"Continuing a cycle of violence through state-sanctioned actions does not bring justice but only creates a culture of death and retribution. As a pro-life Christian, I believe the execution of Troy Davis shows a failure of moral leadership by both our country and the state of Georgia. The doubt surrounding the case of Troy Davis has served as a wake-up call to many in this country that our justice system is flawed and should not hold the power of life and death over any person. Justice should restore and heal, not destroy." -- Sojourners CEO Jim Wallis statement today, Friday Sept. 23
Many of us were transfixed as we watched, hour by hour, the death watch in Jackson, Ga., and then the execution of Troy Davis, whom we believed to be an innocent man.
We begin with this commentary by Lawrence O'Donnell at the end of his show "The Last Word" on MSNBC, in which he makes the point that the only way to make sure no more innocent people are executed by our government is to end the death penalty for everyone -- even the most despicable offenders whose guilt is all but sure, such as Lawrence Brewer, who was put to death in Huntsville, Texas a few hours before Davis.
This is a must-watch clip.
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"If one of our fellow citizens can be executed with so much doubt surrounding his guilt, then the death penalty system in our country is unjust and outdated. We hope this tragedy will spur us as a nation toward the total rejection of capital punishment." - former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, via The Daily Beast
"When we left my brother yesterday, my brother told us to hold our heads up and be strong because if the state of Georgia did succeed in executing him, they would only take his physical body and not his soul
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