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Hallo Stefan,

 

vielen Dank für den Hinweis.

 

Nun habe ich noch eine ganz andere Frage:

 

Auf der HP des Vatikans habe ich nirgends eine email-adresse gefunden, an die man schreiben kann. Ich möchte an den Vatikan in folgender Angelegenheit schreiben:

 

NCADP National Execution Alert

February 2003 - Addition

 

Amos King (FL)

Feb. 26, 2003

 

The state of Florida is scheduled to execute Amos King Feb. 26 for

the 1976 murder of Natalie Brady. In the 26 years since the murder,

King's death sentence has been argued before the U.S. Supreme Court,

vacated, retried, and reinstated. In 2003 alone, he received three

stays – one from the U.S. Supreme Court in February, another from the

Florida Supreme Court in July, and yet another from Gov. Jeb Bush in

December. King's pending execution represents the worst nightmare of

the death penalty process: this is a possible innocence case,

involving a defendant with ineffective trial counsel.

 

Gov. Bush granted King a 30-day stay just hours before his Dec. 2

execution date so that DNA testing could proceed and shed light on

the merits of his innocence claim. The results came back

inconclusive, prompting two drastically different reactions. Gov.

Bush, ignoring his previous concerns regarding King's possible

innocence, immediately perceived the test results as a green light

for an execution. Advocates for King, on the contrary, recognized

that since the DNA testing proved nothing, the innocence claim

remains strong enough to consider lingering doubt as grounds for

clemency. King's lawyers also note that the state destroyed one of

the most critical pieces of evidence – the semen-infused vaginal

washings – years ago, and that testing on that would have very likely

produced more conclusive results.    

 

Florida has freed more people from death row due to actual innocence

than any other state, and accounts for approximately a quarter of the

nation's exonerations. Just last month, the state of Florida released

Rudolph Holton after a combination of DNA evidence and witnesses'

admissions to lying at his trial proved his innocence. Holton walked

free Jan. 24, after spending 16 years awaiting execution.

 

King's innocence argument likely received little attention during his

trial because of his struggles with inadequate legal assistance.

Forced to gamble his life on state-appointed defense lawyers, he has

been challenging the effectiveness of his trial counsel for more than

two decades. In 1983, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated

his death sentence, claiming he received ineffective assistance

during the penalty phase of his trial. The court found that his lead

attorney, Thomas Cole, entered the trial fatigued and unprepared.

Cole, although an experienced criminal defense lawyer, had been

concentrating primarily on another case at the time, and met with his

client only twice before the trial. His support attorney, Anthony

Rondolino, joined the defense less than a week before the trial

began.

 

In vacating the initial death sentence, Judge Paul H. Roney of the

11th Circuit Court of Appeals wrote: "King was convicted on

circumstantial evidence which however strong leaves room for doubt

that a skilled attorney might raise to a sufficient level that,

though not enough to defeat conviction, might convince a jury that

the ultimate penalty should not be exacted."  

During the trial, Cole stated on the record: "Judge, I am beat, I

have got to go home and get some sleep." On another occasion he

said: "I can't think anymore." Of course, Cole represented King

during the guilt phase of the trial as well, and little evidence

indicates that he provided effective counsel at any point in the

trial.

 

According to the state, King murdered Natalie Brady in the early

hours of March 18, 1977. An inmate at Tarpon Springs Community

Correctional Center, a minimum-security work release facility, King

allegedly escaped in the middle of the night, ran over to Brady's

house, and proceeded to rob, sexually assault, and stab her before

lighting the house on fire.

 

Cole made numerous obvious errors while defending King, which several

appellate judges noted in their opinions. He offered minimal

challenges to critical pieces of evidence, including a kitchen knife

a witness identified despite not having seen it in more than a

decade. He also failed to present a piece of potentially exculpatory

evidence concerning hair samples found on the victim's nightgown and

sheets.

   

Several judges have argued in favor of reversing King's death

sentence again, citing "lingering doubt" about his guilt and the

effectiveness of his defense attorneys. Considering the

circumstances – from the possibility of innocence to the painfully

obvious issues concerning ineffective counsel – this case is a no-

brainer: commute the sentence to life in prison. Please write the

state of Florida and encourage clemency for Amos King.

Please Contact

 

Governor Jeb Bush

Executive Office of the Governor

Tallahassee, FL 32399

Phone: 850-488-4441

Fax: 850-487-0801

e-mail: fl_governor@myflorida.com

 

Pardon & Parole Board

Executive Board of Clemency

2601 Blarr Stone Road Building C Room 229

Tallahassee, FL 32399

 

Write Op-Ed

 

The Miami Herald

One Herald Plaza

Miami, FL 33132

Phone: 305-376-2100

Fax: 305-376-5287

e-mail: nationalnews@herald.com

 

St. Petersburg Times

PO Box 1121

Saint Petersburg, FL 33731-1121

Phone: 727-893-8215

Fax: 727-893-8675

e-mail: local@sptimes.com

 

For More Information

 

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

PMB 297

177 US Highway #1

Tequesta, FL 33469

Phone: 800-973-4483

Fax: 561-743-2500

e-mail: fadp@fadp.org

http://www.fadp.org

 

 

Herzliche Grüße

 

Joachim

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Päpstliche Akademie für das Leben:

 

pav@acdlife.va

web site: http://www.academiavita.org  

 


 

Päpstliche Nachrichtenagentur fides:

 

Palazzo "de Propaganda Fide" - 00120 - Città del Vaticano Tel. +39-06-69880115 - Fax. +39-06-69880107 - e-mail: fides@fides.va

© AGENZIA FIDES

web site: http://www.fides.org/deu/index.html

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Erlaubt mir mal kurz eine kleine Abschweifung vom Thema...

 

- Wie sieht eigentlich die Todesstrafe in China aus?  

 

(Wie sie in den USA aussieht wird ja weit und breit gezeigt...)

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Auch nicht schöner... Und wenn man so liest, was mit den Kandidaten bzw. ihren innereien nach der Exekution gemacht wird, dreht sich mir der Magen um...

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>- Wie sieht eigentlich die Todesstrafe in China aus?<

 

Die Verurteilten, meist Drogendealer oder Zuhälter, also Menschen die eine Gefahr für die öffentliche Moral darstellen, werden in ein Stadion geführt und vor vollen Zuschauerrängen per Genickschuß hingerichtet. In den Katakomben des Stadions warten Ärzteteams, die den Toten die Organe entnehmen. Die Kugel für die Hinrichtung wird den Hinterbliebenen in Rechnung gestellt.

 

In der DDR wurden zum Tode Verurteilte bis in die 60er mit dem Fallbeil geköpft. Dann ebenfalls mit Genickschuss. Der Letzte wurde, so glaube ich zu wissen, 1981 hingerichtet. Ein Sexualmörder. Dann kam die Annäherung an den Westen und die Verhängung der Todesstrafe wurde ausgesetzt, als Zeichen guten Willens gegenüber dem Westen in Sachen Menschenrechte. Kurz vor dem Untergang der DDR wurde sie ganz abgeschafft. Natürlich nur für diejenigen, die nicht die Flucht antraten und dabei erschossen wurden.

 

-----

Die Familie von Vater, Mutter und Kind ist die Keimzelle eines jeden Staates.  

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http://www.fifoost.org/polen/pl_beitritt_de/node14.php

 

Im Anschluss an die formelle Abschaffung der Todesstrafe im Mai 2000 hat Polen im Oktober 2000 das diesbezügliche Zusatzprotokoll Nr. 6 vom 28. April 1983 zur Europäischen Konvention zum Schutze der Menschenrechte und Grundfreiheiten ratifiziert.

 

Polen ist so katholisch, dass selbst in der Zeit des Sozialismus die zum Tode Verurteilten nicht erschossen sondern gehängt wurden. Ganz in christlicher Tradition?

 

In Wahrheit habe ich keine Ahnung von den Hinrichtungspraktiken in Polen. Ich habe nur einen Ausschnitt aus einen Film von einem polnischen Regisseur in Erinnerung, der kurze Geschichten über die Liebe, den Tod usw. gedreht hat.

Letzteres ziemlich eindringlich. Man sieht einen Keller mit einem Flaschenzug an der Decke. Und einen Gefesselten der von zwei Uniformierten gehalten wird und sich wie wild dagegen sträubt, dass man ihm die Schlinge um den Hals legt.  

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Kann ich gar nicht glauben, was du da schreibst, ich weiß nur, dass es ion Polen, wie in den USA/CSA ein Recht auf Selbstschutz gibt und das damit verbundene Recht auf Waffenbesitz.

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Zitat von Joachim65 am 14:57 - 9.Februar.2003

Guten Tag allerseits,

 

gibt es im deutschsprachigen Raum christliche Organisation ( Konfession ist zweitrangig ), die aktiv gegen die Todesstrafe eintreten?

 

Bin für jeden Tip dankbar.

 

Herzliche Grüße

 

Joachim


Bischof Dyba,Gott hab ihn selig,war gegen Abtreibung.

Auch der Pabst hat in deutschland endlich den Saustall

aufgeräumt!

Es ist wirklich ungeheuerlich aus welchen Gründen in Deutschland,Menschen hingerichtet werden!

 

 

Möge GOTT Uns allen Gnädig sein !

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Hallo Weisser Rabe,

 

nun, meine Frage bezog sich auf international arbeitende Organisationen. Nicht auf Deutschland - wobei die hessische Verfassung noch immer die TS vorsieht, welche aber vom Bund abgeschafft wurde. Und Bundesrecht bricht Landesrecht, zum Glück.

 

Allen die mir Tips gegeben haben, danke ich an dieser Stelle ausdrücklich.

 

Joachim

 

 

Presseaussendung der National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Kontakt:

David Elliot, NCADP Communications Director

001-202-543-9577, ext. 16

Mobiltelefon: 202-607-7036

delliot@ncadp.org

http://www.ncadp.org

920 Pennsylvania Ave. SE

Washington, D.C. 20003

 

"EIN ÜBERMASS AN VORSICHT"

WARUM - IN JEB BUSHS WORTEN - AMOS KIND NICHT HINGERICHTET WERDEN SOLL

 

14. Februar 2003 - Florida beabsichtigt Amos King - trotz

ernstzunehmender Fragen über Kings Schuld, fabrizierter Aussagen durch

einen medizinischen Sachverständigen des Staates, durch den Staat

zerstörter Beweise und eines inkompetenten Anwaltes - hinzurichten.

 

Kings Hinrichtung - original für den 2. Dezember 2002 angesetzt - wurde

zuvor angehalten, damit DNA-Beweise, die King angeblich mit dem Mord an

Natalie Brady in Verbindung bringen, getestet werden können. Die

Resultate dieser Tests waren ohne Ergebnis - weder bewiesen sie Kings

Schuld, noch seine Unschuld. Nachdem die Tests durchgeführt worden

waren, sagte Gouverneur Jeb Bush: "Aufgrund eines Übermaßes an Vorsicht

ordnete ich zusätzliche Tests an den Beweisen in Amos Kings Fall an.

Diese Tests wurden ausgeführt und es wurde durch sie nicht erreicht,

neue Ergebnisse zu erreichen."

 

Steven W. Hawkins, verantwortlicher Direktor der National Coalition to

Abolish the Death Penalty, sagte, dass Bush exakt dieselben Standards

beibehalten sollte, wenn er darüber entscheidet, ob King sterben soll.

"In einem Übermaß an Vorsicht sollten wir keinen Mann hinrichten, der

möglicherweise tatsächlich unschuldig an dem Verbrechen ist, wegen dem

er verurteilt wurde," sagte Hawkins. "Jemanden hinzurichten der nicht

ohne den geringsten Zweifel schuldig ist verletzt unsere Verfassung,

unsere demokratischen Werte und unseren Anstand."

 

Kings Schuldspruch und Todesurteil repräsentiert den schlimmsten

Alptraum des Todesstrafenprozesses:

 

**** Die Beweise gegen Kind waren im besten Fall Indizienbeweise und

kein Augenzeuge konnte seine Anwesenheit am Tatort nachweisen.

 

**** Kings Anwalt war offensichtlich ungeeignet. Das 11.

Berufungskreisgericht schrieb, dass Kings Prozessanwalt "eine Anzahl von

Fehlern" während der Schuld-/Unschuldsphase in Kings Prozess machte und

dass diese Fehler "einige Fragen aufwerfen, bis hin zur Ineffektivität."

 

****Eine medizinische Sachverständige, die eine der wichtigsten Aussagen

gegen King in dessen Prozess bot, war möglicherweise inkompetent. Im

Jahr 2002 schrieb die St. Petersburg Times, dass nicht sicher war, ob

ihr Verhalten in einem Fall nur deshalb "ungeeignet und beunruhigend

parteiisch" war um eine Verurteilung zu erreichen und fragte: "Wie viele

andere Autopsien hat sie vermasselt?"

 

****Der Staat hat zugegeben eines der wichtigsten Beweisstücke in dem

Fall - Vaginalproben mit Samenflüssigkeit - vernichtet zu haben, das ,

wenn man es modernen DNA-Tests ausgesetzt hätte, ein für alle Mal Kings

Unschuld oder Schuld bewiesen hätte.

 

Hawkins verlangte, dass Bush Kings Strafe in eine lebenslängliche

umwandelt. "Wenn Gouverneur Bush es versäumt zu handeln, riskiert er

mehr als das Leben von Amos King," sagte er. "Er riskiert es, das

Konzept der Justiz selbst zu erniedrigen. Die Justiz muss sicher und

genau sein. Wenn sie es nicht ist, dann muss die Justiz Gnade zeigen. In

einem Übermaß an Vorsicht muss das Leben von Amos King verschont werden."

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National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

National Execution Alert

March 2003

 

Scheduled Executions

Bobby Cook (TX) 3/11

Delma Banks, Jr. (TX) 3/12

Michael Thompson (AL) 3/13

Louis Jones (Federal – IN) 3/18

Walanzo Robinson (OK) 3/18

Keith Clay (TX) 3/20

John Hooker (OK) 3/25

James Colburn (TX) 3/26

Ernest Martin (OH) 3/26

David Jay Brown (OK) 3/27

 

 

Louis Jones (Federal – IN)

March 18, 2003

 

The United States is scheduled to execute Louis Jones, a black man,

March 18 for the 1995 murder of Tracie Joy McBride in San Angelo,

Texas. This pending federal execution – just the third in the modern

era of capital punishment – is set for March 18 at the U.S.

Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. The only two previous

executions by the U.S. government since 1976 – Timothy McVeigh and

Juan Raul Garza – took place within an 8-day period in June 2001.

 

Jones allegedly bludgeoned the 19-year-old U.S. Army private to death

with a tire iron after abducting her at gunpoint at Goodfellow Air

Force Base on Feb. 18, 1995. Police investigators found evidence of

sexual assault after Jones confessed to the murder and led them to

McBride's body, which was under a bridge approximately 20 miles

outside of San Angelo.

 

Since the murder, Jones has accepted full responsibility for the

murder and expressed his remorse on numerous occasions. He offered a

significant amount of mitigating evidence during the penalty phase of

his trial, but the jury voted for the death penalty regardless. Two

of the jurors claimed afterward that the judge's instructions were

unclear, and that given proper instructions concerning its options,

the jury would have given Jones a sentence of life without parole

instead of death. In 1999, an appeal regarding those jury

instructions reached the U.S Supreme Court, which voted 5-4 to uphold

the sentence.

 

The troubling background that haunts Jones marks an all-to-common

biography of death row inmates in the United States. He suffered

serious physical and sexual abuse as a child, and battled mental

illness as a result of his days in combat.

 

Like McVeigh, he fought in the Gulf War in 1991; from that, as well

as his action in the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983, he developed a

post-traumatic stress disorder. After returning from the Gulf War, he

displayed major personality and behavioral changes, and began showing

signs of mental illness. He retired from the military in 1993, a

transition further harmed by the break-up of his marriage.      

 

Sadly, when this clemency petition reaches its destination, it will

land in the hands of President George W. Bush – one of the most

relentless death penalty supporters in U.S. history. In his six-year

term as the governor of Texas, he authorized more than 150

executions, nearly one fifth of the total executions in the United

States since 1976. In fact, President Bush has presided over more

executions than any other elected official alive today.  

 

Like so many political leaders, President Bush refuses to recognize

that the death penalty system is arbitrary and capricious, that it

discriminates based on racial and economic factors, and that it risks

the execution of innocent human beings. Furthermore, he simply does

not consider mitigating factors relevant, and classifies people in

one of two categories: good or evil.

 

The federal government should take the lead in the fight for equal

justice and commute the sentences of all 26 people on the U.S

government's death row. Please write President George W. Bush and

request clemency for Louis Jones.  

 

Please Contact

 

President George W. Bush

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Email: president@whitehouse.gov

Fax: 202-456-2461

 

Alberto Gonzales

Counsel to the President

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

Fax: 202-456-2461

 

Write Op-Ed

 

The New York Times

Letters to the Editor

229 West 43rd Street

New York, NY 10036

Fax: 212-556-3622

 

The Washington Post

Letters to the Editor

1150 15th Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20071

Email: letters@washpost.com

 

 

 

Texas

 

 

Delma Banks, Jr. (TX)

March 12, 2003

6:00 PM CST, 7:00 PM EST

 

The state of Texas is scheduled to execute Delma Banks, Jr., a black

man, March 12 for the 1980 murder of 16-year-old Richard Whitehead of

Texarkana. Banks' case – clearly tainted with racial discrimination

and prosecutorial misconduct – represents the tragic pattern of

injustice so prevalent in the death penalty system. The trial

featured a black man with ineffective defense lawyers, a prosecutor

withholding exculpatory evidence, and by no coincidence, an all-white

jury.

 

The systemic discrimination in Banks' case is only the tip of the

iceberg; as time has passed since his trial and conviction, more

evidence has emerged concerning the legitimacy of his innocence

claim. The two key witnesses who testified against him have both

recanted their testimony, and scientific evidence now suggests that

Banks was in Dallas – 180 miles away – at the time of the murder. No

eyewitness accounts tie him to the crime, nor does any logical

motive; furthermore, he had no prior criminal record.  

 

Banks has appealed his conviction and death sentence based on three

of the most historic U.S. Supreme Court decisions in history:

Strickland v. Washington (1984), Batson v. Kentucky (1986), and Brady

v. Maryland (1963).

 

With Strickland – which currently defines the standards for

ineffective assistance of counsel claims – he succeeded for a short

time when a U.S. district judge threw out his death sentence after

calling the performance of his trial counsel "dismal." The U.S. Fifth

Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the sentence shortly thereafter,

somehow determining that the outcome of the trial would have been the

same regardless of the effectiveness of Banks' defense counsel.

 

On Feb. 12, three judges on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals filed

a scathing dissent in the case of Leonard Rojas, claiming that the

majority made a serious error by refusing to consider his ineffective

assistance appeal. Sadly, the issue no longer has practical

applicability in Rojas' case, because the state executed him on Dec.

4, 2002. The judges and executive authorities would be wise to avoid

a similar situation in Banks' case by stopping his scheduled

execution.      

 

As for Batson, this case sadly represents the norm of Texarkana

murder trials in the early 1980's. Banks, a black man, stood trial

before an all-white jury – a scenario clearly intended by the state;

in fact, the prosecution struck every single prospective black juror

from the selection pool. In the famous Batson decision (1986), the

U.S. Supreme Court banned strikes based on non-race neutral grounds,

which should certainly apply to Banks' case. The high court may even

redefine the guidelines for proving these claims in the case of

Thomas Miller-El, another Texas death row inmate, which the court

heard in October.

 

Banks' Brady claim argues that the prosecution did not reveal

potentially exculpatory evidence, which could have supported his

innocence argument. At trial, the prosecution withheld crucial

evidence from the defense that would have demonstrated the fact that

neither key witness was credible or believable. In one of the most

egregious rulings in the past quarter century, the U.S. Fifth Circuit

Court of Appeals blamed Banks for not uncovering the prosecution's

suppression and withholding of evidence earlier.

 

This case combines all of the classic systemic problems of the death

penalty – possible innocence, racial discrimination, ineffective

counsel, and prosecutorial misconduct. The power of executive

clemency marks the last safeguard against the overt discrimination

and injustice that has plagued Banks' case for the last 23 years.

Gov. Rick Perry and the Board of Pardons and Paroles should recognize

the obvious problems with this death sentence and commute it to life

in prison. Please write the state of Texas and protest Delma Banks'

pending execution.    

 

 

Bobby Cook (TX)

March 11, 2003

6:00 CST, 7:00 EST

 

The state of Texas is scheduled to execute Bobby Cook, a white man,

Feb. 5 for the murder of Edwin Holder. Cook, along with two

accomplices, allegedly robbed and killed the 42-year-old Buffalo

resident somewhere along the Trinity River near Cayuga on Feb. 6,

1993. Investigators found Holden's body in the back of his pick-up

truck, which was submerged in the river. An Anderson County jury

sentenced him to death in 1994, and his appeals have been

unsuccessful thus far.

 

The state also convicted Steven Ray Cockroft of capital murder in the

Holden case, but he received a life sentence. Meanwhile, Robin

Jenkins – the third defendant charged – testified against Cook, and

in exchange, received a 15-year sentence on a robbery charge. Cook,

unlike the others, now finds himself on death row, and his pending

execution clearly demonstrates the arbitrary nature of the death

penalty system.

 

Cook, a native of Navarro County, dropped out of school in ninth

grade. He faced burglary charges numerous times before the Holder

murder, and spent several years in prison between 1987 and 1992.

Carrying out this execution will only represent the state's

participation in, and perpetuation of the cycle of violence and crime

that has defined Cook's life to this point.  

 

At a time when most states with death penalty statutes are debating

legislative bills to halt executions or minimize the pool of people

eligible for capital punishment, Texas continues to proceed without

caution. Please write Gov. Rick Perry and the Pardon and Parole Board

and protest the execution of Bobby Cook.  

 

 

Keith Clay (TX)

March 20, 2003

6:00 CST, 7:00 EST

 

The state of Texas is scheduled to execute Keith Clay, a black man,

March 20 for the 1994 murder of Melathethil Tom Varughese in Houston.

Clay allegedly attacked Varughese, a convenience store clerk, amidst

a robbery. According to the state, he shot him 10 times and then beat

him with his pistol.

 

Unfortunately, despite a decline in executions from 2001 to 2002 in

the other 37 states with death penalty statutes, Texas nearly doubled

its own total from the previous year, recording 33 executions. Early

projections indicate that those numbers will only increase in 2003,

as Texas accounted for eight of the first 10 executions in the United

States this year.

 

Clay allegedly felt pressured into committing the Varughese murder by

his co-defendant, Shannon Thomas, who is currently on death row in

Texas for a murder in 1993. Police speculated that this pair's crimes

were drug-related and money-driven, and prosecutors convinced Clay's

jury that he constituted a future threat to society. Not

surprisingly, the two men, both black, stood trial in Harris County –

the leading death penalty jurisdiction in the state of Texas.

 

This scheduled execution – involving a black man in a system plagued

by racial discrimination and a jurisdiction known for its excessive

application of the death penalty – epitomizes the arbitrary nature of

the capital punishment process. Please write Gov. Rick Perry and the

Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and protest the execution of Keith

Clay.    

 

 

James Blake Colburn (TX)

March 26, 2002

6:00 PM CST, 7:00 PM EST

 

The state of Texas is scheduled to execute James Blake Colburn March

26 for the 1994 murder of Peggy Murphy. Colburn, a white man, has an

extensive history of chronic paranoid schizophrenia, a serious mental

illness with symptoms including hallucinations and delusions. He

displayed signs of this condition on the day of his crime, and also

suffered several psychotic episodes while in pre-trial detention. The

state acknowledged Colburn's severe mental illness at trial, yet

sought the death penalty despite it.

 

On Nov. 6, 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court intervened to stop Colburn's

scheduled execution to review questions surrounding his competency.

However, in January of this year, the high court refused to take his

appeal, and the state of Texas responded quickly with another

execution date.

 

Colburn allegedly stabbed and strangled Murphy, a 55-year-old woman,

on June 26, 1994. Shortly after the murder, he went to a neighbor's

house, confessed his crime, and waited for the police to come and

arrest him. He told investigators: "this one impulse came over me

said to kill her…I couldn't stop myself."  

 

Doctors first diagnosed Colburn with paranoid schizophrenia at age

17, recognizing his auditory and visual hallucinations. His horrible

experiences during that year severely complicated his condition; the

victim of a violent homosexual rape, he developed a chronic post-

traumatic stress disorder and severe depression with suicidal

impulses. His attempts at self-medication eventually led to chronic

substance abuse, and he suffered from periods of dissociation and

memory deficits.  

 

At the onset of Colburn's trial in October 1995, the prosecutor

said, "You are going to hear evidence that the defendant is a

paranoid schizophrenic…You will hear evidence that he's heard voices

and you are going to see him on tape. He's shaking or fidgeting. The

State is not going to contest or deny any of that…" Knowingly

violating every relevant human rights resolution passed in the United

Nations since 1997, the state went on to make its case for executing

Colburn.    

 

Meanwhile, evidence indicates that Colburn was essentially unaware of

the courtroom proceedings – a fairly clear sign that he may not have

been competent to stand trial. Under heavy sedatives for his mental

illness, he fell asleep several times at the defense table. His

attorneys constantly prodded him to stay awake, but the lapses

continued throughout the trial.    

 

Recognizing problems with handing this mentally ill man a death

sentence, the jurors inquired about the possibility of alternative

punishments. During deliberations, they sent this written question to

the trial court: "Given a life sentence, is there a possibility of

parole in this case?" Seemingly, the jurors were seeking a punishment

that would prevent a future threat to society, but also avoid the

execution of Colburn. The court refused to respond to this question,

holding that the jury should not consider parole when determining

whether a defendant should be sentenced to life or death.

 

Under the law applicable in this case, if the jury sentenced Colburn

to life imprisonment, he would not become eligible for parole until

he actually served forty years. In other words, the defendant, 35

years old at the time, already in poor mental and physical health and

with a history of drug abuse, would have the very earliest

possibility of leaving prison at the age of 75.

 

The jurors' question to the trial court indicates that they simply

wanted to protect society from Colburn's violent tendencies in the

future, but avoid a death sentence if possible. They found a life

sentence problematic only because they did not understand the

consequences of such a sentence, and they perceived no other

punishment as practical. The court's refusal to answer that question

insinuated that the only way to prevent Colburn from harming society

again was to execute him; this was not the case, and the jury should

have fully understood that when determining his sentence.

 

The state's scheduled execution of Colburn directly contradicts

countless human rights resolutions and principles, and also displays

the state's apathetic position toward people with mental disorders.

Please write the state of Texas to request a commutation for James

Colburn.

 

 

Please Contact

 

Governor Rick Perry

Office of the Governor

PO Box 12428

Austin, TX 78711﷓2418

Phone: (512) 463 2000

Fax: (512) 463 1849

http://www.governor.state.tx.us

                                                   

Board of Pardons and Paroles

Attn: Gerald Garret

Executive Clemency Section

PO Box 13401, Capitol Station

Austin, TX 78711

Phone: (512) 406 5852

Fax: (512) 467 0945  

http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/bpp/index.html

 

Write Op-Ed

 

The Austin American-Statesman

P.O. Box 670

Austin, TX 78767

Phone: (512) 445-3667

Fax: (512) 445-3679

Email: letters@statesman.com

http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/today

 

Dallas Morning News

2726 S. Beckley

Dallas, TX 75224

Phone: (214) 977-8494

Fax: (972) 263-0456

Email: http://www.dmnweb.dallasnews.com/letters

http://www.dallasnews.com

 

Houston Chronicle

P.O. Box 4260

Houston, TX 77210

Phone: (713) 220-7491

Fax: (713) 220-6806

Email: hci@chron.com

http://www.houstonchronicle.com

             

For More Information

 

Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

3400 Montrose Blvd.

Suite 312

Houston, TX 77006

Contact: David Atwood

Phone: 713-520-0030 (day)

Phone: 713-529-3826 (eve)

Fax: 713-942-8146

dpatwood@igc.apc.org

http://www.tcadp.org

 

Amnesty International State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator

SMU PO Box 750172

Dallas, TX 75275

Contact: Rick Halperin

Phone: (214) 768-3284

Fax: (214) 768-3475

Email: rhalperi@mail.smu.edu

 

 

 

Alabama

 

 

Michael Thompson (AL)

March 13, 2003

12:00 AM CST, 1:00 AM EST

 

The state of Alabama is scheduled to execute Michael Thompson March

13 for the 1984 murder of Maisie Carlene Gray. Thompson, a white man,

allegedly robbed the Majik Mart in Blount County on the evening of

Dec. 10, 1984, and kidnapped Gray, the lone employee. According to

the state, he then threw her down a well and shot her, only to return

to the well later with his girlfriend, Shirley Franklin, and more

bullets to make sure Gray was dead.

 

Thompson initially admitted to committing the crime, but later said

police investigators coerced his confession by threatening and

questioning him for 24 consecutive hours. Such interrogations are

unconstitutional, and have been the basis for numerous exonerations

and pardons of death row inmates in the United States over the past

decade.

 

Over the past 18 years, Thompson has filed a wide range of appeals,

many of which were related to his ineffective assistance of counsel

claim. During the guilt/innocence phase of the trial, his defense

lawyers essentially forfeited during opening statements, agreeing

with the prosecution that Thompson had, in fact, committed the Gray

murder. Although he admits to being an accessory after the fact, he

has continuously denied playing a role in the actual killing.

 

Johnson's ineffective counsel argument is extremely compelling. His

defense lawyers presented very little mitigating evidence, and never

even contacted several key potential witnesses – including his

mother, his uncle, and his pastor.

 

At the state hearing to re-evaluate the death sentence years later,

these witnesses finally offered some background information on

Thompson's tragic and traumatic upbringing. According to this mother,

he suffered serious physical abuse from his father as a child, and

witnessed his grandfather shoot his father in the shoulder to protect

his mother. At age 17, Thompson got in a payment dispute at work;

when his father confronted the employer, he died of a gunshot wound.

This event occurred as Thompson and his father were just beginning to

heal the wounds that had traumatized his entire childhood and

adolescence.

 

Thompson's grandmother blamed him for his father's death, and he

began drinking and using drugs more heavily to deal with the guilt

(although his substance abuse problems began at age 10, when his

father began providing him with liquor and drugs). His pastor, Rev.

Jerry Fleming, also attested to Thompson's intensified struggles with

substance abuse after his father's death, and said as a teenager

Thompson he had demonstrated a deep concern for others' well being,

as well as a desire to quit using drugs. Unfortunately for Thompson,

his defense lawyers did not ask any of these witnesses to testify

during his trial, and simply skipped over this mountain of mitigating

evidence.        

 

The cycle of violence that has defined Thompson's life, as well as

his socio-economic and educational background (he dropped out of

school in eighth grade), is sadly the standard personal history of

death row inmates in the United States. The application of capital

punishment continues to discriminate against people with limited

resources, and Thompson now finds himself dangerously close to

execution as a result of the systemic inequalities in the death

penalty process. Please write Gov. Bob Riley and the state of Alabama

and request clemency for Michael Thompson.    

 

Please Contact

 

Governor Bob Riley

State Capitol, 600 Dexter Avenue

Room N-104

Montgomery, AL 36130

Phone: 334-242-7100

Fax: 334-242-0937

Email: http://www.governor.state.al.us/office/email/email.html

 

Alabama Parole Board

PO Box 302405

Montgomery, AL 36130

Phone: 334-242-8730

Fax: 334-242-8700

Email: wsegrest@paroles.state.al.us

 

Write Op-Ed

 

The Birmingham News

PO Box 2553

Birmingham, AL 35202

Phone: 205-325-2444

Fax: 205-325-3345

Email: elard@bhamnews.com

http://www.bhamnews.com

 

Montgomery Advertiser

200 Washington Ave.

Montgomery, AL 36104

Phone: 334-262-1611

Fax: 334-261-1597

Email: khare@montgomeryadvertiser.com

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

 

For More Information

 

Alabama Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Contact: George H. Jones

P.O. Box 948

Leeds, AL 35094

hilesjones@aol.com

 

Alabama Prison Project

215 Clayton Street

Montgomery, AL 36104

Phone: 334-264-7416

Fax: 334-264-4661

Email: addvocat@bellsouth.net

alabamaprisonproject.org

 

 

 

Oklahoma

 

 

Walanzo Robinson (OK)

March 18, 2003

6:00 CST, 7:00 EST

 

The state of Oklahoma is scheduled to execute Walanzo Robinson March

18 for the 1989 murder of Dennis Hill in Oklahoma City. Robinson, a

black man, allegedly shot Hill after the two – both drug dealers –

engaged in an argument over money and territory. At trial, his jury

consisted of 11 white people; when the sole black juror decided

Robinson deserved a life sentence, she received intimidation and

harassment from her fellow jurors. They told her she was "just one

nigger helping out another" and eventually persuaded her to vote for

the death penalty.

 

After reviewing the circumstances concerning this racist coercion, a

federal district judge wrote that the allegations, "if proven true,

are egregious and intolerable." However, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court

of Appeals ruled in January 2002 that the testimony of this holdout

juror could not be used to overturn the sentence. Now, after a 14-

year process clearly tainted by discrimination and bigotry, Robinson

is just a few weeks away from his scheduled execution.

 

Since his initial arrest in 1989, he has professed his innocence,

claiming that although he was in the vicinity when the Hill murder

occurred, he did not commit it. Prosecutors presented no physical

evidence linking him to the crime, and earned a conviction based only

on eyewitness accounts, which are historically unreliable.

 

The governor's power of executive clemency marks the final safeguard

against the overt racial discrimination that clearly led to this

pending execution. In Oklahoma, the governor can commute a death

sentence if the Pardon and Parole Board gives him a favorable

recommendation. Sadly, Gov. Brad Henry has shown little respect for

the Board's understanding of the system since he entered office

earlier this year. In February, he ignored a clemency recommendation

in the case of Bobby Joe Fields – a man clearly railroaded by the

justice system. Fields unknowingly pled guilty for a death sentence

and found himself on death row without a trial. Gov. Henry evidently

paid no attention to the Board's recommendation, and the state

executed Fields on Feb. 13.  

 

Robinson's hearing before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board starts

at 10 am on March 12, and shortly thereafter, the Board will pass

along its recommendation to Gov. Henry. If the Board gives him the

opportunity, Gov. Henry should commute this sentence in the interest

of fairness and racial justice. Please write the state of Oklahoma

and request clemency for Walanzo Robinson.

 

 

John Hooker, OK

March 25, 2003

6:00 CST, 7:00 EST

 

The state of Oklahoma is scheduled to execute John Hooker March 25

for the murders of his common-law wife, Sylvia Stokes, and her

mother, Durcilla Morgan. Hooker, a black man, allegedly stabbed the

two women to death in his Oklahoma City apartment on the evening of

March 27, 1988.

 

The Providence Apartment Complex, where the murders occurred, had a

long-standing reputation as a haven for frequent drug abuse and

violence. Although Hooker, Stokes, and their three children lived

together in an apartment there for quite some time, Stokes and the

children had moved in with Morgan a few months earlier.

 

According to witnesses, Hooker had been visiting Morgan's apartment

during the afternoon on the day of the murders, attempting to

persuade Stokes to move back in with him. She refused, but later in

the day, walked with Morgan to Hooker's apartment, where they both

eventually suffered fatal stabbings. Medical examinations found they

were intoxicated at the time of the murders, and blood analyses also

found the drug PCP in Stokes' blood.  

 

Over the years, Hooker has argued a wide range of issues that could

have altered the outcome of his trial, primarily improper jury

selection procedure and ineffective counsel. Thus far, he has had no

success in the appellate courts.  

 

This pending execution reflects a bleak perspective from the state of

Oklahoma in terms of solving issues concerning crime, poverty, and

substance abuse. Hooker, like many death row inmates, grew up

surrounded by drugs, violence, and a disturbing family lifestyle. He

developed an addiction to PCP, which plagued him throughout his life

despite several serious attempts to quit.  He was under the influence

of PCP, as well as alcohol, at the time of the murders.

 

Hooker also made note of his chronic underlying depression, as well

as his inferiority complex and fragile coping skills, during the

penalty phase of his trial. The state of Oklahoma can do better than

sweep its problems under the carpet by executing people who fall

victim to cycles of drug abuse and violence as a result of their

upbringing. Please write the state of Oklahoma and request clemency

for John Hooker.

 

 

David Jay Brown (OK)

March 27, 2003

6:00 CST, 7:00 EST

 

The state of Oklahoma is scheduled to execute David Jay Brown March

27 for the 1988 murder of his former father-in-law, Eldon McGuire, in

Grady County. This is the state's third attempt to carry out Brown's

death sentence in the last year; appellate courts have granted stays

on both prior execution dates.  In June 2002, the Oklahoma Pardon and

Parole Board voted for clemency for Brown, but Gov. Frank Keating

denied the recommendation. Now, Gov. Brad Henry must decide whether

he will ignore clemency requests as his predecessor did, or consider

the facts before signing off on executions.

 

According to the state, Brown shot McGuire – his ex-wife's father –

multiple times with a semi-automatic weapon in the McGuire's home on

February 19, 1988; the murder evidently marked the culmination of a

long-standing argument between the two men.  Lee Ann McGuire and

Brown had a short, rocky marriage, and Brown blamed most of the

problems of their relationship on her father. Prior to the murder,

Brown faced charges on several criminal counts for an altercation

with Lee Ann in a barbershop, in which he fired a gun into a vacant

chair.  Eldon McGuire allegedly pressed hard for a solid prison term

for the incident, but Brown fled the state while out on bail and

returned only to settle his score with the McGuire family.

 

Brown's lawyers egregiously failed to present mitigating evidence

during the punishment phase of his trial – evidence that the Pardon

and Parole Board has relied on to recommend clemency. As a child,

Brown suffered from egregious abuse and neglect, as his family

survived on his mother's job as a prostitute. He endured severe

physical abuse growing up as well; at least once, he engaged in a

fight to protect his mother from an abusive husband.    

 

These mitigating factors somehow fell by the wayside during the

sentencing phase of Brown's trial, and the jury sentenced him to

death with no understanding of his tragic upbringing. Clearly it is

within reason to expect defense attorneys to investigate mitigating

circumstances in a murder case and present them to the jury in a plea

for a life sentence. Brown argued that his attorneys provided

ineffective assistance throughout the trial, noting their failures to

properly request a change of venue and raise issues of prosecutorial

misconduct.

 

If Brown's attorneys had investigated the mitigating factors in his

case and presented them during his trial, he might very well have

received a life sentence. Instead, he is dangerously close to

execution, in large part because his financial background forced him

to stand trial with ineffective state-appointed lawyers.  

 

Gov. Brad Henry should use his executive power wisely by accepting

the recommendation of the Pardon and Parole Board and granting a

commutation of David Brown's sentence. Please write the state of

Oklahoma and protest this execution.

 

Please Contact

 

Governor Brad Henry

Room 212

State Capitol Building

Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Phone: 405-521-2342

Fax: 405-521-3353

governor@gov.state.ok.us

 

Pardon & Parole Board

4040 North Lincoln

Suite 219

Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Fax: 405-427-6648

 

Please Contact

 

The Daily Oklahoman

P.O. Box 25125

Oklahoma City, OK 73125

Phone: (405) 475-3311

Fax: (405) 475-3183

Email: newsroom@oklahoman.net

http://www.oklahoman.com

 

Tulsa World

P.O. Box 1770

Tulsa, OK 74102

Phone: (918) 581-8300

Fax: (918) 581-8353

Email: tulsaworld@mail.webtek.com

http://www.tulsaworld.com

 

For More Information

 

Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

PO Box 713

Oklahoma City, OK 73101

Contact: Jim Fowler

Phone: 405-943-3808

Email: pr@ocadp.org

http://www.ocadp.org

 

Death Penalty Institute of Oklahoma

PMB 131

3728 S. Elm Place

Broken Arrow, OK 74011

Contacts: Robert Peebles, Michelle Gambino

Phone: (918) 455-2849

Email: comments@dpio.org

http://www.dpio.org

 

 

 

Ohio

 

 

Ernest Martin (OH)

March 26, 2003

10:00 AM EST

 

The state of Ohio is scheduled to execute Ernest Martin, a black man,

March 26 for the 1983 murder of Robert Robinson in Cleveland. Martin

allegedly shot him through the glass door of Robinson's drug store,

which the victim owned. Over the past two decades, Martin has

maintained his innocence, and repeatedly claimed that his ex-

girlfriend and two of her friends gave perjured testimony at his

trial.

 

In 2001, Martin gave his first-hand perspective of the criminal

justice system from death row: "It has no scruples or qualms against

presenting an inmate, police informant, or someone willing to provide

false evidence just so there will be a conviction…[which is apparent]

taking into consideration the many innocent men which DNA testing has

proven to be innocent..."

 

According to the state, Josephine Pedro went to Robinson's Drug Store

on the night of Jan. 21, 1983 because Martin had coerced her to do

so. After Robinson, the drug store owner let her in and locked the

door behind her, Martin shot him through the glass from outside,

killing him almost instantly. Pedro initially told police

investigators that she knew nothing about the shooting, but later

turned on Martin and said he had been planning to rob the store for

months.

 

Since his incarceration in 1983, Martin has spent much his time

praying and writing. He is a practicing Christian, and has written

extensively on his wrongful conviction and death sentence, as well as

issues concerning racial injustice in the application of capital

punishment in the United States.

 

In Illinois, Gov. George Ryan recently granted a blanket commutation

to all the inmates on death row because of problems with innocence

cases and systemic biases. These same issues plague the death penalty

process in Ohio, and the state should re-evaluate its system before

proceeding with more executions. Please write Gov. Bob Taft and the

state of Ohio and request clemency for Ernest Martin.

 

 

Please Contact

 

Governor Bob Taft

30th Floor 77 South High Street

Columbus, OH 43215﷓6117

Phone: 614﷓466﷓3555

Fax: 614﷓466﷓9354

Email:governor.taft@das.state.oh.us

http://www.state.oh.us/gov  

 

Ohio State Parole

Chairman Gary Croft

1050 Freeway Drive N.

Columbus, OH 43229

Phone: 614﷓752﷓1200

Fax: 614﷓752﷓0600

http://www.drc.state.oh.us

 

Write Op-Ed

 

Cincinnati Enquirer

312 Elm St

Cincinnati, OH 45202

Phone: 513﷓721﷓2700

Fax: 513﷓768﷓8340

Email:enquirer.com/editor/letters.html

http://www.enquirer.com  

 

The Columbus Dispatch

34 South 3rd St

Columbus, OH 43215

Phone: 614﷓461﷓5000

Fax: 614﷓461﷓7580

Email:  dcarson@dispatch.com

http://www.dispatch.com

 

For More Information

 

Ohio Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

3921 Davis Avenue

Cincinnati, OH 45211

Phone: 513﷓662﷓9376

 

Ohioans to Stop Executions

9 East Long St

Suite 201

Columbus, OH 43215﷓2901

Phone: 614﷓224﷓7147

Fax: 614﷓224﷓7150

Email: otse_webmaster@yahoo.com

http://www.otse.org

 

 

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

National Execution Alert

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Dies ist ein offener Brief von Amos King, der über 20 Jahre im Death Row sitzt, immer seine Unschuld beteuerte und auch durch DNA-Tests nicht entlastet wurde, weil das Material nicht verwertbar war!?

 

Am Anfang dieses Threads gibt es noch mehr Informationen über ihn, hier nun der offene Brief:

 

LETTER FROM AMOS KING - PLANNED EXECUTION OF AN INNOCENT MAN

 

 

 

On Friday, February 14, 2003, Circuit Judge Susan Schaeffer abruptly disconnected me from a court hearing I was attending telephonically. The reason she did this is because I started to talk about the wrong person, Dr. Joan E. Wood, a potential Pandora's box for the judiciary.

 

In 1994, Judge Schaeffer found the now infamous former medical examiner, Dr. Wood, had committed perjury before the Grand Jury in the Rubio case. In the years that followed, ending in the demise of her career in 2000, Dr. Wood came in for more infamy for her corruption and lies.

 

My lawyer referred to Dr. Wood's work in my case in 1981 as "voodoo pathology," and then requested experts to challenge it as well as the work of Marion Hill, a chemist in her employment. The court denied these experts as well as an investigator. (See Judge Schaeffer's order in my case of January 1, 2002, exhibits B through F).

 

Again in 1985, my lawyer filed for experts to challenge the work of Dr. Wood, Chemist Hill, and other experts in the case. That too was denied.

 

Judge Schaeffer vouched for the competency of the work and testimony of Dr. Wood in my case as does the current medical examiner and State Attorney. Judge Schaeffer filed on December 1, 2002 as a matter of fact and law, that nobody had ever tried to challenge Dr. Wood's work in my case in the preceding 25 years, in spite of her own documentation to the contrary. Besides a very thorough examination of Dr. Wood's work by Dr. Reeves and Dr. Larkin, finding Dr. Wood's work "quackery" in my case. There's obvious perjury by Dr. Wood in my case over two trials.

 

The now-infamous former medical examiner, Dr. Wood, committed perjury repeatedly at both my initial 1977 trial and my 1985 resentencing trial. I'm to be executed, based on her testimony, on February 26, 2003, at 6:00 pm.

 

In April of 1977, Dr. Wood ordered an X-ray of the victim's larynx that showed a fracture of the right side of the thyroid cartilage. Contrary to this X-ray, Dr. Wood testified at deposition prior to both trials, and at both trials, that the broken cartilage on both sides of the thyroid, likely caused by hand or foot, that got corrotted material introduced against me in a demonic way at both trials.

 

At the latter trial, a detective testified that Dr. Wood told him that the victim's thyroid cartilage was crushed. Again, prior to both trials, Dr. Wood testified that she could not tell if regular sexual intercourse or some object caused the vaginal tear in the victim. At both trials, Dr. Wood said that a knitting needle caused the tear. The two knitting needles and the victim's gown are being DNA tested at this writing.

 

The same detective who testified that Dr. Wood said the thyroid cartilage was crushed was also the detective who found both the whole and half knitting needles, and he was impeached in 1985. Why? He had to admit that the knitting needles did not have blood on them when found. Someone put blood on them later. Obviously, this is false evidence. A smoke screen.

 

Contrary to her own autopsy report of superficial stab wounds, literally scratches, throughout the trial in 1977, the victim developed a stab wound to the neck, first 2-2 1/2" deep, and later 2 1/2-3" deep, and stab wounds to the chest and others to the face. At trial, all of these stab wounds vanished, except to the neck.

 

In 1985, Dr. Wood tried to turn a bruise into a bite mark. Prior to trial in 1985, Dr. Wood testified that she could not tell whether the victim was conscious during the sexual intercourse, yet at trial, she said she was conscious because she put her panties back on.

 

At this same trial, she testified for the very first time that she had a solution to the missing vaginal washings. Previously she had not even written about the solution, nor had the detective, by chemist Marion Hill who analyzed the vaginal washings. This raises big questions: Was there a rape? Were the knitting needles jabbed into the victim's vagina? Given Dr. Wood's perjury, one must say "no" to both.

 

Dr. Wood testified the victim died at 3:00 a.m., but the policeman who moved the victim at 4:15 a.m. testified she had a faint pulse at the time.

 

Dr. Wood was a lying quack over 25 years ago. She did not go "bad" in the late 1990's as officials have tried to convince the public. Both police and fire marshals testified there was no burglary. This is a felony murder death penalty case based on rape. Almost all of the aggravating factors in this case are based on Dr. Wood's perjurous testimony.

 

I thank the Honorable Governor Bush for digging deeper in allowing DNA testing.

 

I ask now that he look into these allegations. The task would be simple and quick.

 

The judicial system has failed.

 

I have complained of ineffective counsel for over 25 years, even to the governor himself, knowing that an execution can be held on this evidence.

 

I'm an innocent man.

 

 

 

Amos King

 

Florida Death Row

 

February 18, 2003

 

http://www.amosking.com

 

 

 

For information

 

injustice@amosking.com

 

info@oranous.com

 

info@floridasupport.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Herzliche Grüße

 

Joachim

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@WeisserRabe:

danke, daß Du darauf mal hingewiesen hast.

 

Wir wettern alle gegen die Todesstrafe, und richten Menschen hin, aus finanziellen Gründen ! (soziale Indikation).  Nur weil sie zufällig noch ungeboren sind....

oder sie evtl behindert sein könnten (eugenische Indikation) !!

Durch Deine Zeilen ist mir ein Licht aufgegangen.....

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Hallo Edith,

 

ohne Zweifel sind die soziale und die eugenische Indikation fragwürdig ( ich bin selbst Krankenpfleger in einer Behinderteneinrichtung ).

 

Allerdings kann man meiner Ansicht nach die Todesstrafe und die Abtreibung nicht in einen Topf werfen und gegeneinander aufwiegen.

 

Die Todesstrafe ist ein juristisches System, das in unserer ach so zivilisierten Welt längst überwunden sein sollte, weil es primär nur um Machterhalt und eine fragwürdige Doppelmoral geht. George W. Bush wurde mit Hilfe von 126 Hinrichtungen in Texas Präsident von God´s own Country, und gerade im Süden der USA sind viele bibelfeste (!) Baptisten TS-Befürworter.  Amos King wird am 26. Februar vermutlich hingerichtet, obwohl seine Schuld/Unschuld überhaupt nicht erwiesen sind, aber Jeb Bush, seines Zeichens Gouverneur von Florida und Bruder von George W. Bush, wiedergewählt werden will.

 

Die TS wird angewandt, obwohl sie nicht die erhoffte Abschreckung zeigt, und obwohl nur EINER das Recht hat über das menschliche Leben, und das ist Gott. Hat nicht ER das berühmte Kainsmal gesetzt, damit Kain nicht mit dem Tode bestraft wird? Nicht alle, die Todestrakt sitzen, sind unschuldig - ganz im Gegenteil. Aber das ist auch "zweitrangig", wenn man gegen die TS ist. Die Verfügungsgewalt über menschliches Leben hat nur Gott - sonst niemand.

 

Herzliche Grüße

 

Joachim

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Feb. 20, 2003

from Rick Halperin

 

 

NEW YORK:

 

[statement by Howard J. Hubbard, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of

Albany and President of the Board of Directors of New Yorkers Against the

Death Penalty to members of the Albany Common Council on February 20, 2003

in support of a resolution calling for a moratorium on executions.]

 

Since 1974, the Catholic bishops here in New York State and the bishops of

the United States, as well as individual bishops across our nation, have

addressed capital punishment on many occasions and have concluded

overwhelmingly and consistently that given the conditions and the

circumstances which prevail in our country, public order and the safety of

persons can be protected by incarceration within our secure penal system

without the necessity of resorting to the death penalty, even in cases of

capital offense. Hence there is unanimity among Catholic Bishops in the

United States that there is no circumstance in our country where the death

penalty is morally justified.

 

Our position is rooted in the Biblical concept of restorative justice

which flows from a set of moral principles that can be summarized as

follows:

 

* Human life is sacred and inherently precious;

 

* Every person has basic dignity that comes from God, not from any human

quality or accomplishment; and

 

* God's love is unconditional; indeed, as St. Paul reminds us in Romans,

there is absolutely nothing in heaven or on earth that can separate us

from the love of God. Indeed, no person, including a violent murderer is

beyond God's redemptive mercy.

 

While Catholic opposition to the death penalty is based on respect for

the sacred dignity of each person, on moral grounds as a violation of the

5th commandment "Thou shalt not kill," and on the need to recognize the

possibility of repentance and conversion, there are numerous legal,

ethical, social and pragmatic reasons to oppose capital punishment.

 

1. The death penalty does not deter crime. Studies have shown that rather

than acting as a deterrent to criminal activity, executions merely

reinforce the concept of a brutal society where mortal vengeance is an

acceptable form of behavior.

 

2. The death penalty is not administered equitably. Application of the

death penalty consistently discriminates against the poor and minorities.

Whites are not being executed for killing African- Americans;

African-Americans are being executed for killing whites. Further, those

being executed are generally poor and under-educated. The lack of wealth

affects the quality of legal representation, the ability to negotiate,

the ability to appeal, and the perception of the individual by the media,

the community and the criminal justice system itself.

 

3. The death penalty results in the execution of innocent people. In the

past 25 years 103 death row prisoners have been exonerated and released

from prison based on new evidence or new technology. Many were saved not

because the system worked, but because of some fortunate happenstance.

Capital punishment is irrevocable; once society kills unjustly, there is

no way to remedy that wrong-doing. Cases of wrongful death penalty

application are gruesome reminders that our criminal justice system is

not foolproof.

 

4. The cost of maintaining the death penalty is astronomical. We have

spent more than $100 million dollars to support New York's death penalty

since 1995. The cost can only escalate with time, siphoning off resources

that could otherwise be used in the war against drugs, in finding

treatment and other alternatives to incarceration, in enhancing police

forces, in creating a more safe and humane prison system both for

correctional personnel and inmates, and in promoting neighborhood crime

prevention programs. It is indeed a shame if we sacrifice prevention for

the sake of vengeance.

 

5. The U.S. is becoming a pariah among nations over the death penalty.

While all the European nations, Canada and nearly all Central and South

American countries have abolished capital punishment, we in the US keep

company with such rogue nations as China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and

the Sudan by resorting to the state-sanctioned violence of capital

punishment. In a fragile world seared by violence, injustice and terror,

our allies and friends tell us that a great deal depends on our shared

vision of the dignity of the human individual, and that capital

punishment is inconsistent with that vision.

 

I can tell you that as bishop I don't have a great deal of time or energy

to devote to every cause that I support. However, as President of the

Board of Directors of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty, I can assure

you that my commitment to this issue is central to who I am as a citizen

of this community, as a person of faith, and as a teacher within the

Catholic faith community. There can be no justice when we entrust

life-and-death judgments (judgments which are more properly left to God)

to an error-prone system, especially when we have alternative, bloodless

means of protecting society from those who are disposed to violence.

 

What you are considering today is a resolution calling for a moratorium on

executions pending a careful study of the state's capital punishment

statute by a panel of experts. A moratorium would cause no one to be

released from prison or from death row. It is a most reasonable proposal,

one that invites people of good will to meet on common ground. For,

regardless of one's views on capital punishment, we have an important,

shared stake in making certain that innocent people aren't executed by our

government, and that bias in one form or another does not finally

determine who may live and who must die. I commend you for your

willingness to examine this issue. I know that you will find much that is

informative and eye-opening in the testimony of the witnesses who follow.

Let us hope that the seeds of conscience and reason that you are planting

tonight will grow. With this resolution, you lift your voices for humanity

and justice. May others open their ears and minds and follow your example.

Thank you.

 

Respectfully submitted by,

 

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard

 

President, Board of Directors

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@Joachim:

natürlich kann man das nicht in einen Topf werfen.

Das wollte ich damit auch nicht sagen.

 

Aber, gewissermaßen "analog".-.... ist schon krass :

wir regen uns auf, wenn jemand nach einem Prozeß für schuldig befunden hingerichtet wird.

(Also ich jedenfalls bin der Meinung "Auge um Auge macht die Menschheit blind" -Gandhi)

 

Die Ungeborenen bekommen keinen Prozeß... oder ?

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