The Fight Continues

I watched dumbfounded last night as the state of Georgia and the U.S. Supreme Court decided to murder Troy Davis at 11:08 p.m. It is disgusting, it is disappointing, and yes, it is even discouraging to see that all of the work that so many people did to try to save Troy ended with his death. Yet, it is important that we all remember the words that Troy himself said,

he struggle for justice doesn't end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I'm in good spirits and I'm prayerful and at peace. But I will not stop fighting until I've taken my last breath."

We need to take a lesson from Troy today and understand that while we may not have been able to spare Troy last night, while the government may have ignored our cries to spare him and to end these unjust, state-sanctioned murders, while it may seem bleak and hopeless now, we must not stop our fight to end the death penalty in the United States. We must, as Troy said, not stop fighting until we take our last breath. We must not let Troy's death be in vain. Today, as we mourn Troy's death we must also be revitalized, and know that the fight is not over, and, if nothing else can come of this, there is at least fuel to our fire to end capital punishment in this country. Troy will not die for nothing. When the day comes that the government finally listens to our cries and sees that the death penalty is arbitrary, racially skewed, and socio-economically skewed, and when they decide to put a moratorium on the death penalty, then we will thank Troy for the terrible sacrifice that he made so bravely in the name of justice.

Don't give up the fight. Stand tall against the death penalty and do not be discouraged. Today, our thoughts are with Troy's family in mourning. Tomorrow, our thoughts will be focused on ending this injustice in our country.

Troy Davis: Ten reasons why he should not be executed

From Ed Pilkington at The Guardian.

In 2007 the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, the body which has the final say in the state on whether executions should go ahead, made a solemn promise. Troy Davis, the prisoner who is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 7pm local time on Wednesday, would never be put to death unless there was "no doubt" about his guilt.
Here are 10 reasons why the board – which decided on Tuesday to allow the execution to go ahead – has failed to deliver on its promise and why a man who is very possibly innocent will be killed in the name of American justice.
1. Of the nine witnesses who appeared at Davis's 1991 trial who said they had seen Davis beating up a homeless man in a dispute over a bottle of beer and then shooting to death a police officer, Mark MacPhail, who was acting as a good samaritan, seven have since recanted their evidence.
2. One of those who recanted, Antoine Williams, subsequently revealed they had no idea who shot the officer and that they were illiterate – meaning they could not read the police statements that they had signed at the time of the murder in 1989. Others said they had falsely testified that they had overheard Davis confess to the murder.
3. Many of those who retracted their evidence said that they had been cajoled by police into testifying against Davis. Some said they had been threatened with being put on trial themselves if they did not co-operate.
4. Of the two of the nine key witnesses who have not changed their story publicly, one has kept silent for the past 20 years and refuses to talk, and the other is Sylvester Coles. Coles was the man who first came forward to police and implicated Davis as the killer. But over the past 20 years evidence has grown that Coles himself may be the gunman and that he was fingering Davis to save his own skin.
5. In total, nine people have come forward with evidence that implicates Coles. Most recently, on Monday the George Board of Pardons and Paroles heard from Quiana Glover who told the panel that in June 2009 she had heard Coles, who had been drinking heavily, confess to the murder of MacPhail.
6. Apart from the witness evidence, most of which has since been cast into doubt, there was no forensic evidence gathered that links Davis to the killing.
7. In particular, there is no DNA evidence of any sort. The human rights group the Constitution Project points out that three-quarters of those prisoners who have been exonerated and declared innocent in the US were convicted at least in part on the basis of faulty eyewitness testimony.
8. No gun was ever found connected to the murder. Coles later admitted that he owned the same type of .38-calibre gun that had delivered the fatal bullets, but that he had given it away to another man earlier on the night of the shooting.
9. Higher courts in the US have repeatedly refused to grant Davis a retrial on the grounds that he had failed to "prove his innocence". His supporters counter that where the ultimate penalty is at stake, it should be for the courts to be beyond any reasonable doubt of his guilt.
10. Even if you set aside the issue of Davis's innocence or guilt, the manner of his execution tonight is cruel and unnatural. If the execution goes ahead as expected, it would be the fourth scheduled execution date for this prisoner. In 2008 he was given a stay just 90 minutes before he was set to die. Experts in death row say such multiple experiences with imminent death is tantamount to torture.

Article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/21/troy-davis-10-reasons?newsfeed=true

UPDATE on Troy Davis

Just a few quick updates on Troy Davis:

A defense attorney for Troy Davis, Stephen Marsh, said today that Georgia Department of Corrections have denied his request to administer a polygraph test to Davis. Why the request was denied is still not known. Davis is still scheduled to be executed this evening, September 21, 2011, at 7 p.m.

The list of supporters for Davis has grown, as even supporters of the death penalty urge the George Board of Pardons and Paroles to reconsider their decision to not grant Davis clemency. William Sessions, former head of the FBI under Reagan, the Pope, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Former President Jimmy Carter, and Georgia Supreme Court Justice Norman Fletcher have already made their support for Davis known. Additionally, former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr has stated that while he supports the death penalty, there is simply TOO MUCH DOUBT to execute Troy Davis. Also, Mark White, former governor of Texas who preside over the executions of 19 people during his time in office has also shown his support for Davis saying he should not be executed.

Clearly, the huge push by human rights groups and other groups across the country have been working, as the phone lines for the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles have been busy throughout the day. I urge all of you to continue calling and emailing the Board to reconsider and grant Davis clemency. Call them at: 404-656-5651 or email: clemency_information@pap.state.ga.us OR webmaster@pap.state.ga.us. Or contact Judge Freesemann at pfreesemann@chathamcounty.org.

Keep up the campaign!

Troy Davis and our "Justice" system

I am dumbfounded at the decision today by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to NOT allow Troy Davis clemency. His execution is set for tomorrow, September 21, 2011, and it seems his chances for yet another stay of execution are slimming, despite the intense attention Davis's situation has received over the past few weeks.

In an amazing display of the ways in which social media can motivate scores of people, groups such as Amnesty International, anti-death penalty groups, and other human rights and religious organizations have managed to gather over 1million signatures to be taken to the Board to petition them to spare Davis's life. Unfortunately, despite these signatures and the cries of such individuals as Former President Jimmy Carter, Georgia Supreme Court Justice Norman Fletcher, and Pope Benedict XVI, the Board has decided to allow what is effectively a state-sanctioned lynching.

It was a failure in the justice system that put Davis here. As Nation reporter, Dave Zirin, puts it in his article "Tomorrow, Georgia Murders Troy Davis," he says that while Davis has maintained his innocence from day one, "He was the wrong color, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong bank account and the wrong legal team, so he was thrown into the death house with little fanfare." After all, death penalty cases are, more often than not, racially and socio-economically skewed, with more death sentences being handed out when the victim is white, the person on trial is a minority, and the person has little finances for decent legal council. And it is a gross miscarriage of justice that keeps Davis on death row, as the evidence for his innocence mounts.

But Davis's innocence is really not the issue here. What does matter is that there is simply too much doubt of the man's guilt for him to be executed. Davis's conviction is for the 1989 killing of Savannah, Georgia officer, Mike MacPhail. Davis was put in jail because of nine eye-witness testimonies that placed him at the shooting, seven of which have since recanted their testimonies entirely. One jury member that convicted Davis even stepped forward to the Board and told them she would not have convicted him, given what she knows now. Additionally, three jurors have signed affidavits saying the same thing. Aside from eye-witness testimonies, there was and is no evidence linking Davis to the murder.

For Davis, the options are slimming. Quickly. The Supreme Court could intervene in the case or the Board could withdraw its death warrant, after all, they permitted a stay of execution three times previously. What is likely is that regardless of the outcome of this particular case, the American people are beginning to lose faith in the justice system and its flaws are becoming more and more apparent. As Troy sits in his cell, waiting out what may be his final hours, the conversation on the death penalty in America seems to be changing. Perhaps this will lead to a final moratorium on state-sanctioned murder in the United States. I just hope that Troy Davis's life isn't lost before that happens.

Too Much Doubt

The last two weeks have been tough. First, on September 6, 2011, Judge Jeffrey Manning of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas formally sentenced William Poplawski to death. Then, after an evidentiary hearing that took 2 & a half days, the same Judge Manning denied PCRA relief to Richard Baumhammers FROM THE BENCH. No need to think about, it, Judge, it's only a CAPITAL CASE! But the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had a great editorial today, comparing the callousness of Rep. Ron Paul's answer to Wolf Blitzer's question about an indigent man who had no money nor health insurance but collapsed and needed six months of health care by saying that in a free society, people have to have responsibility for themselves (in other words, if he dies, he dies) with the reaction to Brian Williams' question to Gov. Rick Perry about how many executions over which he's presided as Governor of Texas and the applause of the crowd before Williams even finished the question. Those folks are cold, mean, and selfish. I don't believe that's who we are as a people. And of course, Governor Perry and other Texas governors have presided over the executions of people who were very likely innocent of the crimes -- like Cameron Todd Willingham, Gary Graham, and Leonel Herrera.

Troy Davis' Execution Day set

After more than 20 years on death row and countless pleas of his innocence, Troy Davis' day of execution has been set for September 21, 2011 by the Georgia prison system.

Davis was convicted in the 1989 killing of Savannah, Georgia, police officer Mark MacPhail. Throughout his time on death row, Davis has maintained his innocence. Four times, the Georgia prison system has set a date for his execution and four times it has been prevented. Davis' conviction was based on the eye-witness testimonies of nine individuals; seven of which have since recanted or changed their testimony.

Of all the arguments against the death penalty, perhaps the most compelling is the fact that innocent people have been executed before, and innocent people can be executed again. Now, with Troy Davis' execution imminent, it is of the utmost importance that we speak up against the horrible injustice that is the death penalty.

His execution has been stopped before and it can be stopped again. Here is what you can do to help:

1. Sign this Amnesty International Petition and oppose the death penalty for Troy Davis : http://bit.ly/mR9VSQ


2. Rally with others around the country. Sign up with Amnesty International: http://bit.ly/rniZoM


3. Spread the word on your Facebook and Twitter. Use the hash tag #TooMuchDoubt

Powerful statement from lawyer of Teresa Lewis who was executed

Dear friends:

Below is a message from Andrea Bible, of the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women. Her email appeared in our mailboxes today, and with her permission, we're sharing it with you. It's long, but incredibly important. We thank her, the National Clearinghouse, and all of you for what you do.

 
Dear ones:
Today I am grieving.
I am grieving because last night, just after 9pm Eastern time, people in the State of Virginia killed Teresa Lewis.
I am grieving because the people who were given the power to decide whether or not to kill Teresa Lewis were unswayed by new evidence showing she was not the mastermind behind the crimes, as the judge who sentenced her to death believed her to be.
I am grieving because we live in a country where politicians and the courts believe it is ok to use the state's resources to kill someone.
I am grieving because we live in a country where politicians and the courts believe it is ok to use the state's resources to kill someone who functions at the level of a 13-year-old.
I am grieving because my colleagues and I, Teresa's attorneys, and many other advocates and supporters around the country who worked to prevent her senseless and unnecessary death were not powerful enough to stop it.
I am grieving because the alternative that I was fighting for -- that Teresa's life be spared -- would have meant that she would have spent the rest of her life prison in conditions of isolation and deprivation.
I am grieving because I keep hearing the voice of my friend Susan, who at age 19 plead to 25-to-life to avoid the death penalty for killing the man who held her hostage and abused her, saying, "It was exactly like my abuser. The state said that they were going to kill me, just like he used to tell me."
I am grieving because there are women whom I respect, admire, and am inspired by -- like Tracee, Ellen, Susan, Sara, and countless others -- who also faced the death penalty and now are serving Life Without Parole sentences.
I am grieving because I am remembering Deborah Peagler, who died earlier this year of lung cancer after being released from CA prison after serving more than 26 years; Debbie plead guilty in 1983 to avoid the death penalty, only to have her attorneys discover documents in 2005 showing that the prosecutor knew at the time that they did not have sufficient evidence against her to pursue the death penalty.
I am grieving because I know that the men who Teresa Lewis and her co-defendants killed didn't deserve to be killed either.
I am grieving because today, the state of Georgia is preparing to kill Brandon Rhode, whose execution was postponed earlier this week after he tried to commit suicide.
I am grieving because 35 states still have the death penalty, and there are 14 executions scheduled between now and the end of the year, and another six already scheduled in 2011.
I am grieving because our prisons are full of black and brown people, poor people, queer, transgender and gender non-conforming people, people with mental health issues, people with disabilities, people who have been subjected to horrors, people who have been neglected, people who are incredibly talented artists, people who are loving parents, people with incredible gifts, people who deserve the opportunity to express their full potential, people who deserve to live free of fear and deprivation, and people who, despite all they have endured, manage to sustain more moments of dignity and resistance and humor and humanity than I ever would have imagined possible.
I am grieving because sometimes it feels like too much; too much suffering and oppression and trauma and violence to stop.
I am grieving and I am outraged.
And I am hopeful.
I am hopeful because I know that I am a part of a powerful movement for justice, for healing, and for collective liberation.
I am hopeful because even in my grief, I feel profoundly connected to all of you who share this commitment to building another world, one where all people have access to the material, educational, emotional, and spiritual resources necessary to be safe in thrive in our communities.
I am hopeful because I am privileged to work with amazing women who join me everyday in the struggle for justice.
I am hopeful because I know that people all over the world expressed opposition to the killing of Teresa Lewis.
I am hopeful because I have witnessed, and been a part of, countless acts of resistance to the forces of violence and oppression.
I am hopeful because many of those acts of resistance have resulted in powerful, meaningful, liberatory changes.
I am hopeful because I don't have to look all that hard to see evidence that we are doing it, we are building the world we want and deserve.
I am hopeful because I have to be. There is no alternative.
And I am grateful.
I am grateful to each of you for being a part of the struggle alongside me, in your own ways.
I am grateful for the ways that each of you sustain me and my spirits, even from afar.
I am grateful for the many expressions of support and solidarity that people sent to Teresa, her attorneys, my colleagues, and me this week.
I am grateful to Teresa's attorney and to the countless other volunteer attorneys throughout the country who dedicate themselves to fighting for justice.
I am grateful that Gaile Owens, who was set to be executed by the State of Tennessee next Tuesday, had her sentenced commuted in July to life with the possibility for parole by Governor Bredesen.
I am grateful for the countless organizations and affinity groups and collectives and individuals who work so determinedly to create the change we want to see and to build the world in which we all deserve to live.
I am grateful for the opportunity to confront the dissociation and fatigue that comes from absorbing too much suffering and trauma, to tap into my grief and outrage, to express myself, and to move, once again, toward action.
And I am grateful for this life and the chance to be my best self. I hope to do right by it.
Onward,
Andrea
PS: Today I am going to make a donation to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty in Teresa Lewis' honor. If you want to join me in doing so, you can donate online at http://ncadp.org/
I also am feeling especially proud of the work of the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women this week; if any of you want to send them some love this week, too, you can go to http://www.ncdbw.org/more.htm
And I also am always grateful for the work and leadership of Critical Resistance and their vision of creating genuinely safe and healthy communities that respond to harm without relying on prisons and punishment. To support their work, go to:http://criticalresist.live.radicaldesigns.org/article.php?id=55

Flawed Science, Flawed Morals, Flawed Justice

This weekend, CNN published a story explaining that a Texas state board ruled that arson investigators used "flawed science", resulting in the execution of an innocent man in 2004. In 1991, Cameron Todd Willingham was accused of deliberately starting a fire which killed his three daughters in their Corsicana Texas home. Now, 19 years after Mr. Willingham was first falsely accused, 18 years after Mr. Willingham was sentenced to death, and 6 years after he was executed by the state of Texas, the Texas Forensic Science Commission--among others--has found that this human being was, in fact, determined to be guilty by means of "flawed science". The evidence, reviewed by three different panels of experts, concluded that the fire should not have been ruled by arson. Thus, Mr. Willingham's trial was unfounded and Texas has not only unjustly added another name to the 462 inmates they have executed since 1976, but ended the life of an innocent human being.

That Mr. Willingham's life was ended prematurely by the state of Texas is not only flawed science, but flawed morals, and flawed justice. The death penalty is irreparable; it cannot be undone. If mistakes are made--as they have been in the past, and will certainly continue to be made in the future--it is not something the state can "fix" with money, programs, or studies. A human being's life is gone forever. Mr. Willingham is far from the first innocent man to be executed, however. The cost of murdering an innocent human being is far too high a price to pay for an inefficient, ineffective, and expensive form of punishment/deterrence. The execution of innocent men like Cameron Todd Willingham is a travesty for the state of Texas, the United States, and humanity as a whole. By executing human beings, the United States sacrifices any moral high ground that it may claim in its judicial process, and the fact that every year innocent lives are stolen because of a broken criminal justice system only further underscores the appalling nature of the death penalty, and the pressing need to ban this barbaric form of punishment. The death penalty is permanent. Nothing will bring back Cameron Todd Willingham. However, we can honor the memories of fallen innocent human beings by working to save the lives of the innocent human beings currently on death row, and the countless others who will inevitably be sentenced to death in the future. We must ban the death penalty in Pennsylvania, the United States and the world, forever.

Cameron Todd Willingham's final words:

"The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit. I have been prosecuted for 12 years for something I did not do. From God's dust I came and to dust I will return so the Earth will become my throne. I gotta go, Road Dog."

Source

Posted by Aaron Spanger, PADP Intern, July 26, 2010
http://nodpinpa.blogspot.com/2010/07/flawed-science-flawed-morals_26.html

Kevin Keith Appeal

PADP, in conjunction with the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, is asking you to please take action to save the life of a potentially innocent man. Kevin Keith has been on death row since 1994. He was sentenced to death for the murder of Marichell Chatman, her seven-year-old daughter, Marchae, and her aunt, Linda Chatman, in a trail which lasted only three and a half months, and was based on potentially faulty eye-witness identification. Despite overwhelming evidence supporting his innocence, Kevin Keith is scheduled to be executed on September 15, 2010.

However, Mr. Keith's clemency hearing is set for August 11. We urge you to add your name to the clemency petition now, to forward this message to friends and ask them to join you by adding their names as well, and to share this information on Facebook, Twitter, and whatever other networking tools you use.


Please sign the petition, and help save yet another life.

Kevin Keith's website.

Posted by Aaron Spangler, PADP Intern, July 22, 2010
http://nodpinpa.blogspot.com/2010/07/kevin-keith-appeal.html

William C. Holland

While speaking to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections about inconsistencies in their records, we at PADP learned that on June 27, 2010, William C. Holland--a man who was awaiting execution by the state of Pennsylvania--had died of 'natural causes' at the age of 54. Mr. Holland had been sentenced to death on February 7th, 1986, meaning that he had been on death row for 24 years.

Yet there is no mention of him in area newspaper columns, obituaries, or even the state Department of Corrections. Mr. Holland's name has been all but erased from the records; a simple screen displaying the message 'prisoner not found' is all that results from of a search for his name on the Department of Corrections website. Mr. Holland is far from the first to suffer this fate. Because Pennsylvania has only executed three individuals since its reinstatement, to be sentenced to execution is nearly a guarantee that you will die on death row. However, the economic cost of maintaining prisoners on death row for such a long period of time is significantly higher than a 'life without parole' sentence. Meanwhile, the state legal system remains bogged down with endless case appeals. The Death Penalty Information Center examines the time between sentencing and execution on a national scale here:



(source)


There is no reason to doubt that the number is significantly higher in 2010.

If the death penalty were eliminated, this economic, social, and political cost would not be exacted upon the taxpayers of the state of Pennsylvania without their consent, and those on death row would not have to join the countless others--like William C. Holland--who have died waiting for the state of Pennsylvania to demonstrate its disregard for social justice.

Posted by Aaron Spangler, PADP Intern, July 7, 2010
http://nodpinpa.blogspot.com/2010/07/william-c-holland.html

Four More Scars

Governor Ed Rendell has added four more human beings' names to the list of those waiting to be executed by the state of Pennsylvania.

In a press release dated June 25, 2010, Governor Rendell signed the death warrants of James W. VanDivner, 61, of Fayette County; Anthony Fletcher, 54, of Philadelphia; Dennis L. Miller, 47, of Chester County; and Bryan Sean Galvin, 45, of Berks County, increasing the grand total of death row inmates to 220.

The warrants are four more scars of hypocrisy for both the judicial system of Pennsylvania, and the state as a whole. These scars burn deep into our society, and they are not allowed to heal, as our elected officials continue to sacrifice the lives of human beings--and the credibility of our judicial system--for the sake of political gain. The example set by Governor Rendell throughout his eight year administration has been abhorrent. The Governor is responsible for signing the warrants of nearly half (108) of the 220 individuals currently residing on death row. Mr. Rendell could have used these cases as an opportunity to take a stand against capital punishment. He could have refused to send these 108 individuals to their deaths. Instead, Mr. Rendell has sought to end the lives of four more individuals, bog down the legal system even further, and cost the taxpayers of this state money that they cannot afford to spend in these trying economic times.

Furthermore, the statistics of Governor Rendell's death penalty warrants are concerning in the racial disparity of the cases. According to the Pensylvania Department of Corrections, 58 of the 108 death penalty warrants were for black individuals. This means that 53% of the individuals sentenced to death by Governor Rendell were black, in a state which is 85% white, and 11% black. This is a truly alarming statistic, especially coming from a politician whose political resume entails both the District Attorney and Mayor of Philadelphia. In the most populous city in the state, Mr. Rendell could have/should have gained first hand exposure to the terrible inequality in the Pennsylvania Justice System. Mr. Rendell could have used this experience to gain credibility in a fight against capital punishment on both a state and national level. Instead, he has chosen time and again to sacrifice our credibility for the sake of an outdated, ineffective, and hypocritical form of punishment. With these four new death penalty warrants, the Governor is adds more scars of hypocrisy to our state. I wonder how many more it will take for us to no longer recognize ourselves.

Posted by Aaron Spangler, PADP Intern, July 26, 2010 
http://nodpinpa.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html

Narrowing the Perception Gap

Perhaps the largest obstacle to the abolition of the death penalty in Pennsylvania is a perception gap which permeates deep into our society, influencing people of all ages and walks of life. This gap is highly detrimental, impeding our knowledge of the truth about our judicial system, and denying our society the right to equal justice and representation. The fact that Pennsylvania has executed only three people since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976 has allowed the issue of capital punishment to slip from the public’s mind. Yet still the death penalty remains, threatening to execute 223 human beings in Pennsylvania alone. The money spent on maintaining this costly form of punishment serves to merely perpetuate the need for arduous and sluggish appeals, siphoning money which could be better allocated towards fixing our broken criminal justice system. Yet the public does not see this side of the story. The true economic costs of executing a human, the racial imbalances of the death row population, and the ineffective representation given to many death row inmates is rarely printed on any campaign pamphlet or mentioned on the floor of the state legislature. For many, the death penalty is an unquestionable foundation of our judicial system, if only as a result of historical precedent. However, if the true costs of the death penalty were widely known and distributed, this highly detrimental perception gap would close. The universality of the issue would be widely recognized; that this is not a liberal or conservative issue, it is a common sense issue.

In this fast-paced and highly interconnected world, the ability to close the perception gap is easier and more attainable than ever before. In short, there is no longer an excuse for not being ‘in the loop’. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and the many thousands plugging away in the blogosphere provide an exciting and extremely powerful resource to mobilize and galvanize our supporters, as well as gain new advocates. An informal, five question survey I created and distributed via Facebook to 100 of my friends was highly informative. Of the respondents—14% of which were under 18, and 85% of which were 18-35—33% did not even know that Pennsylvania has the death penalty. Also, 46.5% believed that there were only 0-100 people on death row, despite the fact that over 220 currently reside there. Furthermore, the respondents were evenly distributed when asked how many people they thought had been executed in Pennsylvania since 1976, with 24.5% answering ‘0-10’, 24.5% answering ‘10-50’, 30.6% answering ‘50-100’, and 22.4% answering ‘over 100’. From even this small sample, it is obvious that perceptions of the death penalty (in this case, amongst young people) are inaccurate, and new media and social networking websites represent a vital opportunity to expand our reach to the public. Vast amounts of information can be distributed to countless constituencies and individuals in the blink of an eye. This includes legislators. If we can prove to our lawmakers that we not only understand the issue at hand, but have a sizable and active following, we can enact an instant but lasting impact on the legislative landscape of Pennsylvania. Before any of this can happen, however, we must work tirelessly to close this destructive and debilitating perception gap, and to tear down the curtain shielding the issue of capital punishment from the public’s eyes. We must tweet, vlog, blog, and wall-post this issue to our friends, co-workers, and most importantly: our legislators. Despite all the political and economic turmoil of our modern lives, we have proven just how interconnected we can be as a society. Let us use this rapidly growing unity gain a twenty-first century awareness of an age-old problem.

Posted by Aaron Spangler, PADP Intern, June 16, 2010
http://nodpinpa.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html