Texas Statistics

Since 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 seventeen 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, all other states combined have executed eighteen individuals. That means Texas is a single execution behind the entire rest of the country COMBINED.

Kenneth Foster Jr.

Absolutely 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 LaHood, nor was he involved in planning LaHood's murder.

Read about it here in the LA Times.

Waaahoooooo!

Justice?

David Elliot of National Coalition Against the Death Penalty posted this op-ed from the Houston Chronicle this morning. It provides an excellent historical perspective on President Bush's commutation of I. Lewis Libby, comparing Bush's consideration of the commutation and its constitutionality to that of Bush's approach to clemency of Texas Death Row inmates during his tenure as Governor. It is well worth reading. And while you're there...check out the rest of the information NCADP regularly provides its blog readers...