, instead of imprisoning this poor mentally impaired soul, why don’t they just release him to a group home for the mentally challenged, and then Chester can compete in the Special Olympics.