I am deeply sickened and disgusted by the execution of Troy Davis in Georgia tonight. The US Supreme Court, which allows unconstitutional wars and tramplings of the First Amendment and makes a decent decision less than once a decade, failed to stay the execution.
A jury had indeed found Davis guilty of murdering a police officer, a heinous offense. But was the jury infallible? Is any human being?
There was no DNA evidence, no physical evidence at all. The verdict was based completely on eyewitness testimony. Some human activities are more fallible than others. How often have you seen someone you thought you knew, only to be shortly proven wrong.
Seven of the nine witnesses recanted their testimony since the verdict. Three jurors have said they would have voted otherwise had they known then what they know now. People from all walks of life, including conservative politicians, a former President, and Pope Benedict spoke out against the imminent execution.
But blind justice proceeded and took its toll tonight. Justice blind, not only to the likely truth, but what it is that most makes us human. It's not vengance but compassion, and a willingness to admit we might be wrong.
There are killers who deserve to die. But we've yet to devise a legal system that can differentiate between people who are in fact monstrous killers, and people who have been wrongly convicted of such crimes. That's why DNA evidence has overturned hundreds of mistaken verdicts.
One thing will always be clear about what happened in Georgia tonight. A man was put to death. And if further evidence now comes to light that shows him not guilty? The state of Georgia will have murdered an innocent man, with the US Supreme Court's permission.
And we like to call ourselves civilized.
A jury had indeed found Davis guilty of murdering a police officer, a heinous offense. But was the jury infallible? Is any human being?
There was no DNA evidence, no physical evidence at all. The verdict was based completely on eyewitness testimony. Some human activities are more fallible than others. How often have you seen someone you thought you knew, only to be shortly proven wrong.
Seven of the nine witnesses recanted their testimony since the verdict. Three jurors have said they would have voted otherwise had they known then what they know now. People from all walks of life, including conservative politicians, a former President, and Pope Benedict spoke out against the imminent execution.
But blind justice proceeded and took its toll tonight. Justice blind, not only to the likely truth, but what it is that most makes us human. It's not vengance but compassion, and a willingness to admit we might be wrong.
There are killers who deserve to die. But we've yet to devise a legal system that can differentiate between people who are in fact monstrous killers, and people who have been wrongly convicted of such crimes. That's why DNA evidence has overturned hundreds of mistaken verdicts.
One thing will always be clear about what happened in Georgia tonight. A man was put to death. And if further evidence now comes to light that shows him not guilty? The state of Georgia will have murdered an innocent man, with the US Supreme Court's permission.
And we like to call ourselves civilized.
4 comments:
Thank you Paul! Precisely my sentiments.
We agree on many things, Michael. Good to have your comments here.
Beautifully said. I always think of a particular MLK quote in times of war and situation like today:
"The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding. It seeks to annihilate rather than to convert.
Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue.
Violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers."
My mind boggles at the so-called people of faith that would cheer a man's death or see justice in revenge. The people who would shoot a doctor who cares for women because he performs abortions and believe they have God on their side. The people who would applaud at a presidential debate at the pronouncement of 234 executions under the direction of a State and its governor. The logic is bad, but the tragic lack of compassion or remorse about the act of violence, whatever justification is given, is hard to figure.
I despair as much for America because so many are blind to the human tragedy of violence, as much as for the failure of the legal system to prevent it.
Well said, Mike, and same for MLK.
Our legal system not only fails to prevent the human tragedy of violence, but contributes to it.
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