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justice stevens disavows the death penalty
Posted on April 17, 2008 | Filed Under death penalty
In an opinion released on Wednesday, United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens wrote:
I have relied on my own experience in reaching the conclusion that the imposition of the death penalty represents “the pointless and needless extinction of life with only marginal contributions to any discernible social or public purposes. A penalty with such negligible returns to the state (is) patently excessive and cruel and unusual punishment violative of the Eighth Amendment.”
Absolutely right …
It is difficult for me to discern even a “marginal” contribution to the public good. What does the death penalty accomplish, except to satisfy an unholy …
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a prayer for good friday
Posted on April 6, 2007 | Filed Under death penalty, justice, spirituality
Lord Jesus, forgive us for all the ways we deny you …
… by remaining quiet in the shadows, not daring to speak our faith in the public arena
… by quietly going about our own business, while neglecting to wonder what your business might be
… by being more American than Christian, more the children of our culture than the children of God
… by adopting a lifestyle and a system of values that are indistinguishable from the rest of the world, pursuing wealth instead of justice, accumulating things instead of sharing generously, protecting ourselves whatever the cost instead of showing mercy whatever …
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a sick and perverted spectacle
Posted on December 13, 2005 | Filed Under death penalty, justice
A sick and perverted spectacle …
Those are the words Stanley Tookie Williams used to characterize his impending execution. Williams was executed early this morning, after appeals for a stay of execution were denied by the California Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court, and after a plea for clemency was rejected by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
It was a sick and perverted spectacle …
… not because an innocent man was put to death. It is entirely possible that Williams did not commit the murders for which he was convicted; he always maintained his innocence. …
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what would jesus do, mr. robertson?
Posted on August 24, 2005 | Filed Under general
What was it Jesus said? “Assassinate your enemies?”
Read Matthew 5:43-45!
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a moral imperative for victims?
Posted on August 18, 2005 | Filed Under humility, justice
When hateful people produce lasting hatred in us … hate wins. When violent people make us violent … violence wins. When cruel people leave us with nothing but a burning desire for revenge in our minds and hearts … cruelty wins. When evil done to us gives birth to evil done by us … evil wins.
As I drove to work this morning, I listened to reports on NPR of the Israeli pullout from the Gaza strip. I heard interviews with militant Palestinians who credited the pullout to the armed resistance alone, giving no credit to the political process, showing no …
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