Posted 10:04 PM by Floyd

Instapundit noted that Atlanta Olympics and abortion clinic suspect Eric Rudolph has been caught, and said "I hope they throw the book at him." This sounds charmingly dated, and will soon be a complete anachronism. What federal law enforcement officer exists who would not charge Rudolph with every conceivable crime, from explosive possession and murder down to burglary and trespassing (for rifling through the trash of the restaurant where he was caught)?

There is nothing wrong with charging Rudolph for all of the crimes he was alleged to have committed. I do have a purist's wish to see him arraigned and tried on the charges that really matter -- driving nails into tourists and abortion clinic workers -- and then set freed or strapped in the frying chair. But I won't object to the massive number of charges he will no doubt face in his first trial.

I certainly will object when Rudolph is retried for his crimes under the bullshit double jeopardy of "federal offenses" and "civil rights violations". I assume this will be done, because Terry Nichols, who was convicted in Oklahoma state court of assisting in the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, is facing federal charges for the same crimes.

Nichols was sentenced to life in prison by Oklahoma; the feds want to kill him. I do think Nichols should die, but he's not going anywhere and I don't see why my tax money should be spent to override Oklahomans' ideas on punishment. To some extent this is just make-work for federal prosecutors.

The American judiciary says that it is legitimate to prosecute someone for murder in a state court and then again in a federal court, because the crimes have different labels ("homicide" and "violation of civil rights"). This is like telling your wife that you didn't lie to her about having a mistress -- the girl you are sleeping with is your "concubine".