Perdue Veto is Miscarriage of Justice | Eastern North Carolina Now

For Immediate Release

   Governor's Action Thwarts Will of NC Elected Law Enforcement Officials

    Yesterday Governor Beverly Perdue vetoed SB 9 "An Act to Reform the Racial Justic Act of 2009 to be consistent with the United State Supreme Court Ruling in McClaskey v. Kemp". Once again she has demonstrated her lack of understanding of the law enforcement needs of our people by thwarting the will of almost every elected law enforcement official in the state.
Bill Cook, Summer, 2011     photo by Stan Deatherage
    The Racial Justice Act is, in effect, another six year moratorium on enforcement of the death penalty. In her campaign for office Governor Perdue claimed to believe that the death penalty for first degree murder was appropriate. Since taking office she has actively participated in an elaborate ruse that puts the death penalty on hold for many years while the courts determine whether other murderers (not even these murderers) were discriminated against 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years ago in other districts than their own, by other prosecutors, (some deceased or out of office) or by other judges or juries. She has forgotten the first principles of justice - that it is personal to this particular defendant and to this particular victim.

    The Governor's claim that she is a strong supporter of the death penalty is belied by her veto. The so called "Racial Justice Act" which allows white murderers to claim "racial discrimination" because they murdered white victims in cold blood but were convicted by too many white jurors is obviously misnamed.

    Her lawyers know the truth. The Attorney General knows the effect of the "Racial Justice Act". The District Attorneys and the Sheriffs of this state, each elected by the people, know that her actions do not match her bold words.

    The Governor's claim that the veto was necessary to prevent racial discrimination in the administration of the death penalty is not a true claim. Read the bill that she vetoed. It allows for relief when a murderer can demonstrate racial prejudice in his or her own case. That has been the law for a long time and will remain the law under this legislation.

    Publisher's note: Bill Cook, who has proved himself to be a steady Conservative politician, has been busy with his district is a state of immense change. With his district boundary cast further east, Bill will be out Beaufort County more than in the past. Here below is a short news item from our house representative:

   North Carolina Rep. Bill Cook, center, visited the Christmas Party of the Dare County Republican Women's Club Wednesday (12-14) at the home of Gayle and Doug Drummond in Nags Head. "I'll be spending a lot of time in Dare County from now on," Cook said the night before at a meeting of the Dare County Republican Executive Committee at the Kill Devil Hills Town Hall.

   An historic first, Rep. Cook's 2012 campaign is the first time that the incumbent running for re-election to the NC House of Representatives from Dare and adjacent counties is a Republican. First elected in 2010, Cook's district was changed to include Dare County during the NC redistricting. "I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican in that order," Cook said.