The United States of America, supposedly built by the poeple and for the people, practises a most foul, unfair, barbaric and abominable tradition of murdering its poor and undesirable. I am talking of course about death penalty, capital punishment for those of who are unwilling to face the facts of the more proper term. Death penalty. State sanctioned sterilized killing, in the name of justice.It's despicable, and it's a complete failure in every way but the meat processesing.
As crime prevention it is not just a failure statistically, but because it extende the very crime it purports to hinder: the murder of human beings. There are no statistics that can show that death penalty reduces the prevalence of violent crime - or any other crime for that matter. Absolutely none.
Morally it is a bankrupt practice based on misguided interpretations of ancient religious texts demanding an eye for an eye. Not only does this form of moral logic end up demanding the death of the executioner as well, but it reduces the sanctity of life to mere math. The Bible, that these reactionary retards hold so dear also teaches forgiveness. They would do well to focus a bit more on the "let he who is without sin..." part of this archaic text and less on the killing and maiming. Though the killing and maiming is the more entertaining part of the Bible, it is also the less productive.
Judicially death penalty is also problematic in the sense that it makes reform entirely impossible. Both socially and individually. It is revenge, and has nothing to do with fairness, rationality or societal needs. Rather it is cruel and arbitrary. As supreme court justice Thurgood Marshall so eloquently put it in 1990: "When in Gregg v. Georgia the Supreme Court gave its seal of approval to capital punishment, this endorsement was premised on the promise that capital punishment would be administered with fairness and justice. Instead, the promise has become a cruel and empty mockery. If not remedied, the scandalous state of our present system of capital punishment will cast a pall of shame over our society for years to come. We cannot let it continue."
Killing is killing. Calling it punishment makes it no different from the act of murder. The result is the same: a life is cut short, and will never reach its full potential.
Thinking the convicted Romell Broom in his cell on death row, allready having suffered the anguish of the executioner's intent to murder him once, I can only find solace in the fact that his maltreatment serves the higher purpose of shedding light on this disgusting affair. I am personally very powerless to do anything but talk, or write, but we know that things can change when people write, and maybe one day Ohio will take its rightfull place among civilized parts of the world. I am also reminded of the story of another man who was murdered by the state, for the crime of murder. His name lives on with us still, and monuments have been built and songs been written in his name. His ashes have been spread around the world, and his name will forever mean "framed and murdered by the government". I am talking of course about Joe Hill. Take a few minutes to read the lyrics to the song Pete Seeger and Paul Robeson wrote about him, or better yet, listen to it. Murdering Hill did not kill him, and murdering Broom will not kill violent crimes. Only reform can do that.
(Lyrics below the video.)
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
alive as you and me.
Says I "But Joe, you're ten years dead"
"I never died" said he,
"I never died" said he.
"The Copper Bosses killed you Joe,
they shot you Joe" says I.
"Takes more than guns to kill a man"
Says Joe "I didn't die"
Says Joe "I didn't die"
"In Salt Lake City, Joe," says I,
Him standing by my bed,
"They framed you on a murder charge,"
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead,"
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead."
And standing there as big as life
and smiling with his eyes.
Says Joe "What they can never kill
went on to organize,
went on to organize"
From San Diego up to Maine,
in every mine and mill,
Where working men defend their rights,
it's there you'll find Joe Hill,
it's there you'll find Joe Hill!
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
alive as you and me.
Says I "But Joe, you're ten years dead"
"I never died" said he,
"I never died" said he.
