Troy Davis

On Protecting The Innocent, Or, Is There A Death Penalty Compromise?

September 23, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

I don’t feel very good about this country this morning, and as so many of us are I’m thinking of how Troy Davis was hustled off this mortal coil by the State of Georgia without a lot of thought of what it means to execute the innocent.

And given the choice, I’d rather see us abandon the death penalty altogether, for reasons that must, at this moment, seem self-evident; that said, it’s my suspicion that a lot of states are not going to be in any hurry to abandon their death penalties anytime soon now that they know the Supreme Court will allow the innocent to be murdered.

So what if there was a way to create a compromise that balanced the absolute need to protect the innocent with the feeling among many Americans that, for some crimes, we absolutely have to impose the death penalty?

Considering the circumstances, it’s not going to be an easy subject, but let’s give it a try, and see what we can do.

Two more government murders, and the crowd cheers

September 23, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Last week during the GOP debate we were treated to the spectacle of a crowd cheering the large numbers of government-sanctioned murders in Texas.  This week we were treated to the reality.  Troy Davis was put to death last night in Georgia, despite a growing concern on the part of many that his continuous claim of innocence may well have been correct. The court system failed Troy Davis, and we as a nation failed him.

Where to start? The application of the death penalty in the United States is an anomaly among Western nations. We happily cling to a system of punishment that seems to serve no purpose other than retribution. It's not a crime deterrent, it's not even cost-effective.  It is government-sanctioned revenge. It is a punishment that cannot be revoked, ameliorated, or forgiven.  It is the last desperate act of a government to punish the guilty and destroy a little more of the soul of our nation.

On Protecting The Innocent, Or, Is There A Death Penalty Compromise?

September 23, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

I don’t feel very good about this country this morning, and as so many of us are I’m thinking of how Troy Davis was hustled off this mortal coil by the State of Georgia without a lot of thought of what it means to execute the innocent.

And given the choice, I’d rather see us abandon the death penalty altogether, for reasons that must, at this moment, seem self-evident; that said, it’s my suspicion that a lot of states are not going to be in any hurry to abandon their death penalties anytime soon now that they know the Supreme Court will allow the innocent to be murdered.

So what if there was a way to create a compromise that balanced the absolute need to protect the innocent with the feeling among many Americans that, for some crimes, we absolutely have to impose the death penalty?

Considering the circumstances, it’s not going to be an easy subject, but let’s give it a try, and see what we can do.

PPIC Poll--54% of voters choose life without parole

September 22, 2011 by Calitics

Note by Brian: In the wake of the "execution" of Troy Davis, it is more important than ever to end the death penalty in California and across the nation.  Murder is still murder, even when it has the patina of a cover in the form of a dysfunctional justice system.  Taxpayers for Justice  and their SAFE California campaign have committed to ending the death penalty in California via the ballot box.  There are many reasons to do so, but the time for this is now.

SAFE California Campaign

A new poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) showed 54% of Californians prefer life imprisonment with no possibility of parole, with only 39% preferring the death penalty.

The PPIC report shows a clear preference for life in prison with no chance of parole for all adults across the state.  Support was strongest among residents of Los Angeles (62%) and Latinos (67%), California residents under 35 and those earning less than $40,000.

"These new numbers confirm what we already know to be true: across the state and across party lines, California voters are ready to replace our dysfunctional death penalty with life in prison without parole," said Jeanne Woodford, former warden of San Quentin and spokesperson for the SAFE California campaign.