Death Penalty

from the diaries of the tennessee dude...

barbara simpson has opened her dr. laura wannabe mouth once again... 

i had said that i wouldn't blog anymore about people whose opinions on the death penalty were comprehendible on a third grade level...that their shallow, insipid, eye for an eye (sic) ideology would not cause me to become ensnared in their vengeful judicial philosophy and that i would not take the bait and enter the pit of aspish hissing where venom is the appetizer, the entrée, the w(h)ine, and the desert...where the inability to tell apples from oranges was not a prerequisite for public preening and posturing as if to show off that brutish ignorance is all the rage and that justice is better left to those whose opinions are not only as numerous as but actually mirror their a___oles...

but barbara simpson has opened her dr. laura wannabe mouth once again... 

and it's an upside down world where a right wing sycophant can challenge jeb bush's neocon credentials because he's issued a moratorium on executions in florida while the diaz fiasco is studied and analyzed while mixing him into a cocktail that's 2 parts defense lawyers upholding their constitutional responsibilities and one part judges trying to do the same...where hatemongering radioheads can say that 25 years is too long to wait for an execution while ignoring the fact that the wasted $$$ spent could have gone to victim's services and helping victims to begin the healing process and, oh, by the way, to hell with innocent people on death row and screw momma melendez in puerto rico who should have lost her innocent son so that privileged, white, arrogant evangelistas can get on the radio and say kill the bastards and merry christmas all in one breath...

i had said that i would not blog about these ignorant fools who come face-to-face 5 days a week w/a microphone and believe that this fact alone absolves them of being either rational, thoughtful, analytical, or the least bit reasonable but barbara simpson has opened her dr. laura wannabe mouth once again... 

with all due credit to gil scott-heron ... peace out <3

from the diaries of the tennessee dude...

sometimes as a member of and volunteer leader with amnesty international working within the anti-death penalty movement the strategic imperative requires that i remain silent be it around tactical issue or biting my tongue when something is said by either a citizen-elite or a member of the public at-large...

another way to say this is that being a team player means remembering that there are things larger and more important than one's own opinion...just watch  movie like hoosiers to grasp the fundamental value of teamplay...and as i finally get to my point the situation i raise is also one of identity: am i an amnesty international member who works to abolish the death penalty or an anti-death penalty organizer who works with amnesty international...

point is that some things i read i object to but don't raise my voice for strategic reasons AND because the issue it raises lies largely outside of a human rights analysis (e-mail me for examples if you feel the need) but there are some things that so fundamentally in-your-face anti-human rights that require some dialogue - period...

such is an editorial from the fort wayne news-sentinel ... the editorial responds to the ongoing and widespread legal challenges to lethal injection as a method of killing human beings as a form of punishment ...

the editorial concludes with this little gem: "Though 'evolving standards of decency' might change how much criminals must endure, the way a civilized society stays civilized is to make sure that those who cause suffering also must suffer." (italics added)

the entire diatribe (couched in a very ambivalent framework) can, no, must be, read here...

what do you think about this editorial??? i'll come back to it later after you've had a chance to read and react...let's hear what you have to say, k'?

peace out <3

from the diaries of the tennessee dude...

right about now would be a good time to be an anti-death penalty organizer in maryland...lessee, you have jane henderson - a former ncadp abolitionist of the year as the director of maryland citizens against state executions (mdcase)...mdcase has 2 field organizers, a total of 5 staff people, a board that includes kirk bloodsworth and bonnita spikes, and now have shari silberstein (another former ncadp abolitionist of the year) working with them from the quixote center's equal justice usa program...

WOW! if i were the maryland attorney general i would inform the legislature to cut its losses short and abolish their damn death penalty now...

and what did mdcase and its legislative partners receive as a holiday gift on top of this infrastructure, talent, and commitment??? maryland's highest court halted, for the time being, executions in the old line state ... read more in the baltimore sun by clicking here...

hey can someone call atlas moving vans for me??? i think i wanna relocate soon...

peace out <3

from the diaries of the tennessee dude...

part of keeping up with an issue today is keeping up with blogs, you know, like this one...and generating either some dialogue or creating more opportunities for people - especially young people - to hook up and become active with an issue...

here's a blog i ran across that you probably wouldn't catch if we didn't provide you with that opportunity ... peace out from music city usa <3

A year ago hip hop artists and activist from all over the world spoke out on the pending execution of Stanley ‘Tookie' Williams.

Most people familiar with hip-hop culture know who Stanley ‘Tookie' Williams was. He was a Nobel Peace Prize nominee. His memoir, ‘Blue Rage, Black Redemption' is a great informative read. The DVD ‘Redemption' staring Jamie Foxx, and Lynn Whitfield has earned worldwide critical acclaim. Stanley ‘Tookie' Williams was one of the founders of the Crips.

Many hip-hop and rap artists are members of or are affiliated with different gangs or sets and this is no secret; as many sport set tattoos or talk freely about their affiliations with different groups.

Rallies were held outside of San Quentin State Prison, where Tookie's awaiting execution was to take place. One such rally was led by another notable leader of the hip-hop generation, rap artist Snoop Dogg. A San Diego delegation, led by Minister Tukufu Kalonji, founder and director of the San Diego-based The Serudj Institute of Effective Socialization, was planning to go. How far the voices of those in attendance went seemed to be all in vain.

On Dec. 13th 2005, the State of California used an inhumane lethal injection procedure to kill peacemaker and anti-gang activist Stanley 'Tookie Williams'. Tens of thousands of people throughout the world protested this execution made possible by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who denied clemency to Stanley 'Tookie Williams'. Nine months later, after an investigation, we learned the truth: the execution of Stanley Tookie Williams was botched, due to incompetence by California Department of Corrections personnel, causing him to die slowly and horrifically in excruciating pain, though he was paralyzed by the State so that he could not scream out.

Now a year after the execution, or state murder, of Stanley ‘Tookie' Williams several states including California are re-thinking their procedures for state assisted murder.

Not only because of the blotched murder of Tookie Williams, but because of the recent rash of blotched state murders all over the country; it is getting harder and harder for supporters of the death penalty to defend the system.

The recent blotched state murder of Angel Diaz last week in Florida seems to have brought the question of the death penalty and the way it is carried out to light again.

Florida Governor Jeb Bush immediately reacted to the Angel Diaz blotched murder by reaffirming his belief in capital punishment, but ordering a halt to all executions (state assisted murder), and convening a special commission to review the state's lethal injection procedures to insure that, in the future, they do not result in cruelty and needless suffering. In other words they do not want to draw attention when they murder someone.

The list of botched executions in this country is not limited to Tookie or to Angel Diaz. The facts all suggest that Americans have growing doubts about the need for capital punishment (state assisted murder). Also in question is the way capital punishment (state assisted murder) is administered. Botched executions add to those doubts, raising questions about whether it will ever be possible for the state to kill in a humane way.

Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, director of Amnesty International USA's Program to Abolish the Death Penalty, issued the following statement in response to U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel's ruling that California's lethal injection procedure represents "an undue and unnecessary risk" of a violation of the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment:

"Judge Fogel's ruling comes at a time when numerous states across the country are encountering significant legal challenges to the constitutionality of their respective lethal injection methods. Earlier today, in the wake of a horribly botched execution, Florida Governor Jeb Bush created a commission on administration of lethal injection to examine the constitutionality of that state's lethal injection protocol.

"While Judge Fogel's ruling chastises California for continuing to administer a procedure that 'lacks both reliability and transparency,' the flaws that taint the state's death penalty system go well beyond the specifics of its executing mechanism. It is plagued by racial bias and there remains the very real possibility of executing an innocent person. California officials should not waste the state's valuable resources trying to 'perfect' the apparatus of death. Instead, they should unequivocally reject the death penalty, which is both futile and irreparably flawed, and focus instead on developing genuine solutions to crime. The continuing search for an 'ideal' way to extinguish a human life is no sign of a humane, evolved society. California can and must do better."

Hip hop culture has been silent on the death penalty since the execution of Tookie Williams. Maybe we should continue to use our voting power and voices to speak out against this injustice. Real life is more than clubbin and hootchies. In hip hop real recognizes real and this is something that is going on in the real world and not some BET video.

This is just food for thought. Think about it and act upon your feelings. Speak out and change the world. Total abolition of the Death Penalty is what we all should be seeking.

*These are the thoughts of the writer Robert and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or views of the ThugLifeArmy.com site.

Robert can be contacted at Robert@ThugLifeArmy.com for feedback.

California's lethal injection protocol is "intolerable under the Constitution," Federal Judge Jeremy Fogel said. "The state's implementation of California's lethal injection protocol lacks both reliability and transparency."

Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, Director of Amnesty International USA's Program to Abolish the Death Penalty, issued the following statement in response to U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel's ruling that California's lethal injection procedure represents "an undue and unnecessary risk" of a violation of the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment:
 
Jude Fogel's ruling in CA comes at a time when numerous states across the country are encountering significant legal challenges to the constitutionality of their respective lethal injection methods. Earlier today, in the wake of a horribly botched execution, Florida Governor Jeb Bush created a Commission on Administration of Lethal Injection to examine the constitutionality of that state's lethal injection protocol.

While Judge Fogel's ruling chastises CA for continuing to administer a procedure that "lacks both reliability and transparency," the flaws that taint CA's death penalty's system go well beyond the specifics of its executing apparatus. It is plagued by racial bias and there remains the very real potential of executing an innocent person. CA officials should not waste the state's valuable resources trying to "perfect" the apparatus of death. Instead, they should unequivocally reject the death penalty, which is both futile and flawed and focus on developing  genuine solutions to crime. The continuing search for an "ideal" way to extinguish a human life is no sign of a humane, evolved society. California can and must do better.

Florida Governor Jeb Bush today halted executions in the state with the announcement of the creation of a Commission on Administration of Lethal Injection in Florida, after the botched execution of Angel Diaz on Wednesday.  Today a medical examiner said that the needles used for the lethal injection punctured Mr. Diaz's veins causing the execution to take 34-minutes.

Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, Director of Amnesty International USA's Program to Abolish the Death Penalty, issued the following statement in response to the creation of a Commission on Administration of Lethal Injection in Florida:
 
"With his Executive Order to create a Commission on Administration of Lethal Injection, Governor Jeb Bush has finally acknowledged the catastrophic failures of Florida's lethal injection procedures. By creating this body, the governor has conceded that executions need to be halted while the commission completes its work. However, it is deplorable that it took the atrociously botched execution of Angel Diaz on December 13 for the governor to admit that Florida's lethal injection protocol might be unconstitutional as is. For the last year, significant criticism has been leveled against the state, with the U.S. Supreme Court issuing a last-minute stay to Florida inmate Clarence Hill based on a lethal injection challenge.

"While we welcome the creation of this body as a step in the right direction, the problems that plague Florida's death penalty system transcend issues surrounding the current lethal injection debacle. The inherent risk of executing the innocent, the biased and arbitrary nature by which the death penalty is administered at all levels, and the lack of demonstrable evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect on crime demonstrate that the death penalty is irreparably flawed. Instead of tinkering with the machinery of death, Florida should focus its resources on effective crime prevention measures and abolish the death penalty once and for all."

from the diaries of the tennessee dude...

it took being out of my context to find the most brilliant reply to one of the most frustrating and pissy questions one has to field at educational events and public forums on the death penalty...

i was in atlanta tuesday evening for a panel forum at first iconium baptist church - and a wonderful panel it was featuring:

• shareef cousin who was incorrectly and unjustly sentenced to death for murder in louisiana at the age of 16 even though he was playing in a basketball game at the time and had dozens of witnesses ... shareef was the 77th death row exonoree in the united states...
• dean anne emanuel the associate dean of georgia state university law school who was the chair of the georgia aba assessment team that produced a study of the death penalty in georgia...
• dr. pam leonard the director of the georgia council for restorative justice, which focuses on the needs of victims of crime...dr. leonard has worked with family members of crime victims for many years and has a background in social work...

but that's not the point...

a gentleman in the audience was speaking about his experiences doing public education around the death penalty and a time when he received this question:

yeah, but what if it was your mother who was killed - wouldn't you feel different about it then???

and his reply???

"what if your mother killed my mother - what would you have me do then?"

priceless! i told him i'd pay him royalties every time i borrowed his response...why of course everyone would feel painful, conflicting emotions if one's mother (or other relative) were killed...and those feelings are in and of themselves legitimate and should be affirmed as so ... but there's a huge difference between feeling something and acting on those feelings and that's what we're talking about...

peace out <3

Angel Nieves Diaz was executed by lethal injection in Florida last night despite the fact that a key witness from the trial had recanted his testimony.  About an hour before the scheduled execution time, the Supreme Court rejected his final appeal, which had raised this issue as well as challenging the constitutionality of Florida's lethal injection procedures.

In his final statement, Angel Diaz maintained his innocence of the murder: "The state of Florida is killing an innocent person. The state of Florida is committing a crime, because I am innocent. The death penalty is not only a form of vengeance, but also a cowardly act by humans. I'm sorry for what is happening to me and my family who have been put through this."

The execution required 34 minutes and two doses of the drugs to kill Angel Diaz. The execution team apparently applied the second dose when heart monitors indicated that Angel Diaz was not dying. One of his lawyers who was present at the execution said: "Obviously there was something very wrong here. It looked like Mr Diaz was in a lot of pain. He was gasping for air for 11 minutes. This is a big deal. This is a problem."

According to reports, during the lethal injection, Angel Diaz was seen to grimace, cough, and shudder.  Sixteen minutes into the execution, members of the execution team communicated by telephone. Six minutes later Angel Diaz's body was seen to jolt suddenly.  A member of the execution team again made a phone call.  A few minutes later, over half an hour after the execution began, a doctor wearing a blue hood to cover his face entered the execution chamber to check Angel Diaz's vital signs. He returned a minute later, checked the vital signs again and nodded to a member of the execution team.  It was then announced to the witnesses that the execution has been carried out.  Reports indicate that members of Angel Diaz's family were seen to be very distressed at what they had witnessed, that one of them passed out, and that medical help had to be called.

Families of the executed are victims too, according to a new report that Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights released on December 10.  "Creating More Victims: How Executions Hurt the Families Left Behind" draws upon the stories of three dozen family members of people executed in the United States and demonstrates that their experiences and traumatic symptoms resemble those of others who have suffered a violent loss.

As a victims' organization, Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights (MVFHR) researched and published the report to highlight the similarities between the experiences of survivors of homicide victims and survivors of people who are executed. "Family members of the executed are the death penalty's invisible victims," said Renny Cushing, executive director of MVFHR.  "With each execution, we create a new grieving family who experience many familiar symptoms of trauma, some of them long-lasting.  As a society, what are we doing to address the suffering of these families?"

Throughout the country, the last five scheduled executions have been put on hold for various reasons. 

Most recently Virginia inmate Percy Walton was granted a stay by Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine.  Governor Kaine concluded that Walton is severely mentally handicap.  The Governor noted that since Walton is not cognizant of his death sentence, or why he received it, it is not legally justified to execute him, at this time.

This was the second time Governor Kaine has delayed the execution of Percy Walton this year.  During the next 18 months, experts will conduct a further observation of Walton's mental condition and competence to determine if capital punishment is appropriate and legal.

In addition to Walton, this past week, Pennsylvania inmate Frank Chester, Ohio inmate John Spirko, North Carolina inmate Guy Le Grande, and Ohio inmate Jerome Henderson were granted a stay of execution.

To read Governor Kaine's entire press release regarding Percy Walton click here.