In
this Issue:
Disciples of an Executed Criminal
By Rev. Michael Piazza
 What
does it mean to be the disciple of someone who was executed
by the state? It is amazing that the church has turned the
cross into a piece of jewelry and a decoration, when it was
actually the first century’s electric chair
or poison-filled syringe.
Last
week’s email about Tookie Williams
generated lots of responses. Several people wrote of their
concern for the victims of violence. That is certainly
an appropriate concern. I hope we are also concerned about
addressing the root causes of violent crime.
My primary
point, however, was that “two wrongs don’t
make a right.” That cliché was never more accurate
than in this case.
Statistically,
every nation that advocates capital punishment has a significantly
higher violent crime rate than the nations that do not
have capital punishment. Compare our violent crime rate
to England or Canada’s, for example. In
addition, Texas has the highest rate of execution in the
United States, but our violent crime rate is more than ten
times higher than states where capital punishment was eliminated.
My point really wasn’t about who Tookie Williams was,
but about who WE ARE. We have executed innocent people. Is
that not State-sanctioned murder? Where is our remorse for
them?
When
the highest authority kills, it sanctions killing, and
the result is an increase in the number of victims of violent
crime. In other words, capital punishment doesn’t
reduce violent crime and doesn’t make us safer. That
has been proven again and again. Therefore, the ONLY justification
is revenge, and that is something Jesus taught against, lived
against and died against. Remember that we are disciples
of One who was executed by the state.
I KNOW this is a very hard thing, but following Jesus has
always been hard. Vindication and wanting to punish those
who hurt others is a natural response. Jesus calls us to
act in unnatural ways and thereby redeem a sinful, broken
world.
Yes,
I think we should do everything we can to help the victims
of violent crime. I don’t think,
however, that additional killing helps their souls or ours.
It also eliminates any possibility that the criminal might
genuinely be redeemed.
If I
were an atheist I would support capital punishment. It
certainly is my natural instinct. My faith just keeps compelling
me to ask, Who would Jesus execute? Who couldn’t
Jesus redeem?
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Thoughts on the Death Penalty
by Lynn Walters, H4PJ Activist
 I actually thought to write this Monday night when it became
clear that Stanley Williams would be executed, but, as seems
to be too often the case, I put it off. After reading your
request in the H4PJ email, I wanted to let you know that
I am a convert.
This has been a very hard road for me and one that I am
still not entirely comfortable articulating. Throughout
this past year, however, I have come to realize that
execution is the culmination of many failures in our
society. That is sometimes hard for me to remember when
I hear about the brutal murders of women, children, police
officers and others. There is still the temptation of
vengeance. It is overwhelming at times, and I feel the
desire to push the criminal punishment system to go faster.
I have never been the victim of violent crime nor has
a member of my family. I am about as far removed from
the criminal element as one can be in our country, yet
feelings of vengeance are often at the forefront when I
hear of such crimes.
Last
year, when I was asked to keep tabs on the life without
parole option in the Texas Legislature, I started reading
about the death penalty and met with people who have made
eliminating the death penalty their life’s work.
I was humbled, to say the least. Most of the people were
in the same social and racial groups as I am. Some were
victims of horrendous crimes and yet found themselves advocating
for those who caused such pain and suffering.
Still,
that didn’t seem enough to
truly convince me. Perhaps I felt that I had done what
I was supposed to do, and, now, I could forget about those
bad people. With each execution, though, I realized there
were more questions than answers. The issue was not yet
over, as much as I may have wanted it to be and how uncomfortable
it sometimes makes me.
Meanwhile,
I started a class called JustFaith. It is an incredible
class that looks at poverty in the United States and how
our faith requires that we act to alleviate such problems.
We read Jonathan Kozol’s account of children in the
South Bronx—considered one of the poorest communities
in the US—in the early 1990s. It could be any number
of places in the United States with its poor quality schools,
lack of access to healthcare, substandard housing and bustling
drug trade.
I also
joined a campaign called “Leave My Child Alone,” which
informs parents of their right to sign an “opt-out
form” for the military recruiters at junior and high
schools. Still, the war in Iraq continues along with the
failure of the military to meet recruiting goals. There was
also the on-going debate in Texas about public school funding
and test scores.
All of these seemingly unrelated items come together in the
sad reality that the future for children of color and children
in economically disadvantaged homes seems to be either the
military (especially if they do not pass the standardized
tests) or, perhaps, gang violence and drugs. With the ongoing
cuts in social programs, there are fewer and fewer options.
Not to mention the skyrocketing costs of college and cuts
in grants and student loans.
I finally realized that the execution of criminals is the
culmination of our failure as a society, and particularly
as people of faith, to eradicate poverty, to fully fund public
education, to deal with institutionalized racism, and to
treat drug addiction as a public health concern rather than
a criminal act, among other issues.
So,
I am grateful to Hope for Peace & Justice for pointing
me down this path, for showing me the way of Christ, for
continuing to give me the courage and support to continue
on even when I would sometimes rather retreat into my own
world. I finally have realized what was truly meant when
Jesus said following him would cause rifts in families and
communities. I didn’t know how fulfilling it would
be, even when the victories seem very small and the problems
very large and even overwhelming.
Rushing to Execute in Texas
New York Times Editorial
© 2005 New York Times Co.
The Supreme Court has held that it is unconstitutional to
execute the mentally retarded, and Marvin Lee Wilson appears
to fall into that category. But Mr. Wilson, who is on Texas'
death row, may be executed anyway, because his lawyer missed
a deadline, and the federal appeals court that rejected his
claim last week is blind to the injustice of what is happening.
Mr. Wilson's execution should be blocked. Beyond that, his
case should cause Congress to stop its reckless campaign
to make it even easier than it is now to carry out executions.
Mr. Wilson, whose I.Q. was measured at 61, appears to meet
the legal standard for mental retardation. The Constitution
therefore prohibits him from being put to death. But the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit does
not seem to care. It ruled last week that because his lawyer
filed his legal papers late, he has forfeited his right to
object.
It is easy to see how Mr. Wilson's lawyer made a mistake.
The morass of rules that have developed for when death
row inmates must file papers in different state and
federal courts makes occasional errors inevitable.
Whatever the skills of Mr. Wilson's lawyer, the system
as a whole is filled with overburdened, unenergetic
and incompetent lawyers, as the Texas Defender Service
documented in a report entitled "Lethal
Indifference."
It is the courts' job to ensure that inadequate lawyering
does not lead to people who are not eligible for the death
penalty, like Mr. Wilson, being executed. But the Fifth
Circuit did not even bother to address his most critical
claim: that a federal law about how cases are to be handled
should not trump the Supreme Court's determination that
the Constitution does not permit a whole class of people
to be put to death.
If a lawyer's slip-up can lead to the execution of someone
who is exempt from capital punishment, the American justice
system is diminished. Republicans in Congress are pushing
for passage of the Streamlined Procedures Act, a bad law
that would make it even more likely that mistakes are made
in administering capital punishment. Congress should drop
that bill and fix the flaws in the current system that
allow Mr. Wilson to be headed toward an execution for which
he is constitutionally ineligible.
Thoughts on 2005
Rev. Michael S. Piazza
 The
other day, President Bush used the founders of our nation
as an illustration for a speech he gave in Philadelphia.
I could feel my blood pressure rise as I screamed at the
radio about this administration's continual abandonment
of the principles and values of our founders. What would
they think of incarcerating people for years without charging
them, of outsourcing torture, which is illegal in the United
States, of us thumbing our nose at the rest of the world
while they grapple with global warming, of an unprovoked
attack on a sovereign nation?
Well,
if George W. can use the Founders to advance his political
agenda, I figure we can too. I'm writing to ask you to
become a founder!
Become
a Founder Today!
Click
here to Support H4PJ
As the
first year in the life of Hope for Peace & Justice
comes to an end, we need approximately 100 people to sign
up to be founding members. By that, I mean people who will
give $25 a week to allow us to give voice to progressive
faith-based values.
- We
have made GREAT progress this first year of building
this new organization:
- We
sent out more than 350,000 emails on a wide variety of
justice issues.
- We
wrote to more than 40,000 people in Texas to ask them
to oppose Proposition Two.
- We
issued countless press releases and were interviewed
dozens of times on issues we care about.
- We
hired a full-time Justice Minister who has begun the
process of teaching us how to create a culture of peace.
- Every
day on Air America Radio-910 AM we speak to thousands
of people about justice with our "Hope for Today" commentary.
- We
applied for and were granted 501c3 status as a nonprofit
organization by the IRS.
- We
incorporated, elected our first governing Board, established
our first budget and approved our bylaws.
- We
used Proposition Two to begin building a coalition, writing
curriculum, brochures and producing video support for
other churches.
- We
have begun finding corporate sponsors who will help fund
our efforts. Four generous ones have made a huge difference.
- Our
website has had 100,000 hits this year, and, through
it, people have sent more than 1,300 emails to elected
officials.
- Two
hundred and ten donors have given a total of $138,055,
and we will end our first year just ever so slightly
in the black.
- We
have heard from hundreds of people who share our values
and support our cause. They are beginning to speak out
because we have given them the information they needed
to do so.
Become
a Founder Today!
Click
here to Support H4PJ
Not bad
for a brand new organization. Now, if I can persuade 100
of you to sign up as founders, next year's success is guaranteed
to be even greater. Frankly, I want us to spend 2006 fighting
for justice and working for peace, NOT raising money. With
100 additional founders the core of our budget will be
underwritten, and any additional funds raised can be used
to expand our programming and outreach. Will you become
a Founder?
There
is only one first year, so there is really only one chance
to be a founding member. If you would like to join that
small list please click
here and sign up before this year is over.
Founders will soon be listed on the "About Us" page.
Like Alexander Hamilton when he signed the Declaration
of Independence, write your name large for all the radical
right to see.
Together,
we will take back our country and our faith. Please add
me and Hope for Peace & Justice to your prayer list.
Blessings
for a great New Year,
Michael
http://www.h4pj.org
Become
a Founder Today!
Click
here to Support H4PJ
"After
the final no there comes a yes,
And on that yes the future of the world depends."
- Wallace Stevens, Poet
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