By this time tomorrow night, the state of South Carolina will have executed Calvin Shuler for the 1997 murder of James Brooks during an armed robbery. It will be the latest in a long string of revenge killings conducted in the name of justice. Sadly, most of these state-sponsored murders have been committed in the South. Rankings by state of the number of executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1977 show that 10 out of the top 12 are in the South. Texas, the state that brought us the most blood-thirsty cowboy in US history, leads the pack.<\/p>\n
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the list looks like this:<\/p>\n
TEXAS:\t395
\nVIRGINIA:\t98
\nOKLAHOMA:\t84
\nMISSOURI:\t66
\nFLORIDA:\t64
\nNORTH CAROLINA:\t43
\nGEORGIA:\t39
\nSOUTH CAROLINA:\t36
\nALABAMA:\t36
\nLOUISIANA:\t27
\nARKANSAS:\t27
\nARIZONA: 23<\/p>\n
The numbers are even more frightening when measured against what’s happening in the rest of the world. Amnesty International reports:<\/p>\n
* 129 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
\n* Last year, 91 percent of executions took place in China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and the United States.<\/p>\n
Looks like our Cowboy in Chief may have more in common with his enemies than he might think.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Executions have become so common in this country that they barely make news. As a people, we have come to accept them as normal. Perhaps that should come as no surprise, since we are not just inundated with violent imagery every waking hour; we actually seek it out as entertainment. This strikes me as aberrant behavior. Any killing not done in self defense is wrong. It is especially wrong, I believe, when premeditated and sponsored by the state. Every time someone is executed in South Carolina, it is done in our name. Done in my name. We all should be outraged and ashamed.<\/p>\n
After more than a decade of writing about this issue (see The Other Victims<\/a> and The Killing of Karla Fay<\/a>) I am out of ideas about how to engage folks. After taking part in dozens of vigils and protests, after getting arrested in an act of civil disobedience on the occasion of the 500th execution in the US (see Death Penalty Protesters Discover High Cost of Free Speech<\/a>) I am running low on activist juice.<\/p>\n My hat is off to those who dedicate themselves to this difficult work. My heart breaks for the family members of inmates on Death Row. But there must be something more we can do than simply standing outside the prison complex with a candle and a prayer as the state carries out its dirty business. If someone has any ideas, please let me know.<\/p>\n Becci Robbins<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By this time tomorrow night, the state of South Carolina will have executed Calvin Shuler for the 1997 murder of James Brooks during an armed robbery. It will be the latest in a long string of revenge killings conducted in … Continue reading