a package deal

Jake sent me an article this morning from The New York Times about how Roman Catholic bishops are stepping up efforts to fight the death penalty in the U.S., in response to what they see is a growing public sentiment against the practice.

The article came with a question: "Do you think abortion will get packaged with the death penalty by religious groups and both will end up restricted?" asked Jake.

Here's what I said to him.

I don't know . . . I mean, this whole Terry Schiavo nightmare has been turned into a right to life/anti-abortion versus lefties who want to starve people to death and kill their babies fiasco. But the real political weight as far as those in the religious community may not be able to dismantle the strong death penalty rhetoric of the very same folks and their political leaders. I mean, Tom DeLay has been one of the more vocal members of Congress as far as the Schiavo case, but he's from Texas and they like to kill kids and 'tards down there when they commit crimes.

I can see a backroom conversation in which Catholic leaders say that they will work in concert with evangelicals on the abortion issue if they show the same support for coming out against the death penalty, but I don't a deal like that flying.

But what the hell do I know?

You realize, of course, that you can't ask me a question like this and not expect to see it on my blog two minutes later?

It has been nine minutes. I'm slacking, folks. For those of you who I know are reading this, what do you think?