In all probability, Troy Davis will be executed tonight. Amnesty International and numerous others have called for clemency, citing the weakness of the case against him. Nonetheless, Georgia's State Board of Pardons and Paroles has denied the petition.
There have be far too many cases in the USA of innocence determined after execution. Will this be another?
A dark day for the land of the free -- 'with liberty and justice for all.'
22 comments:
The death penalty is beyond comprehension ...and what of the wrongly accused?
Scary.
You said it all.
It defies belief that some people in the UK still call for the return of capital punishment.
A weak case and nonetheless...
A judiciary machine at work "a blind one."
Very well said Vicki.
Sam
and another will take his place...to wait their turn....i dont see capital punishment as a deterant...
This is truly a sad day. First thing I thought of when I woke up this morning. Research has proven time and again that executions are not a deterrent against crime. So, why does the U.S. even HAVE a death penalty, let alone a rabid parole board in a racist state like Georgia.
Elora
Sad and to the point Vicki.
Things like these are always a shock to me... I don't know what to say... Death Penalty? I still got lots of questions about it...
May the Lord bless him...
JJRod'z
A dark day indeed. Even our weather seems dreary. A pall will fall over our house this evening as we grieve for the death of a man we did not know.
"Thou shalt not kill" answers any questions. There's got to be a better way!
My opposition to the death penalty is complete and I have not arrived there lightly. Given that, some could dismiss my next comments: Any case based solely on eye witness testimony should never be eligible for capital punishiment--given what we KNOW about the fallabiility of eye witnesses. Even if the 7 of 9 eye witnesses had not recanted (which they have), even if I supported the death penaly (which I don't), the death penalty should never be applied without concrete, reliable, properly managed physical evidence. We judge other cultures so harshly for committing atrocities like lopping off hands of thieves but we in the form of the US Legal System support capital punishment, even in cases where guilt is, by definition of the kind of evidence, in question. Thanks for posting, Vicki, and giving me a chance to have my say.
It is a disturbing thought isn't it?
Yes, a dark day for us all. I have been following this case and writing the necessary letters like so many folks have but with no recognition from the GA powers that be. Shame on them -- barbara
"Eye for an eye" has never resolved anything... sad.
Wasn't it Gandhi who said, "An eye for an eye simply results in two blind people..."
Elora
I agree Vicki.
I was sad to learn about this. This man clearly did not deserve to die.
I live in Texas and we are branded (probably rightly) as an 'execution-happy State." But, tonight a man was executed for the dragging death (behind his pickup truck) of a black man several years ago in a small Texas town. The only final statement he made was that he "was not sorry and wished he had a chance to do it all over again." Once the rage and shock and frenzy subsides, not only from the heinous crime, but also from this recent statement, I still pray that most people cannot, even in such a case as this, condone the death penalty. But, dear God, it's hard to know what to feel. I guess I believe that we have the right to be judge and jury - but not executioner.
I don't think the death penalty should be allowed when there's only circumstantial evidence. Why not life without parole (which is a terrible punishment in itself)? If there's clear and irrefutable evidence of a particularly heinous crime, I can accept it, but even then it isn't handed out equitably. Better get off this soap box.
Ellis and Sue P both give voice to some of my feelings. I have to say that the execution of the man who freely admitted to dragging another man to his death and who says he would do it again -- that seems more like shooting a mad dog. Such a person, unless kept in solitary all his life, would be dangerous within the prison system. But I realize that in order to prevent the injustices that occur with capital punishment and a flawed legal system, it would be better to ban capital punishment altogether.
No easy answers.
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