By By Michael Billy Sep 8, 2011 in Politics There wasn't much excitement in last night's GOP debate. Sure, Ron Paul and Rick Perry traded some barbs, but over all it was civil. That is, until moderator Brian Williams brought up Perry's execution record. That's right, the crowd became most lively when it was announced that Perry had a hand in killing 234 human beings. I want to take a moment here to point out that I am currently a registered Republican. But after hearing those applause, I do not want to be associated with that crowd. I never fit in very well, anyway. And I don't fit in with the Democrats, either. Still, the applause made me want to run as far away from the Republicans as humanly possible. How can a party that has such blatant and justified mistrust for government intervention; a party that believes (or claims to believe) that the government fails at most things; a party that believes the government isn't even good at helping the poor; actually believe that this same government is perfect enough, is infallible enough, to take the life of another human being? Isn't that a blatant contradiction? I know, they are convicted criminals. Perry was quick to point that out. But, he is also quick to point out that the government is wrong when it comes to Keynesian economics or current As a taxpayer, I do not support the death penalty, especially when used as excessively as Perry did, because I do not want the blood of innocent life on my hands. I would rather that those guilty men rot in jail, or even go free, than risk the chance of murdering — because that is what it would be — one innocent man. After all, DNA evidence has exonerated Luckily, those 17 people were on death row during a time when the DNA technology was developed. If they were accused a couple of decades sooner, they would have likely been murdered. The government is not perfect. It is not anywhere near perfect. At best, it is a necessary evil. At worst, it is counterproductive, abusive, and stagnating — and at it's absolute worst it is murderous. What is sickening is that Perry's record setting 234 executions as the governor of Texas actually garnered lively applause from the audience. Perhaps — at least in my own judgement — some of the loudest applause of the night.That's right, the crowd became most lively when it was announced that Perry had a hand in killing 234 human beings.I want to take a moment here to point out that I am currently a registered Republican. But after hearing those applause, I do not want to be associated with that crowd. I never fit in very well, anyway. And I don't fit in with the Democrats, either.Still, the applause made me want to run as far away from the Republicans as humanly possible.How can a party that has such blatant and justified mistrust for government intervention; a party that believes (or claims to believe) that the government fails at most things; a party that believes the government isn't even good at helping the poor; actually believe that this same government is perfect enough, is infallible enough, to take the life of another human being? Isn't that a blatant contradiction?I know, they are convicted criminals. Perry was quick to point that out. But, he is also quick to point out that the government is wrong when it comes to Keynesian economics or current federal intervention in the health care market . If the government, which, after all, is made up of imperfect individuals, could be wrong about those things, couldn't it be wrong about others? Isn't it possible that the government got some of those convictions wrong as well? The government, we all know, is not perfect.As a taxpayer, I do not support the death penalty, especially when used as excessively as Perry did, because I do not want the blood of innocent life on my hands. I would rather that those guilty men rot in jail, or even go free, than risk the chance of murdering — because that is what it would be — one innocent man.After all, DNA evidence has exonerated 17 people in the United States after they were already sitting on death row, including one innocent man who waited 21 years for the state's sickle to come down on him. Luckily, he wasn't in Perry's state, or he would have been killed before the DNA evidence could exonerate him.Luckily, those 17 people were on death row during a time when the DNA technology was developed. If they were accused a couple of decades sooner, they would have likely been murdered.The government is not perfect. It is not anywhere near perfect. At best, it is a necessary evil. At worst, it is counterproductive, abusive, and stagnating — and at it's absolute worst it is murderous. This opinion article was written by an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily intended to reflect those of DigitalJournal.com More about Rick perry, Reagan Debate, Gop debate, Election 2012, 2012 elections More news from Rick perry Reagan Debate Gop debate Election 2012 2012 elections