Petition signed/email sent.

Over the years it is a given that innocent people have been sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit. It is impossible that all of them have been freed.

done

I don’t understand prosecutors. Have they no conscience?

Before former governor George Ryan suspended executions in Illinois I believe (if memory serves) something like 19 convictions of death row inmates were overturned using DNA evidence. That was out of the (then) current population of prisoners awaiting execution. It is reasonable to assume that during the course of U.S. history, hundreds, perhaps thousands of individuals have been executed for crimes they did not commit.

I want to give the snarky “No. Another case of…” but that would disrespect the prosecutors who do care about getting it correct and they do exist.

Unfortunately, I believe Texas is like many other states where the local District Attorney is elected, usually on “LawnOrder” tickets to put everyone away and throw away the key.

My only surprise is this isn’t Dallas.

I know but it’s not just Illinois that has done this. And I wasn’t really going back any further than in the times since the death penalty was re-instated.

I would willingly wager right now, to my own dismay, that there have been innocent individuals put to death in the United States, by state government, in the last thirty years.

Signed and Dugg. Thank you.

If executions had an impact on crime, Texas would be a crime-free paradise.
However, it is not. It’s time to wake up.

probably. Republicians-authoritarians all-are great believers in the Death Penalties ability to deter murder. Except it does not. I grew up in Michigan, which has had a law on its books since it became a state. No death penalty. I never noticed that Michigan had more killers. Texas has innocent people on death row. Illinois had several, so many in fact that a republician gov commuted all of them to life sentences.
Will cops lie on the stand to get a conviction? All evidence tells us yes. Will govt experts and crime labs(incl the famous FBI crime lab) lie under oath to get a conviction? Sure will.
Will prosecutors lie to juries and keep evidence of innocence away from the defense? History tells us that they will.
Will an innocent man be put to death in Texas? Yep. Better that a hundred innocent die than 1 guilty man be set free.
When gwb was the gov he had no scruples about signing death warrents. His philosophy-if he in fact had one, after all he signed on to torture didn’t he?-was that if a person is in prison, he is guilty. End of story.
Law is not about justice, it is all about control and enforcing whatever standard of behavior that the polity wants.

All walks of life have their bad apples.

Signed and Dugg.

Amazing Grace

Blue America upstairs with guest Sam Bennett.

Sent petition with a few modifications. However, I bet there will not be any milk scandals in China in the near future. Profit at any cost?? Babies??

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl…..h-sentence

“More than 50,000 infants were hospitalized with kidney problems after drinking Sanlu baby formula tainted with melamine, a chemical normally used to make plastics and fertilizer.”

Justice??

Texas has executed more people than any other state in the union if my memory serves me correctly.

Amazing that Texas Republicans -actually Republicans in genera- are so hot to trot to kill.Whether its executions ,premptive wars predicated on lies, police violence towards innocent citizens-the list goes on.

Yet, Republican lawmakers hardly EVER own up to malfeasance in office,or betryal of the public trust rendered unto them by writ of oath of office.

As the old saying goes,”Scratch a bully, and find a coward.”

Texas has more than their fair share of cowards these days,imho. Tom Delay is a good starting point of refernce.

“Texas has more than their fair share of cowards these days,imho. Tom Delay is a good starting point of refernce.”

Anybody giving this creepy criminal credence is critically compromised in the cerebral cortex. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_DeLay This guy is a virus!

While married in a family who are directly and deeply involved in a Political Mafia involving DeLay, Bush and others, please put a HOLD on this execution. While Bush was Governor Texas, I learned a great many things that aren’t easily talked about that more than suggest they were executing innocent people simply because they knew too much. There has been a huge nest of crime operating in Texas linked to an International Drug system.

Marty Didier
Northbrook, IL

oh how sweet. The Texas rethug gods ordain execution, so the rethug priest-politicians have to kill to people. Guilt or innocence is a secondary considerations. Gotta love these people.

Martin been a long time since the days on Findlaw’s message boards! Pretty amazing how all those post @ Findlaw disappeared! Guess you must have been a little to close to some truths and upset a few folks.

Yes… the question must be asked why a court would not order a DNA test in a capital case? Corruption??

Petition singed, sealed and mailed off. Thanks for writing about this, Big Blue.

Troy Davis ring a bell? That was only a couple of months ago.

Seems there were 9 ‘eyewitnesses’ to the crime. Seven of them have now recanted, claiming they were being threatened and intimidated by the actual killer, witness number 9. Witness number 8 has died under suspicious circumstances.

But according to the court – no new evidence exists. BTW, there was no other evidence linking Davis to this crime. Just very unreliable eyewitnesses, most of whom recanted. Oh yeah.

Yeah, and these are the guys who are ‘pro LIFE’. NOT!

They are only pro-life as long as it isn’t born yet. But then, all bets are off. They are pro-death penalty, pro-war, pro-mass-incarceration, pro-torture, pro-murdering doctors, pro-guns (more handguns equal more murders) (more assault weapons equals more spree-killing), pro-starvation (voted against the right of children to food) and on and on.

Blech!

I call them the Prenatal Life crew. They don’t give a shit about that life when it comes out of the womb. But when it’s in the womb, WATCH OUT!!!!!!!!!
Petition signed, btw… And thanks for caring about this.

I don’t know what the fuss is about. It’s Texas.

According to the Texas judicial system, you are guilty until proven innocent or can purchase a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card from the Governor’s staff.

Someone has to die for this crime. A pretty white girl was killed and Gov. Perry needs the political points. Who’s more important, this convicted rapist or the man running the state?

I mean, come on folks, so what if a few innocent poor folk take the fall. The numbers have to look good. Gov. Perry’s resume is at stake.

Geez, get your priorities right.

(or is it?)

Absolutely no bets on the execution of factually innocent people. We’ve done it, because our justice system is so inept that some innocents are convicted and executed.

Capital punishment will be acceptable to me only when safeguards are in place that demonstrably prevent the execution of any person not guilty of the crime.