Post by Anja Nieser on Sept 14, 2006 11:35:50 GMT -5
When the State Kills
"Thou Shalt Not Kill".. That is unless you are the state of Texas. State
sanctioned killing is murder in the worst degree and murder that is
inflicted on the poorest of the poor and the most disadvantaged. The blood
thirsty rush to judgment on Derrick Frazier (Hasan Shakur) proves the
state is more interested in keeping its execution schedules and murder
dates than it is in truly practicing justice for all.
"Texacutioners" have the worst record in this country of executing
citizens with "hanging questions" and "loose ends" that could have made
the difference in life and death. Death sentences in Texas are given
almost exclusively to the poor and the state leads the nation in
executions with 375 since 1982.
There are serious indications of racial bias in the application of the
death penalty in Texas. For instance, according to the 2000 census,
African Americans are only 11.5 percent of the population of Texas, yet
40.5 % of people on death row in Texas are African Americans. As a
comparison, only 3.5 % of all students enrolled at The University of Texas
at Austin in the fall of 2004 were African Americans.
The American Bar Association has concluded that administration of the
death penalty is "a haphazard maze of unfair practices with no internal
consistency".
A blood thirsty state and unfair system also erodes trust in the criminal
justice system that already suffers from the worst public relations image
among African-Americans that the world has ever seen.
The problem lies with poor public pretenders (defenders), racist DA's and
criminal court judges and a TDCJ system full of prison guards and
administrators that don't mind abusing power and participating in the
legal lynching of Blacks and Hispanics.
I am not saying every inmate on death row wears a halo, but to ignore
cases where there are obvious questions is not only ungodly, but also
corrupt and irresponsible.
In Frazier's case, there were obvious discretions, but all the state and
family members could focus on was killing this Black young
African-American male. Despite their "vampire" taste for bloodthirsty
revenge, many facts were ignored that could have proved in this age of
modern technology, DNA and forensics that he did not pull the trigger and
kill those people.
However, the facts were written and remain that Frazier's case was
mishandled and should have been reviewed more closely given the problems
with his case. -Incompetent trial attorney(s) (attorney allegedly mentally
ill- suspended after trial) -All-white jury -Forced confession -Lack of
physical evidence -Questionable indictment -No mitigation evidence
presented in punishment phase -Jurors and victims' family had contact
during the trial
Through it all, not Gov. Rick Perry, Attorney General Abbott or any
Supreme Court of Appellate justice cared to review the case to make sure
they had the right man.
If he was white, Texas would have done everything possible to salvage a
good White man. But since Frazier was Black. it was no big deal to Perry,
TCDJ or the court justices.
Texas will suffer a great judgment from Almighty God for its unwillingness
to follow Biblical codes that set truth as the standard, honesty as the
bar and forgiveness as the foundation when examining the decisions of life
and death.
The Texas Democratic Party endorsed a moratorium on executions in its 2004
and 2006 platforms. The Travis County Commissioners Court has also passed
a resolution calling for a moratorium.
Rep. Harold Dutton of Houston has introduced legislation to establish a
moratorium on executions in every regular session of the Texas Legislature
since 2001.
When I look at Blind Lady Justice today..The scales are missing when it
comes to Black people.
There needs to be a moratorium on executions until Texas fixes its broken
system. God is watching you "Texacutioners". and you know what I mean.
(source: Darwin Campbell, The African American News & Issues)
"Thou Shalt Not Kill".. That is unless you are the state of Texas. State
sanctioned killing is murder in the worst degree and murder that is
inflicted on the poorest of the poor and the most disadvantaged. The blood
thirsty rush to judgment on Derrick Frazier (Hasan Shakur) proves the
state is more interested in keeping its execution schedules and murder
dates than it is in truly practicing justice for all.
"Texacutioners" have the worst record in this country of executing
citizens with "hanging questions" and "loose ends" that could have made
the difference in life and death. Death sentences in Texas are given
almost exclusively to the poor and the state leads the nation in
executions with 375 since 1982.
There are serious indications of racial bias in the application of the
death penalty in Texas. For instance, according to the 2000 census,
African Americans are only 11.5 percent of the population of Texas, yet
40.5 % of people on death row in Texas are African Americans. As a
comparison, only 3.5 % of all students enrolled at The University of Texas
at Austin in the fall of 2004 were African Americans.
The American Bar Association has concluded that administration of the
death penalty is "a haphazard maze of unfair practices with no internal
consistency".
A blood thirsty state and unfair system also erodes trust in the criminal
justice system that already suffers from the worst public relations image
among African-Americans that the world has ever seen.
The problem lies with poor public pretenders (defenders), racist DA's and
criminal court judges and a TDCJ system full of prison guards and
administrators that don't mind abusing power and participating in the
legal lynching of Blacks and Hispanics.
I am not saying every inmate on death row wears a halo, but to ignore
cases where there are obvious questions is not only ungodly, but also
corrupt and irresponsible.
In Frazier's case, there were obvious discretions, but all the state and
family members could focus on was killing this Black young
African-American male. Despite their "vampire" taste for bloodthirsty
revenge, many facts were ignored that could have proved in this age of
modern technology, DNA and forensics that he did not pull the trigger and
kill those people.
However, the facts were written and remain that Frazier's case was
mishandled and should have been reviewed more closely given the problems
with his case. -Incompetent trial attorney(s) (attorney allegedly mentally
ill- suspended after trial) -All-white jury -Forced confession -Lack of
physical evidence -Questionable indictment -No mitigation evidence
presented in punishment phase -Jurors and victims' family had contact
during the trial
Through it all, not Gov. Rick Perry, Attorney General Abbott or any
Supreme Court of Appellate justice cared to review the case to make sure
they had the right man.
If he was white, Texas would have done everything possible to salvage a
good White man. But since Frazier was Black. it was no big deal to Perry,
TCDJ or the court justices.
Texas will suffer a great judgment from Almighty God for its unwillingness
to follow Biblical codes that set truth as the standard, honesty as the
bar and forgiveness as the foundation when examining the decisions of life
and death.
The Texas Democratic Party endorsed a moratorium on executions in its 2004
and 2006 platforms. The Travis County Commissioners Court has also passed
a resolution calling for a moratorium.
Rep. Harold Dutton of Houston has introduced legislation to establish a
moratorium on executions in every regular session of the Texas Legislature
since 2001.
When I look at Blind Lady Justice today..The scales are missing when it
comes to Black people.
There needs to be a moratorium on executions until Texas fixes its broken
system. God is watching you "Texacutioners". and you know what I mean.
(source: Darwin Campbell, The African American News & Issues)