IF THEY BUILD THE BONFIRE, A FLAMETHROWER WILL COME

Darrell Ankarlo (Dallas talk radio KLIF) was ranting this morning about "activist judges" who somehow he holds responsible for the murders/sexual crimes against children such as Jessica Lunceford, Polly Klaass, and a more recent case I hadn't heard about yet (I think the killer's name was something like David Onstad), the strangulation murder of a 13-year-old girl in Ruskin, Florida.

I'm not familiar with the role of the judges in these cases, but it's clear that the wingnuts are willing and anxious to lay the blame for every kind of crime at the feet of the judiciary in order to fuel their campaign against it. One of Darrell's main points was pro-death penalty, anti-appeals process, so I suspect he's making a connection with prior judicial rulings against some states' death penalties as being "cruel and unusual punishment" as support for his contention that we should "fry and sizzle more of these guys" to deter further murders. Of course, those states who chose to went back and rewrote their death penalty legislation so it could pass muster with the courts.

I fear it's coming -- more violence against judges. And those who are building the pyre are going to have to assume responsibility for the flames.

UPDATE: OK, the guy's name was David Onstott and his victim was Sarah Lunde. No mention of how any judge was "responsible."