World shocked by US execution of Troy Davis: World figures, including Pope Benedict XVI and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, human rights groups and commentators urged the execution to be halted -- but to no avail. On Wednesday Davis was put to death by lethal injection for the 1989 killing of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail despite doubts being raised over the conviction.
The execution sparked angry reactions and protests in European capitals -- as well as outrage on social media. "We strongly deplore that the numerous appeals for clemency were not heeded," the French foreign ministry said. "There are still serious doubts about his guilt," said Germany's junior minister for human rights Markus Loening. "An execution is irreversible -- a judicial error can never be repaired."
The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles made its decision less than three hours before Samuel David Crowe, 47, was to be executed, according to a spokeswoman for the state's prisons. "After careful and exhaustive consideration of the requests, the board voted to grant clemency. The board voted to commute the sentence to life without parole," the parole board said.
Crowe's death would have marked the third execution since the U.S. Supreme Court lifted an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty last month. Crowe was not present at the parole board hearing in Atlanta. He had already eaten his last meal and was preparing to enter the execution chamber at the prison in Jackson, Georgia, Mallie McCord of the Georgia Department of Corrections said.
You are hearing the usual conjections as to race because Davis was Black and Crowe is white but this fast pace of killing convicts is moving too fast, maybe because of election season but Georgia and Texas seem to be an a race as to who can kill more. Enough is enough!
I've said it before but many of us have a moral problem with the death penalty in light of the many recently highlight cases of those put to death who were railroaded and were innocent.. Plain and simple, it's barbaric. I don't care whether it's Davis, an African American who steadfastly proclaimed he did not murder Mark MacPhail, a white, off-duty police officer; or Lawrence Brewer, one of three white assailants convicted in the dragging death of James Byrd, who was murdered for being black. Brewer was executed in Texas, the capital-punishment capital, also Wednesday, In fact, Texas has walked 475 people to slaughter since 1976.
I thought we were making progress but what the hell is going on of late? Illinois joined the ranks of those outlawing the death penalty! Why can't the entire US?
The last fifteen death row inmates in Illinois will live out their days in jail cells, instead of dying on a execution gurney, now that capital punishment has officially ended in the state. What are your thoughts on that? The ban took effect on Friday, July 1st But the state Department of Corrections began emptying the death row cells in Pontiac in March. The prisoners have been evaluated and moved to other maximum security facilities throughout Illinois, department spokeswoman Stacey Solano said.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinnz signed into law a ban on the death penalty on March 9, saying it was impossible to fix a system that had wrongly condemned at least 20 innocent men. Illinois death row inmates moved to regular jail cells No kidding!
China, Iran, North Korea, Yemen, and the United States lead the world in carrying out the most death sentences. Amnesty International: Death penalty on decline, US in top 5 That's quite the company to be proud of isn't it?
What do you think about the death penalty? My thoughts below; Thirty-four states, including Virginia and Maryland, allow capital punishment. All use lethal injection, and, until recently, most had used a three-drug cocktail: sodium thiopental to render the condemned unconscious, pancuronium bromide to paralyze the prisoner and potassium chloride to stop the heart. They can no longer get their hands on it. What do you think about the death penalty? My thoughts below
states with the death penalty
Alabama Missouri
Arizona Montana
Arkansas Nebraska
California Nevada
Colorado New Hampshire
Connecticut North Carolina
Delaware Ohio
Florida Oklahoma
Georgia Oregon
Idaho Pennsylvania
Indiana South Carolina
Kansas South Dakota
Kentucky Tennessee
Louisiana Texas
Maryland Utah
Mississippi Virginia
Washington
Wyoming
US military
US Government
States now without the death penalty
Alaska
Hawaii
Illinois
Iowa
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Rhode Island
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Dist. of Colombia
If you read my stories in the past on this you know I have mixed feelings on the death penalty. Often times a person may be arrested and sentenced to death knowing they were innocent just to further someone's career or to quell the public. Now that we have DNA testing we are finding too often we have the wrong man. We have seen it too often
I do believe the death penalty is justified as in the case of the Fort Hood shootings and the Jared Loughner's shootings where they should be put to death immediately with no trial. They should not have a venue to plead their case. Sane or insane they did it wantonly and publicly, that is all that matters. Cases like those aside I am no longer comfortable with the death penalty being justified because of the horror of the crime because we can not be certain we have the right person unless we actually see them do it.
* The world is shocked? I am shocked! What is happening right now in America in this seeming race to put people to death without knowing if they are guilty? Politics? Once again I am sickened.
James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com
7 comments:
Wouldn't executing Loughner and the Fort Hood guy, whether immediately or not, be punishing people who are mentally ill with the ultimate punishment?
Hi Mike! Not in my humble opinion. They both had the semblance of mind to plan and execute an elaborate deadly scheme. You play you pay!
I think you'd be going down a very slippery slope with that reasoning Jim. Isn't that how Hitler got his start? It started with mentally ill and ended up with Jews and other less desirable members of society and not that they did anything wrong either. We should always have due process no matter how heinous the crime. It separates us from the Dark ages.
Mornin Jim, I read this yesterday, but had to run before I could comment. There has been alot on this case in the media ... I frankly dont see why it would hurt any Death Penalty case to simple grant a stay, if some case is in question, that is one thing I never understood. I mean, it isnt like the inmate/ offender is going to walk free or anything ... if I was a Governor for instance, I have no doubt if I was asked for a stay due to some evidence or something that need's to be verified, I am going to grant it in a heartbeat! And I would never want to be in a position of granting or deciding on such, I am pro defense, as in self defense, meaning, if I'm attacked and kill in defense, I feel justified in my decision, not deciding other's cases/ experience's on hearsay, law's, court's etc ... it's not my battle or cause, but that's just me Guy, nor do I TRUST the system anymore, I wouldnt even serve on a jury for one if I could! I actually dont have any problemo with abolishment of it at all ... factually, it cost's more even (at least in Texas) to execute than to keep a person incarcerated for life, number two here ... in my opiniojn ... being incarcerated for "life" is far more punishing than executing a person, if your looking at "punishment". I of course have talked with several death row inmate's over the year's, the one's I dealt with though, actually done what they were convicted of ... but I also know damn well, that many in my opinion are in question, without a doubt. I have signed petition's and such locally in Texas for this reason. Texas didnt start to kick up it's death penalty thing again till around the mid 1970's from what I gather ... seem's like when republican's started dominating Texas, these thing's started to change here as well, looking at it now. I mean ... traditionally Texas was a democratic state majority for year's ... but I voted republican because they said that they represent rugged individualism, right to work without having to join a union (even though now I think we NEED union's more than ever at the rate thing's in this country have been going south for worker's!), American defense (not corporate dictated occupation), pro- gun (been NRA supporter for 3 decade's actually), pro - business and entrepeneurialism, etc ... most of the folk's I worked with were republican's as far as voting, etc, even worked for a local republican politician for nearly 7 year's in Mesquite, and done all the republican's political advertisement's/ mailer's/ printing, as well as all the Mesquite Rodeo's stuff) it was popular in this state, and I voted republican for year's (sorry for getting off subject) ... But back to this death penalty thing, I didnt even know a damn thing about the case in Georgia (I love Atlanta BTW), and havent took much time to look into it either, but YES Jim ... WHY is it so difficult for folk's just to grant a stay is my question?, it doesnt hurt anyone, and also make's it more "ligit". My support of it mainly was only in support of the victim's familia's, I dont know what to tell them(?) ... but something Jim is definitely not working with this ... and this is the reason I feel that ALL execution's should be at least "suspended" if anything, especially in Texas ... this is just a mess Jim, but it make's you wonder, eh? As far as my opinion on it only applying to some, such as Nidal Hassan (spelling?) or whatever ... I disagree on that ... I feel if we abolish it, we should abolish it across the board for every case ... you asked what we think, and that's what I think.
Later Guy!
Also I want to add that Demeur has a valid point on this here ... this slipperyb slope thing is what I question, and I also feel now more than ever Jim that there is a mindset to just eliminate folk's for various reason's, especially those who dont have money in particular. I mean, I am all for responsibility and being selective in breeding (we ceratinly are with our animal's/ pet's), for more birth control, etc ... but sure as Hell not for some group who just decide's it's their natural right to select who live's or not based on monitary/ class reason's, there are alot of moderate income folk's that contribute greatly to everyhting that we benefit from! ... and Yes ... DEFINITELY ... that IS exactly HOW Hitler started as Demeur said ... and even was VERY convincing to the German people trying to get that message across.
RC I have been flat out, not getting around much and missed this. I am stymied myself! Last few years there seems to be sloppier work highlighted but still a race by politicians and police to just hang someone, anyone to say see we are doing our job. Your state I am sorry to say is the worst. I agree it sucks and oh yeah your spelling was fine.
You know RC in so many instances we are sliding even racing towards and embracing the Brownshirt and Nazi mentality but when you point it out you are belittled and it is merely continued. We are in trouble my friends!
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