The year was 1995. Scott Panetti, a prisoner who had killed his in-laws three years previously, appeared in a Texas state court dressed as a cowboy and demanding to represent himself. He quoted witnesses such as John F. Kennedy, Jesus of Nazareth and the then-pope. Panetti was officially diagnosed as schizophrenic, but neither the judge nor jury seemed reluctant to issue the death sentence. This remained the case until, on Wednesday morning, less than 12 hours before the state was set to execute, the sentence was formally suspended by a federal court.
What’s happening in the United States is atrocious, especially considering the fact that, according to statistics, half of all recently executed prisoners had previously been declared severely mentally ill, or had shown clear signs of mental illness. Yet this shocking discovery did not dissuade more than 40 percent of those surveyed from changing their minds on the death sentence. Not even the ruling of the Supreme Court in 1986 forbidding the execution of the mentally insane was able to put a stop to this barbaric behavior. In fact, the Supreme Court actually granted local judges the ability to declare prisoners capable or incapable of distinguishing between right and wrong, that is, of understanding the ultimate nature of their acts. In Texas, it seems, neither judge nor jury feel like delving into the minds of the accused. He who commits the crime pays for it, and that’s that.
The Death Penalty Information Center has informed us that, in their expert opinion, 15 of every 100 death row prisoners probably suffer from mental health concerns. One particular judge that intervened during the Panetti case — a Republican to be precise — told Dallas Morning News that the execution of the mentally handicapped brutally violates the American Constitution and casts doubt over the legal reasoning behind the death penalty. And yet, in this strange, law-enforcing democracy, the execution of the mentally ill or of minors isn’t all that infrequent. And that’s without mentioning the statistics, according to which the number of black death-row inmates significantly outweighs the number of white prisoners.
A madman dressed as a cowboy and quoting Jesus Christ as part of his own defense speech. Apparently, in the land of the free, better reasons need to be given before a death row pardon can be issued.
As a citizen of the United States, I am pleased to know that WATCHING AMERICA observes the moral disintegration of a now completely rotten capitalist society. The death penalty here serves one purpose and only one purpose: to protect the privileged class. Now that shameful TORTURE REPORT has just been released to the world. This report tells the Islamic terrorists that terrorism works ! ( a lie ! ) These crimes against humanity do nothing to protect ordinary Americans citizens. They represent the vile and evil will of a decaying American ruling class. These crimes should be brought to the attention of the World Court that judges crimes against humanity. I recall Bertrand Russell’s War Crimes Tribunal during the Vietnam War era. The then Secretary of State,Dean Rusk ,called Lord Russell an ” aging adolescent ” Yes, at 95 still a humanitarian !
The United States has lost all moral authority to wage its phony war on terrorism. No country on earth should welcome the sinister presence of U.S. troops – unless they welcome more Abu-Ghraib prisons, more war crimes and atrocities.
The humane Catholic Pope Francis should shut down the Church’s religious ministry in the Armed Forces of the United States. The Church should have no role in greasing the war machinery of U.S. imperialism.
The decent people of America should demand NO FUNDING for foreign occupations. To be sure, the invasion and occupation of Iraq was the greatest foreign policy blunder in U.S. history.
Soon after that the favorite words of the war propagandists here- FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY for ALL – became a meaningless mockery.
The best way to honor our war dead is to end all greed inspired wars. There are no more ” Good Wars “.
( http://radicalrons.blogspot.com )