Until recently the next ten days were scheduled to bring five executions. One has been stayed. Four more loom.
November 15 – Reginald Brooks in Ohio (includes a petition)
November 15 – Oba Chandler in Florida
November 16 – Guadalupe Esparza in Texas
November 18 – Paul Ezra Rhoades in Idaho
More details will follow as I find them.
See you along the Trail.
Filed under Capital Punishment, Death Penalty
A Florida state representative wants to eliminate the use of lethal injections as the means of state-sponsored executions. He doesn’t want to do so because he is opposed to the death penalty. Quite the contrary.
His argument seems to be that lethal injections are too sensitive – too humane. He wants to replace lethal injections with the electric chair. And he proposes providing the option of a firing squad.
He only moves in that direction because his preferred method of execution does not appear feasible: “If it were up to me we would just throw them off the Sunshine Skyway bridge and be done with it,” Drake said in an article posted by the Florida Current.
“I am so tired of being humane to inhumane people,” he is quoted as saying.
By all means! Who wants to be humane, anyhow?
Of course, if we stop acting in a humane fashion, what does that make us?
See you along the Trail.
Filed under Capital Punishment, Death Penalty, Human Rights
Barring a stay, the state of Florida will execute Manuel Valle tomorrow – September 28 – at 4:00 p.m. Valle, now 61, was convicted of killing Coral Gables police officer Louis Pena 33 years ago.
As officer Pena’s daughter noted, her father gave his life doing his job. I give thanks for his service and mourn his death. My prayers are with his family and friends.
But killing Manuel Valle will not bring officer Pena back. It will be an act of revenge. It will further tear and wound our society.
Opponents of the execution cite several reasons for Florida Governor Rick Scott to see that Mr. Valle receives clemency:
The death of any person diminishes us all. Many deaths cannot be prevented. Deaths that result from state executions can.
For these reasons, I pray for Manuel Valle and all who mourn for him.
And I have contacted Governor Rick Scott. I invite you to do so as well:
Filed under Cleveland Heights, Death Penalty
Along the Graybeard Trail 