Troy Davis and the Death Penalty

[dnomde]

I wanted to express my deepest sympathies for the family of Troy Davis, I wanted to express my grief for our country, and I wanted to express my disgust for the ignorance that perpetuates this barbaric practice. China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United States are responsible for 90% of murder by execution worldwide. I'm not sure this is what people have in mind when they wave the flag and chant USA #1. Here are two quotes from Troy Davis. The day before he was executed, Davis said, “The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I’m in good spirits and I’m prayerful and at peace. But I will not stop fighting until I’ve taken my last breath.” Troy Davis's final words: "I'd like to address the MacPhail family. Let you know, despite the situation you are in, I'm not the one who personally killed your son, your father, your brother. I am innocent. The incident that happened that night is not my fault. I did not have a gun. All I can ask ... is that you look deeper into this case so that you really can finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends to continue to fight this fight. For those about to take my life, God have mercy on your souls. And may God bless your souls."
Troy Davis - 10.09.1968 – 09.21.2011

[anni]

Well said, Edmond, if not heart wrenching.

I signed this petition on FB, from Amnesty International:
takeaction.amnestyusa.org/site/c.6oJCLQPAJiJUG/b.7741827/k.62FF/Not_in_my_Name_Pledge/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=7741827&en=dmIPI6PPJcIYLgOSLbKULiM9LvL9KmN4LtI9LqNaIAK


This is a list of activists working to abolish the death penalty sent to my yahoo acct. also from Amnesty international:

www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/campaigns/abolish-the-death-penalty/death-penalty-campaign-resources/death-penalty-links

[Brian]

I was online when Edmond started this thread. Within a few minutes, a swarm of IP addresses had hit his post, immediately racking up 10 views, no doubt because of the keywords Troy Davis. In my three years monitoring this board, I've never seen anything like that, so it could hardly be a coincidence.

This mass consciousness raising about the death penalty is painful for everybody -- including those of us who have always opposed it -- as Edmond's post so beautifully captures. My heart goes out to the penal workers who carried out Davis' execution, the victim's family who thought they'd achieve closure and now must have doubts about his guilt, the soul of the actual killer and the seven witnesses who helped convict Davis only later to recant, too late.