Amy Goodman: Troy Davis and the Politics of Death

[marmar]

from truthdig:



Troy Davis and the Politics of Death

Posted on Sep 13, 2011
By Amy Goodman


Death brings cheers these days in America. In the most recent Republican presidential debate in Tampa, Fla., when CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked, hypothetically, if a man who chose to carry no medical insurance, then was stricken with a grave illness, should be left to die, cheers of “Yeah!” filled the hall. When, in the prior debate, Gov. Rick Perry was asked about his enthusiastic use of the death penalty in Texas, the crowd erupted into sustained applause and cheers. The reaction from the audience prompted debate moderator Brian Williams of NBC News to follow up with the question, “What do you make of that dynamic that just happened here, the mention of the execution of 234 people drew applause?”

That “dynamic” is why challenging the death sentence to be carried out against Troy Davis by the state of Georgia on Sept. 21 is so important. Davis has been on Georgia’s death row for close to 20 years after being convicted of killing off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah. Since his conviction, seven of the nine nonpolice witnesses have recanted their testimony, alleging police coercion and intimidation in obtaining the testimony. There is no physical evidence linking Davis to the murder.

Last March, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Davis should receive an evidentiary hearing, to make his case for innocence. Several witnesses have identified one of the remaining witnesses who has not recanted, Sylvester “Redd” Coles, as the shooter. U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. refused, on a technicality, to allow the testimony of witnesses who claimed that, after Davis had been convicted, Coles admitted to shooting MacPhail. In his August court order, Moore summarized, “Mr. Davis is not innocent.”

One of the jurors, Brenda Forrest, disagrees. She told CNN in 2009, recalling the trial of Davis, “All of the witnesses—they were able to ID him as the person who actually did it.” Since the seven witnesses recanted, she says: “If I knew then what I know now, Troy Davis would not be on death row. The verdict would be not guilty.” .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/troy_davis_and_the_politics_of_death_20110914/

[handmade34]

1. k&r

http://www.naacp.org/pages/too-much-doubt

http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/usa-troy-davis?id=1011343

[Gregorian]

2. SPEAK OUT. SPEAK UP. Thank you Amy Goodman. Let's not let this machine take another life.

The more people know that we all know, and the more noise that we make that is actually heard, the better the chance is that an execution won't simply take place like the gears of a monster machine.

This is what being human should be all about. Not just reckless abandon of the rule of law. Not just throwing compassion out the window for bureaucracy's sake.

Give the man a trial, or let him go.

[Name removed]

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[alarimer]

4. Right-wingers are truly despicable, evil people.

I hate them all. Anyone who would cheer any execution is despicable.