Thinking about things
I don't know how many of you know this, but I cried when Timothy McVeigh was executed. And this was before I knew I was against the death penalty. That just happened fairly recently, when I was educated enough to know what I was talking about. All I knew then was that Timothy McVeigh was a human being, and his life was taken from him in the name of "justice."
Tomorrow the U.S. government will carry out its 1,000th execution since 1977, and it has me in tears at this moment. Life is so precious. Why the United States government feels it has the right to determine whether someone lives or dies is beyond my comprehension.
I truly believe if everyone knew how flawed the system of capital punishment is, almost every single American would be against it. To date, 121 people have been exonerated from death row; it's scary to think of all the innocent people to which freedom never came.
If you'd like more information on capital punishment, I've listed a few links at the bottom of this entry, as well as a little about Kenneth Boyd, who is schedule to be executed in North Carolina tomorrow. I encourage everyone to get educated. By tomorrow this nation will have executed 1,000 people. This has got to stop.
http://www.1000executions.org/
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/
hhttp://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/
http://www.nodeathpenalty.org/
Kenneth Boyd is scheduled to be executed on 2 December 2005. He was sentenced to death for the murders of his estranged wife, Julie Boyd, and her father, Thomas Dillard
Curry, in March 1988. Kenneth Boyd's low IQ means that he is close to being classified as mentally retarded. The US Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that the execution of those with mental retardation is unlawful.
Kenneth Boyd is a Vietnam veteran who was honorably discharged from the armed services. He has suffered from blackouts and flashbacks as a result of his time in Vietnam. According to his attorneys, Kenneth Boyd is sincerely remorseful for the killings and the pain they have caused. They say that the murders were completely out of character for Boyd, who was a caring father of three sons and committed to providing for his family. However, at the time of the crime, Kenneth Boyd was emotionally strained after separating from his wife a number of times, and was suffering from severe depression and alcohol abuse, which made him lose control. Following the murders, Boyd surrendered to police, reportedly describing the crime as being similar to being in Vietnam, saying he could not remember all that had happened. Boyd has reportedly been an exemplary prisoner since he has been on death row.
Kenneth Boyd's attorneys claim that the jury at his trial did not understand that they could impose a sentence of life imprisonment instead of the death penalty, believing incorrectly that a death sentence was automatic if they found that the shootings were premeditated. Two jurors now say that they would never have imposed the death penalty if they had understood that they had the right to insist on voting for a sentence of life imprisonment.
Kenneth Boyd has an IQ of 77, placing him in the borderline mental retardation range. On 2 July 2004, Indiana Governor Joseph Kernan commuted the death sentence of Darnell Williams, whose IQ was measured at a similar level to Boyd's, shortly before he was due to be executed (see UA 207/04, AMR 51/104/2004, 24 June 2004). Governor Kernan noted the 2002 US Supreme Court decision, Atkins v Virginia, outlawing the use of the death penalty for those who have mental retardation. The Governor wrote: "Williams's IQ has been measured at 78 and 81, and he attended special education classes throughout his schooling. The usual 'cut-off' for mental retardation is IQ of 70-75, and Williams falls above that level... The courts have set a clear legal standard, but it remains problematic to confidently place the solemn decision of life or death on a few percentage points on either side of a line. Williams's mental status weighs as a factor in the clemency process."
There is strong support for a moratorium on executions in North Carolina because of concerns about the fairness and reliability of the death penalty. There have been almost 1,100 resolutions passed calling for a moratorium by town councils, private businesses, church congregations and religious organizations, political parties, and student and community groups. Many North Carolina newspapers have carried editorials in favor of a moratorium on executions.
Tomorrow the U.S. government will carry out its 1,000th execution since 1977, and it has me in tears at this moment. Life is so precious. Why the United States government feels it has the right to determine whether someone lives or dies is beyond my comprehension.
I truly believe if everyone knew how flawed the system of capital punishment is, almost every single American would be against it. To date, 121 people have been exonerated from death row; it's scary to think of all the innocent people to which freedom never came.
If you'd like more information on capital punishment, I've listed a few links at the bottom of this entry, as well as a little about Kenneth Boyd, who is schedule to be executed in North Carolina tomorrow. I encourage everyone to get educated. By tomorrow this nation will have executed 1,000 people. This has got to stop.
http://www.1000executions.org/
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/
hhttp://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/
http://www.nodeathpenalty.org/
Kenneth Boyd is scheduled to be executed on 2 December 2005. He was sentenced to death for the murders of his estranged wife, Julie Boyd, and her father, Thomas Dillard
Curry, in March 1988. Kenneth Boyd's low IQ means that he is close to being classified as mentally retarded. The US Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that the execution of those with mental retardation is unlawful.
Kenneth Boyd is a Vietnam veteran who was honorably discharged from the armed services. He has suffered from blackouts and flashbacks as a result of his time in Vietnam. According to his attorneys, Kenneth Boyd is sincerely remorseful for the killings and the pain they have caused. They say that the murders were completely out of character for Boyd, who was a caring father of three sons and committed to providing for his family. However, at the time of the crime, Kenneth Boyd was emotionally strained after separating from his wife a number of times, and was suffering from severe depression and alcohol abuse, which made him lose control. Following the murders, Boyd surrendered to police, reportedly describing the crime as being similar to being in Vietnam, saying he could not remember all that had happened. Boyd has reportedly been an exemplary prisoner since he has been on death row.
Kenneth Boyd's attorneys claim that the jury at his trial did not understand that they could impose a sentence of life imprisonment instead of the death penalty, believing incorrectly that a death sentence was automatic if they found that the shootings were premeditated. Two jurors now say that they would never have imposed the death penalty if they had understood that they had the right to insist on voting for a sentence of life imprisonment.
Kenneth Boyd has an IQ of 77, placing him in the borderline mental retardation range. On 2 July 2004, Indiana Governor Joseph Kernan commuted the death sentence of Darnell Williams, whose IQ was measured at a similar level to Boyd's, shortly before he was due to be executed (see UA 207/04, AMR 51/104/2004, 24 June 2004). Governor Kernan noted the 2002 US Supreme Court decision, Atkins v Virginia, outlawing the use of the death penalty for those who have mental retardation. The Governor wrote: "Williams's IQ has been measured at 78 and 81, and he attended special education classes throughout his schooling. The usual 'cut-off' for mental retardation is IQ of 70-75, and Williams falls above that level... The courts have set a clear legal standard, but it remains problematic to confidently place the solemn decision of life or death on a few percentage points on either side of a line. Williams's mental status weighs as a factor in the clemency process."
There is strong support for a moratorium on executions in North Carolina because of concerns about the fairness and reliability of the death penalty. There have been almost 1,100 resolutions passed calling for a moratorium by town councils, private businesses, church congregations and religious organizations, political parties, and student and community groups. Many North Carolina newspapers have carried editorials in favor of a moratorium on executions.