Overseas take on U.S. Supreme Court rulings

(SG, what aspect of the child rape-death penalty story gets British attentions?) SG: I think there’s a level of interest in Britain for anything to do with the death penalty because Europe doesn’t have a death penalty. Also looking at Obama’s reaction said the death penalty should be allowed for child rapists and that looks like a contradiction of his values. McCain took the same position, but that’s not seen as a conflict with his values. (NG, Israel does have the death penalty but it’s rarely used. How are you drawing the comparisons?) Yes, the death penalty has been used only once for atrocity against the Jewish people. But it’s also not really a tool of our judicial system, so it’s also seen as a point of interest for the US. (SG, is it difficult to write about rulings on the death penalty in a country where the death penalty doesn’t exist?) No, I would agree with NG in that our readers are interested in it because it’s alien to their experience in Britain. It’s a peculiarity about the US, just like emotions around gunship and Christianity in public life, that interest our readers. (NG, what is your interest in the 2nd amendment story for your readers?) I expect to be reporting about that tomorrow and I think for Israeli readers, it’s a concept that doesn’t exist in Israel. Soldiers and guards with guns are all over the place, but nobody wants the right to bear guns, people just feel they’re under danger. (Can Israeli citizens own guns legally?) If they can prove that their life might be under threat but otherwise they don’t understand why somebody would want to own a gun. (SG, does that ring true in Britain as well?) I found myself in agreement with NG, the idea that gun ownership is a right is difficult for Brits to understand. Brits believe American culture is one that loves guns. And we’re all interested in the mass shootings, like the one at Virginia Tech, is also quite interesting to my audiences.