-Caveat Lector- *** Mob hit man admits to killings BOSTON (AP) - A mob hit man who told federal prosecutors he killed 20 people in gangland shootings pleaded guilty Thursday to 10 murders and to racketeering and extortion charges. John Martorano, 58, agreed to the plea worked out with federal prosecutors that calls for a 12-1/2-year sentence in exchange for testifying against his cohorts in a major mob trial. As U.S. District Court Judge Mark Wolf read the 78 charges against him and asked if he understood them, Martorano repeatedly replied, "Yes, your honor." The deal still needed approval from Wolf, who has expressed concerns about the arrangement. In a recent ruling, Wolf noted that Martorano turned informant only after learning that codefendants in a racketeering case were FBI informants for decades. The judge was concerned that the way the information was gathered was tainted. See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2561410569-419 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Does the death penalty deter murder? Suppose I come home early one day and find my Significant Other in bed with another. Instead of saying, "Move over and pass the Vaseline," I go red with rage, grab the shotgun out of my truck and blow'em away. That's Murder One, two counts - a long slow ride to death row, especially if one or both of'em are white and I'm not. Did the death penalty deter me? But suppose I'm John The Shark, and I work for Tony The Tiger, and my job is killing people, mostly "business" competitors of Tony's. And I get caught somewhere along the line, but I cut a deal with the prosecutors: give me a light sentence and I'll give you Tony, testify about the hits he ordered. Better yet, give me a couple million bucks and a new identity, and I'll talk all about Tony and his associates: their drug-running, their murders, the unions they run, the cash they laundered, some of the cops & politicians they bribed [not all of'em - wouldn't be prudent, eh?], that kind of stuff. And I'm off to a new life. Did the death penalty deter me? Or suppose I'm dealing crack/smack/whatever down in the projects cause there's no other way where I live to make money, and I know it's a high-risk business where competitors will kill me without thinking about it, so I have to be ready to kill them just the same. And I know that I have almost zero chance of being free and alive for many more years 'cause that's what this life is like, so if I'm threatened, I'll kill fast. Does the death penalty deter me? Death penalties don't deter rational cold-blooded killers and don't deter irrational hot-blooded killers. Death penalties only deter people who aren't likely to commit murder [the intentional killing of a human with malice aforethought] anyway - and they'd be deterred just as well with the prospect of life without parole, eh? I mean, you may REALLY want to off [insert name of politician] but they're really not worth a long vacation, are they? So you let the bastard live - NOT because you'd be iced in revenge, BUT because your time is worth more to you than is their slimy ass. Anyway, a really horrendous sadistic mass-murderer doesn't deserve to be executed quickly, cleanly, painlessly. Wire up their pain centers to a pulsating voltage and zap'em into endless misery, eh? Or force'em to listen to perpetual Congressional hearings. Torture... * http://skepticon.da.ru * ICQ# 19633976 * FAX: 603-415-3736 * * *** SkeptiChat: sliding down the razor-blade of life *** now featuring SkeptiNews: All The News That's Fit To Question email INFO or SUBSCRIBE SKEPTICHAT to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
