"The Fool Hath Said in His Heart:" Illinois Republicans Lose Minds

So what is the response of Illinois Republicans to the scandalous George Ryan jury-stacking move of emptying Death Row? Well, get this:

An IL state legislator wants to change the standard of proof for the death penalty phase of criminal cases, from "beyond a reasonable doubt" to "beyond ANY doubt."

Can you believe this? IL Republicans don't have the guts either to: 1) admit George Ryan is a fraud, or 2) abolish the death penalty, so what's their solution? To create a standard of proof for imposing the death penalty THAT CAN NEVER BE MET!

There is absolutely nothing that can be proven "beyond any doubt." Don't believe me? Just give it a try with a skeptical person. It's a joke to set the standard of proof so high that it can never be met, then turn around and claim you are "reforming" the death penalty.

Can this state political party be saved?

BTW, the next time your atheist or agnostic friend tells you they don't believe God exists, ask them what standard of proof they are using! Experienced trial lawyers will tell you the standard of proof (which has two parts, who has the burden of proof and what the burden is -- preponderance of the evidence, clear and convincing, beyond a reasonable doubt) determines the outcome in the vast majority of cases.

So, if the standard of proof the atheist/agnostic is using to determine whether God exists is: "proof so obvious that no one can doubt it" (like handwriting across the sky or some such), that person is a fool according to the Bible's definition ("The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.")

Only a fool would apply a standard of proof so high that no one could ever meet it. Anyone who does that is not a reasonable person at all, no matter what they say, but a fool.

Just like the Illinois Republicans.