On innocence and the death penalty...

[TreasonousBastard]

I'm dead set against capital punishment under any circumstances. Why I'm against it isn't important right now, but it looks like another innocent is about to die in the interests of "justice" so I'll bring up a short list of past mistakes

Google any of these names-- no doubt some of them are actually guilty, but all of them have had problems in their trials and sentencing that weren't addressed through their appeals, and all of them can't be guilty:

Wayne Felker
Pedro Medina
Jesse Tafero
Girvies Davis
Odell Barnes
Freddie Lee Wright
Philip Workman
David Wayne Spence
Warren McCleskey
Coleman Gray
Leo Jones
Timothy Baldwin
Brian Baldwin
David Junior Brown
James Beathard

The DPIC has been on the case for years, as have Amnesty, the ACLU, NAACP, and other organizations with different definitions and understandings of "justice" then the last few Texas governors have had. Make particular note of the ones who have been pardoned posthumously, although most were a while ago when investigations weren't as scientific as they can be now.

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/executed-possibly-innocent

And, just for shits and giggles, read the account of the execution of Rainey Bethea, a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman. Be prepared to clean up your puke

I'm serious-- read this. Whatever you thought you knew, this will hit you in the gut:

http://www.geocities.com/lastpublichang/

A large problem we have with dealing with the innocence of the recently executed like Cameron Todd Willingham, is that police, prosecutors, governors, parole boards, judges, legislators... all of those responsible are terrified that it will one day come out that there is absolute proof that an innocent was executed, so they all tend to build walls, stall, and stop any investigation. They'll happily exonerate some poor soul who was hung 60 or 70 years ago because all the actors in the drama are dead and it makes them feel all warm and fuzzy-like to do this good thing, but something THEY, or their parents, or cousins, were involved in is another thing entirely.

[ixion]

1. murder (a.k.a capital punishment) is wrong, no matter who sanctions it

in my opinion. But a governing body, in particular, should not be able to decide who lives and who dies.

[Gregorian]

2. When I recommend a thread, I like to reply. It's unlike me, but I just don't have words any more.

It all seems so obvious to me. It's the same whether it's the EPA allowing pollution on a huge scale, yet punishing the trivial to the fullest of the law.

I never thought we'd be on the eve of Troy's death like tonight.

The human race obviously is not grown up yet. It takes effort. The kind most don't want to expend.