tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68844932024-03-07T17:07:34.895-06:00The Lonely AbolitionistThe Lonely Abolitionist tracks recent death penalty news and the related musings of its abolitionist host.<br><BR> CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.comBlogger338125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-56470716316324926102022-07-17T09:55:00.003-05:002022-07-17T10:43:37.042-05:00Am I back? <p>I’m thinking about blogging again. I’m feeling a need to get back in the CJ game. I’m not sure about the title of the blog, though. Abolitionist has so many myriad meanings. This blog was always about only the death penalty - not about any other topics that have heightened use of the term (e.g. abolition of police). I’m trying to be thoughtful about the intersection. That said, abolition of the death penalty is adjacent (or smack inside) many of the other concerns that are often associated with the term abolition (not the least of which is white supremacy - which I intend to discuss).</p><p>So… I marinate on the best way to reconnect… maybe Twitter. Maybe here. Maybe both. #lonelyabolitionist</p>CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-25307923790333355532012-04-25T15:33:00.003-05:002012-04-25T15:33:24.527-05:00Connecticut Abolishes Death PenaltyWahooo! 17 down, 33 to go. <br />
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<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/25/justice/connecticut-death-penalty-law-repealed/index.html?hpt=hp_t1">http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/25/justice/connecticut-death-penalty-law-repealed/index.html?hpt=hp_t1</a>CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-13881353707579197372011-09-20T15:29:00.003-05:002011-09-21T22:24:13.173-05:00Troy DavisTroy Davis has been denied what is likely his last chance at clemency by the Georgia Board of Pardons & Paroles. I'm guessing that President Obama is his last hope, and the chances of that happening in this particular year are next to nothing.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/20/report-death-row-inmate-davis-denied-clemency/">http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/20/report-death-row-inmate-davis-denied-clemency/</a>CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-20778484053673872452011-04-01T11:29:00.002-05:002011-04-01T11:31:01.678-05:00TwitterI find that I don't blog very much anymore (you noticed?). I thought I'd give Twitter a try. We'll see if that is easier with my schedule. It won't be quite the same (hard to give a proper obituary in 140 characters), but it'll be a good way to get messaging out since I can easily retweet or send out a quick blurb on stories of interest (like Troy Davis). Look for me @ "lonelyabolition".CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-8829320514393147232011-02-25T18:16:00.001-06:002011-02-25T18:17:33.725-06:00Deleted for good?The page seems to have gone away - Blogger is not hosting it any longer. I'm posting this short quip to see if it helps bring the information back up to the hosted site.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-39508970527884287672010-03-04T23:04:00.003-06:002010-03-04T23:09:20.560-06:00Gaile OwensI learned about the story of Gaile Owens today from an old college friend on Facebook. Please take a moment to go read her story and sign the petition to commute her death sentence. Gaile is a battered woman serving on death row in Tennessee - convicted of hiring a man to kill her highly abusive husband. The State has requested an execution date for her after she's exhausted all apparent appeals. Visit the site and read her story - you will be moved. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.friendsofgaile.com/">Friends of Gaile Owens </a>CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-5927699962648060992008-12-02T19:12:00.004-06:002008-12-02T19:24:20.470-06:00Texas StatisticsSince my last post on October 24, six men have been executed in Texas. There were three others executed in October and there are eleven more executions scheduled in Texas before the end of March. In total, Texas has executed <span style="font-weight: bold;">seventeen</span> since resuming executions in May. If they execute all eleven of those with execution dates set before the end of March, they will have executed twenty eight men in less than a year. For perspective, since the Supreme Court decision in May, <span style="font-style: italic;">all other states combined</span> have executed <span style="font-weight: bold;">eighteen</span> individuals. That means Texas is a single execution behind the entire rest of the country COMBINED.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-81623968516225747962008-10-24T13:57:00.001-05:002008-10-24T13:58:48.828-05:00Troy Davis UpdateTroy Davis will not die on Monday. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay on execution for Troy so that lawyers from both sides can draft briefs regarding whether Troy meets the requirements for further Federal review. This is EXCELLENT news!CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-44582622928156650452008-10-17T10:37:00.002-05:002008-10-17T10:39:56.564-05:00Troy Davis - Execution Date SetThe State of Georgia wasted no time in setting an execution date for Troy Davis. Troy lost his appeal opportunity with the United States Supreme Court earlier this week and the State has already set his execution date for October 27. There is plenty on this blog regarding Troy's story, so I will not go into it more (tag: Troy Davis). Suffice it to say that the State of Georgia may be executing an innocent man.<br /><br />The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has the power to stop this execution. For more on that, see <a href="http://blogs.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/archive/2008/10/16/execution-date-set-for-troy-davis.htm">Amnesty International's death penalty blog</a>.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-32242347988524932682008-10-15T17:24:00.004-05:002008-10-15T17:45:38.883-05:00Richard Wade Cooey III - OhioThe State of Ohio executed Richard Cooey yesterday. He was 41 years old at the time of his death. <br /><br />Richard Cooey was convicted of the rape and murder of two college women in 1986. The women, Wendy Offredo and Dawn McCreery were in their early twenties at the time of their murders. Cooey's accomplice, Clint Dickens, was 17 at the time of the crime and, as such, was granted life in prison. Cooey has denied killing the women and claims that Dickens performed the murders. <br /><br />Richard Cooey was not a repentant man. By most accounts, he was vulgar and obscene to the end. Still, life is fundamental right that no society, not even the State of Ohio, should have the right to take away. <br /><br />An AP article on the execution is available <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jz46U1l-QIYSkAMWJw1YsjNyfp3gD93QE4183">here</a>.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-15840103595604726012008-10-14T09:21:00.003-05:002008-10-14T10:00:59.560-05:00USCC Ruling on Troy DavisHere is an article f<a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hPnsRNDfBO3hfXh1ZEJGA7F1HaxgD93QB0203"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">rom</span> the Associated Press</a> on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">USSC's</span> ruling as to Troy Davis. Troy Davis sits on Georgia's death row. His case has received a lot of attention because of what appear to be credible claims of innocence. I have posted on Troy many times before (tag = Troy Davis), and I believe his case is a prime example of why the death penalty should be abolished.*<br /><br />Sadly, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear Troy's case. The Court had granted him a last minute (quite literally) stay on September 23 when he was last scheduled to be executed to determine whether it should hear his case regarding his innocence claims. It appears that not enough of the Court's members agree that review is necessary. <br /><br />In light of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">USSC's</span> decision, Georgia will now schedule another execution date for Troy. It remains to be seen if there are any more options for Troy. It may be up to the Governor (or perhaps his defense team has another option in mind). I will keep you posted.<br /><br />*There are many reasons I believe the death penalty should be abolished. The primary reasons are (1) the fact that State killing is bad public policy, generally, and does not jive with any of the theories of our justice system (save for perhaps retribution and revenge); (2) our justice system is full of too many holes to assure that the death penalty is applied only to the guilty or applied uniformly and consistently (i.e. without concerns over race, class, or other "status"); and (3) the killing of any human being is a moral outrage and no person should be murdered by the government, no matter how guilty. Troy's case is a prime example of the failures of the death penalty for all three of these points (and many more).CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-87438585333200497252008-10-03T14:11:00.004-05:002008-10-03T14:29:13.022-05:00Perspective from a Former WardenI strongly encourage you to read the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-woodford2-2008oct02,0,6508996.story">Op-Ed by Jeanne <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Woodford</span> in yesterday's LA Times</a>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Woodford</span> is a former warden of California's San Quentin prison, which is where California's death row is housed. She presided over 4 executions as warden and has come to believe that the death penalty does not keep us safer, is more expensive, and is generally not good public policy.<br /><br />A couple of snippets of the piece stuck out to me in particular:<br /><br /><em>"As I presided over <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Massie's</span> execution, I thought about the abuse and neglect he endured as a child in the foster care system. We failed to keep him safe, and our failure contributed to who he was as an adult. Instead of spending hundreds of millions of dollars to kill him, what if we spent that money on other foster children so that we stop producing men like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Massie</span> in the first place?"</em><br /><em></em><br />What if? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Woodford</span> focuses much of the Op-Ed on the outrageous additional expenses involved in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">imprisoning</span> a death row inmate. Studies show that California alone spends an additional $100M per year to house and process death row inmates than it would if those inmates were merely confined to prison for life. Just imagine how much we could do with $100M! What if we used it to develop programs that might help prevent some of this crime in the first place? What if we used it to feed people, create jobs, develop infrastructure, improve education, or mentor at-risk kids? What if we spent it on programs to rehabilitate those guilty of petty crimes that might be at-risk for escalating to violence? What if... <br /><br />She ends with this poignant statement:<br /><br /><em>"To say that I have regrets about my involvement in the death penalty is to let myself off the hook too easily. <strong>To take a life in order to prove how much we value another life does not strengthen our society.</strong> It is a public policy that devalues our very being and detracts crucial resources from programs that could truly make our communities safe." (emphasis added)</em><br /><em></em><br />What do we have when the executed are gone? Are we safer? Are we more at ease? Right now, as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Woodford</span> notes, what we have is a public policy "that devalues our very being." <br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Woodford's</span> piece is well taken and gut wrenching. It is well worth the read.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-63475441199573016542008-10-03T11:03:00.003-05:002008-10-03T11:37:47.344-05:00Kennedy v. Louisiana Take IIThe United States Supreme Court "affirmed" its decision in <em>Kennedy v. Louisiana</em> earlier this week by refusing to rehear the case. As you may recall, the <em>Kennedy </em>case reviewed the constitutionality of executing someone who was "only" guilty of child rape and had not also committed a related murder. The Supreme Court found such executions unconstitutional during its last session. It now upholds that decision. You can read about the update on <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/10/01/scotus.child.rape/">CNN here</a>. <br /><br />I despise child rape with everything in my core and, in some cases, I believe its punishment should equal that of many forms of murder. Still, as you know, I vehemently oppose the death penalty. I believe the death penalty should be abolished. As such, I am pleased with the Court's decision in this case. It will make fewer individuals eligible for State murder, and the fewer murders the State commits, the better.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-56936685710156075262008-10-01T12:34:00.001-05:002008-10-01T12:37:16.789-05:00Letter from Troy DavisAmnesty International <a href="http://blogs.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/archive/2008/09/30/a-message-from-troy-davis.htm">published a letter </a>Troy Davis wrote to his sister for her to share with his supporters. He wrote the letter the night before his scheduled execution. It provides a nice glimpse of the man Troy Davis is today. You can find the letter <a href="http://blogs.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/archive/2008/09/30/a-message-from-troy-davis.htm">here</a>.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-14521014384340316352008-09-23T16:50:00.002-05:002008-09-25T13:53:29.125-05:00Troy Anthony DavisBreaking news: The United States Supreme Court has issued a stay of execution for Troy Davis (Georgia). See below for more information on Troy's case and his credible claims of innocence. This is great news!<br /><br />Update 9/25/2008: <a href="http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/100313/troy_davis_deserves_a_new_trial/">Here is a link </a>to a good column by Amy Goodman (Democracy Now) on Troy Davis's case and why he deserves a new trial.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-39564218785276199312008-07-07T16:27:00.003-05:002008-07-07T16:33:11.904-05:00Paul House Moved to Mother's HomeHat tip to Emily at Amnesty International for a <a href="http://blogs.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/archive/2008/07/03/paul-house-moves-from-death-row.htm">well-written blog</a> about Paul House's return to his mother's care. As those of you who have read this blog over the years know, I have written about Paul's case and the travesty of his continued confinement many times. Paul is now at his mother's home and is - temporarily at least - out of prison and off death row. The DA is planning to retry Paul but he is out on bail for the time being. I'm so pleased that Paul can be at home in his mother's care. He has credible claims of innocence and has been on death row for over 23 years. The last several of those years, Paul has endured death row while suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. I applaud the donor that assisted Paul's mother in posting his bail. <br /><br />Please see the Amnesty blog <a href="http://blogs.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/archive/2008/07/03/paul-house-moves-from-death-row.htm">here</a>.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-30947760865752585112008-06-25T10:55:00.004-05:002008-06-25T11:01:11.074-05:00Kennedy v. LouisianaI don't have time to comment (darn meetings!), but the United States Supreme Court ruled today (5-4) that it is unconstitutional to execute someone for a child rape where the child was not murdered. Although no one has been executed in the US for a crime other than murder in many years, there were two men on death row in Louisiana awaiting execution for rape of a child. Additionally, this clears the laws for other states and will prevent future executions. <br /><br />Here is a link to an article from the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/washington/26scotuscnd.html?hp">NY Times.</a>CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-87824620721438264142008-04-10T09:05:00.003-05:002008-04-10T09:17:23.997-05:00Clifton WhiteHat tip to <a href="http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/4/9/172317/8854">Jeralyn at TalkLeft</a> (who's blog I read every day, by the way -- I encourage you to do so as well) for noting this case. <br /><br />Ohio will not get the chance to kill Clifton White. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the lower court judge in White's case had overstepped his authority when he substituted his own expertise for that of experts in finding that Clifton White was not mentally retarded and, therefore, could be subject to execution. <br /><br />Jeralyn provides links to the opinion and some snippets in her post so I won't bore you with more, but this is a big deal. Judges are not experts on everything. They should not get to decide who lives and who dies against the recommendations of those who are, in fact, experts on a subject. <br /><br />Here's an article from the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/us/10death.html">New York Times</a>.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-45353428709780820592008-03-17T12:14:00.003-05:002008-03-17T12:17:09.883-05:00Troy DavisI've come out of the shadows for a moment to pass on this bit of devestating news about Troy Davis. As you may have heard, the Georgia Supreme Court denied his request for a new trial. Please see this posting at <a href="http://blogs.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/archive/2008/03/17/troy-davis-appeal-denied.htm">Amnesty International </a>and take action if you are able. As you can see below in my prior postings, Troy has a credible claim of innocence. Without a new trial, its possible the State of Georgia will execute an innocent man.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-18272008901294899332007-08-30T16:49:00.000-05:002007-08-30T16:57:20.400-05:00Kenneth Foster Jr.<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Absolutely</span> OUTSTANDING news out of Texas!!! (How often do you hear me say that?). Governor Perry commuted Kenneth Foster's sentence to life in prison today, just hours before Texas was scheduled to execute him. If you pay attention to death penalty activism and news, you've heard of Kenneth Foster. Kenneth Foster did not personally murder anyone, yet, under a controversial Texas law he was given the death penalty. Foster admits he was involved in the crimes surrounding the murder (he was the getaway driver during some robberies that night), but it is fairly clear he did not personally kill Michael <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">LaHood</span>, nor was he involved in planning <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">LaHood's</span> murder.<br /><br />Read about it here in the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-commute31aug31,1,4488959.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&track=crosspromo">LA Times.</a><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Waaahoooooo</span>!CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-52470013694201279932007-08-09T17:33:00.001-05:002007-08-09T17:38:48.224-05:00Troy Davis, Darrell Grayson etc.I have been meaning to update lately, in particular to update on the case of Troy Davis and to write one of my informal "obits" for Darrell Grayson (which, trust me, will be a not-as-typical entry). I will get to the posting for Darrell shortly. <br /><br />In the meantime...<br /><br />Troy Davis has been granted a hearing by the Georgia Supreme Court. For more information on Troy's case and the hearing please see Karl's blog entries at <a href="http://capitaldefenseweekly.com/blog/2007/08/03/troy-davis-big-news/">Capital Defense Weekly</a> and the <a href="http://deathpenaltyusa.blogspot.com/2007/08/troy-davis-big-big-big-news.html">NCADP blog</a>. <a href="http://www.amnestyusa.org/Death_Penalty/Troy_Davis_Finality_Over_Fairness/page.do?id=1011343&n1=3&n2=28&n3=1412">Amnesty International</a> also has a posting.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-60048250246206630252007-08-03T13:02:00.000-05:002007-08-03T13:12:20.728-05:00Kenneth Foster, Jr.Texas is scheduled to execute Kenneth Foster on August 30th for the murder of Michael LaHood.<br /><br />For more information, please see the <a href="http://deathpenaltyusa.blogspot.com/2007/08/regarding-kenneth-foster-jr.html">NCADP blog</a> for a re-post of a blog by Sean-Paul Kelley (originally posted at <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/">Huffington Post</a>). Mr. Kelley was a close friend of Michael LaHood's; he is now speaking out against Kenneth Foster's execution. According to Kelley, Foster was driving the car in which LaHood's shooter was riding around the night of LaHood's murder, but Foster did not shoot LaHood or actively participate in LaHood's slaying.<br /><br />I really enjoyed reading Mr. Kelley's comments on why he does not agree with the death penalty (in this and other situations). I think this quote rang the closest with me:<br /><br />"Whenever people ask me about the death penalty I always reply: when you make it to the Pearly Gates, and Saint Peter asks, 'justice or mercy?' Which will you choose? Usually they sputter or blurt something out like, 'The death penalty doesn't have anything to do with that.' I reply, 'The death penalty has everything to do with that. You just can't see it.'"CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-41242508045603975232007-07-29T11:45:00.000-05:002007-07-29T12:25:08.755-05:00Lonnie Earl Johnson - TexasThe State of Texas executed Lonnie Earl Johnson on July 24, 2007. Johnson was 44 years old at the time of his death. <br /><br />Johnson never denied killing the two teenagers for whose murders he was executed (Sean Schulz (16) and Leroy McCaffry (17)). However, Johnson did claim that the two victims made racist threats against him (they were white, he was black) and pulled a gun on him. Prison officials say that Johnson believed until shortly before his death that his appeals would be successful and he would not die. <br /><br />Whether or not Schulz's and McCaffry's deaths were the result of self-defense or were murder, their deaths are tragic. My heart certainly goes out to their parents and families. Yet, even if Johnson murdered those boys without provocation, I still believe it was wrong to execute him. <br /><br />There is more to the story of Johnson's execution - separate, yet forever related. Lonnie Johnson was the 100th person convicted and sentenced out of Harris County, Texas to be executed since the death penalty was re-instated in Texas. In 25 years, Texas has executed 100 people from one single county. That is an average of 4 every year and its total is more than the total in any other STATE (aside from Texas). Moreover, Harris County, dear readers, is no ordinary county. Harris County has been the subject of great controversy over the last few years as the result of investigations that have shown its forensics lab to have been highly unreliable (no allegations that it currently is as far as I know). I wonder how many of those 100 individuals were convicted, sentenced and executed based on questionable forensics? <br /><br />For more on the execution of Lonnie Johnson please see <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4996776.html">this article in the Houston Chronicle</a>. <br /><br />For more commentary on the Harris County 100-execution "milestone" please see the following blog posts:<br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/archive/2007/07/20/counting-to-one-hundred.htm">Amnesty International - Counting to One Hundred</a><br /><br /><a href="http://stopexecutions.blogspot.com/2007/07/harris-county-one-county-100-executions.html">Texas Moratorium Network - Harris County: One County 100 Executions</a><br /><br /><a href="http://capitaldefenseweekly.com/blog/2007/07/22/lonnie-johnson-geography-means-everything/">Capital Defense Weekly - Lonnie Johnson: "Geography Means Everything"</a>CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-34655997339898281142007-07-27T21:36:00.001-05:002007-07-27T21:40:43.511-05:00Many thanks to David at <a href="http://deathpenaltyusa.blogspot.com/">NCADP</a> and Karl at <a href="http://capitaldefenseweekly.com/">Capital Defense Weekly </a>for welcoming me back to the fold! I look forward to participating in the movement again. <br /><br />Now, go read their stuff!CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884493.post-77268878671451845722007-07-27T14:20:00.000-05:002007-07-27T14:42:38.758-05:00Hiding Behind a HoodSue Carlton published a <a href="http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/27/State/A_hood_doesn_t_mask_o.shtml">column</a> in the <a href="http://wwwl.sptimes.com/">St. Petersburg Times</a> today regarding Florida's policy to have individuals performing executions wear hoods and hide their identities. I found her column well worth reading. <br /><br />Facts of note on Florida executioners - the executioner need only be 18, is appointed by a warden, and makes $150 per execution. Ah, the selectee must also "get training." What does that mean? There are horror stories in Florida (and other states) about botched executions, about men's heads on fire or failed IVs or improper drug application that caused an execution to take significantly too long. Just how much training is required? Do they get pyschological training to assure they know exactly what they are doing? <br /><br />It makes me ill to think of an 18 year old taking the life of another human being for the mere sum of $150. OK, well, I admit, it makes me sick to think of an 18 year old taking a human life at all, but that "service" to the State is only worth $150? <br /><br />Carlton indicates in her column that, every time an execution looms or the death penalty is in the news, the Florida Department of Corrections receives at least a dozen requests by email to become an executioner. I have to wonder - where does this overwhelming desire to kill someone stem from? Do the volunteers have some sort of sick fantasy to let go of that the legality of the State proceeding allows them to do without consequence? I suppose if he performed more than one, it might qualify him (or her) as a serial killer. Does that make someone feel more important? More "god" like? Shouldn't the executioner have to look his victim in the eye before he kills him? <br /><br />I understand the State's concern about protecting the executioner from retaliation, but if the person is willing to perform the act and believes that it is moral and proper to do so, then that person should be willing to identify his or herself - at the very least, to the life he or she is ending.CarrieJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609701888290778778noreply@blogger.com0