EMAIL SIGN UP!
Most Popular This Week
- Corporate Win: Supreme Court Says Monsanto Has 'Control Over Product of Life'
- How the US Turned Three Pacifists into Violent Terrorists
- Cornel West: Obama 'Is a War Criminal'
- In 'March Toward Disaster,' World Hits 400 PPM Milestone
- Revealed: How US State Department 'Twists Arms' on Monsanto's Behalf
Popular content
Today's Top News
World Shocked by U.S. Execution of Troy Davis
LONDON -- Troy Davis may be dead, but his execution Thursday in the American state of Georgia has made him the poster boy for the global movement to end the death penalty.
People hold placards on Wednesday during a demonstration in Paris against the execution of Troy Davis. World figures, including Pope Benedict XVI and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, human groups and commentators urged the execution to be halted -- but to no avail. On Wednesday Davis was put to death by lethal injection for the 1989 killing of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail despite doubts being raised over the conviction.
The execution sparked angry reactions and protests in European capitals -- as well as outrage on social media. "We strongly deplore that the numerous appeals for clemency were not heeded," the French foreign ministry said.
"There are still serious doubts about his guilt," said Germany's junior minister for human rights Markus Loening. "An execution is irreversible -- a judicial error can never be repaired."
The European Union expressed "deep regret" over the execution and repeated its call for a universal moratorium on capital punishment.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the bloc had learnt "with deep regret that Mr Troy Davis was executed," her spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told Agence-France Presse.
'"The EU opposes the use of capital punishment in all circumstances and calls for a universal moratorium," she said.
"The abolition of that penalty is essential to protect human dignity."
Amnesty International condemned the execution in a statement. "The U.S. justice system was shaken to its core as Georgia executed a person who may well be innocent. Killing a man under this enormous cloud of doubt is horrific and amounts to a catastrophic failure of the justice system," Amnesty said.
In Britain's Guardian newspaper, Ed Jackson, reporting from Jackson, Georgia, before the execution took place, gave 10 reasons why he believed the death sentence for "a man who is very possibly innocent" should be commuted.
Most of his argument concerned doubts about the conviction -- seven of the nine key witnesses to the murder of MacPhail later recanted their evidence -- but his final reason concerned the manner in which Davis was put to death.
"Even if you set aside the issue of Davis's innocence or guilt, the manner of his execution tonight is cruel and unnatural," Jackson wrote. "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."
In the right-of-center Daily Telegraph, Tom Chivers said the death penalty was "barbaric" and far more likely to be used against black people than white. But the main thrust of his argument was that there were serious doubts over the conviction.
"If you are pro-death penalty, you should be shouting twice as loud as the rest of us about the imminent murder of Troy Davis," Chivers wrote. "Otherwise, you can't claim to be supporting a stark but necessary act of justice. You're just a fan of killing people in general. There are words for people like that. None of them are nice."
On social media, many users predicted the execution would encourage a new civil rights movement to spring up. American novelist Hari Kunzru commented that on the issue of capital punishment the U.S. was isolated from much of the rest of the world "So I wake up to hear they executed Troy Davis. Wonder if most Americans realize how far out of step they are with international norms."
And entertainer Vincent Tucker remarked that campaigners should continue their campaign despite Davis's death. "It's one thing to fight for Troy Davis when he was alive but the key question now is will you STILL fight for his cause after his death?"
Comments
Note: Disqus 2012 is best viewed on an up to date browser. Click here for information. Instructions for how to sign up to comment can be viewed here. Our Comment Policy can be viewed here. Please follow the guidelines. Note to Readers: Spam Filter May Capture Legitimate Comments...
109 Comments so far
Show AllOne man who could have saved him and didn't once complained about being subjected to a high tech lynching because he had been caught sexually harassing one Anita Hill.
The ruling class howls, cries, whines when they are subjected to the laws which are applied arbitrarily and carelessly to the poor, the black, anyone not a member of the in-crowd.
Here's the civilized company we keep in the world with executing humans:
1. China,
2. Iran,
3. North Korea,
4. Yemen,
5. USA,
6. Saudi Arabia,
7. Libya,
8. Syria,
9. Bangladesh,
10. Somalia.
Makes you feel proud to be among these very fine examples of human rights nations.
This is a very hard hitting point, but I wished you'd clarified. Are these the ONLY countries that still execute people or those countries who lead in the number of executions.
My apologies. A google search will give a wealth of information on capital punishment and who practices it, but the list is the top 10 in the world currently.
Exactly. The U.S. is among the most uncivilized and racist nations on the planet. There is no denying it. It makes me physically ill to think of what they did to Troy Davis and his family. May he rest in peace, but the fight for justice can go on in his name.
Hey, in defense of China I have to say that a number of the executed include CEOs who have screwed up society and the state royally. If the same applied here in the US and they had strapped to the gurney all those banksters who crashed the economy of the world and continue to rob us out of house and home, I would have a very difficult time opposing the death penalty.
Well, that's one way to get rid of the death penalty in the U.S., just as the draft is one way of ending the wars.
This was not a failure of the system. It was the system doing what itwas designed to do - to kill people regardless of guilt or innocence, helping to create a society of fear.
bingo.
Indeed.
yup!
I couldn't agree more. As I say so often about the system these days, from bailouts to misguided missiles, "It's not a flaw; it's a feature."
The South in general is a failure and always has been.The racism in the south is just not that well thought out although your insight seems to offer a deeper perspective into the heinous miscarriage of justice carried out I feel it just isn't any deeper than century old cemented and ingrained racism the south is so dearly proud of.The South and Arizona I might add or are the indelible stains of the U.S., leaving the country constantly back pedaling.I assure you behind closed doors at the highest levels of office in these Southern parts racial epithets are abound, they kill African Americans as a part of a very backwards very unevolving species of Americans dare I say.The Fear is a by product.
Bullshit. Assuming you are "northern" because of your fake air of superiority, I would have to remind you that the South was invaded, burnt down, raped, murdered, starved and destroyed by your yankee forebears who upon decimating the white and black population of the South, (whose loathsome social structure is not includable in this discussion) threw them all together in a big kettle of poverty, misery and isolation to slow boil for one hundred years. It's still a wonder that the horrible history of the South hasn't been more volatile than it is to this very day.
Look at what your bastardly government's effect in Iraq has been and you will see "the South" redux. You, with your smug condescensions are in no way better than the very people you so blythely condemn. ES+DMF.
We can notice that it is characteristic of this species to retain even vicarious resentment.
Tom Jefferson, slaveowner, realized that unless the institution was abolished, civil war would ensue. What he saw though, was the bloody Haitian revolution of 1803, and he knew that slaves outnumbered nonslaves. He did not foresee that the war would be a political construct. Lincoln may have understood the warning.
No, those who prosecute organized war like the US civil war, hoped that they would win. This is why that war occurred. It was not at all a slave revolt, and not at all fought for any ideal. No one except those who revolted against the draft should be regarded as honorable. Honor implies integrity. Neither greed nor dominance implies integrity.
But to return to Troy Davis. His statements implied that he either knew or conspired in the murder for which he was convicted. Why did not the actual murderer come forth to reciprocate his loyalty?
That the US law is revenge, and not at all restitution, is a basic failure of the system under which such a nation lives. Few of us, personally confronted with serious offense against ourselves or what we value most, would fail to respond violently if we could remove the threat so.
The criminal is not different than the citizen in this. Governments are fictions consented to under threat of lethal force. Black Americans like Davis often dealt with the threat of lethal force and abuse by police, a lethal arm of government. As every one of you know, resentment quickly grows unreasoned and indeterminate.
There is no answer. But I'll try:
Blithely is the word. Blythe is a California desert town on which we don't have enough information to presume that its citizens condemn.
The Death Penalty must be abolished. I have argued with people who say that now we have DNA evidence available mistakes wont happen. Well, where was such evidence in this case? DNA can also be planted. Of course innocence or guilt is beside the point, as it is just plain disgusting to murder people for any reason.
I have felt sick all day thinking about this man. Do people have no empathy? Can they not imagine what it is like to be put to death by your government when you are innocent never mind guilty?
There's a lot of people in the UK who would like to bring back the Death Penalty. Frightening, but thankfully our EU partners are and should remain strongly opposed.
Not only murder, but our Commander-in-Chief has decided we can assassinate citizens that *might* be a "terrorist". Evil. Pure evil.
Agreed; and yet some wonder why I equate the forfeiture of law to those primitive rites consistent with Mars' rules? It's all about killing. The war machine is what too much US business is based upon, protected by, and in line to gain from. Movies focus on death and violence, sports speak in that idiom ("Slaughter 'em!"), children's video games promote this bankrupt sensibility, and everywhere heavily armed soldiers wearing one uniform or another, are in plain view... as our nation moves closer to the moral abyss. ------------------------------------------------------
Like another poster, this news has made me feel depressed. In a sense, we really ARE all Troy Davis. A nation that refuses to honor law puts EVERYONE at risk. And ours has become a full-fledged rogue nation. The world looks on in disbelief, as what once were the heroes from WW II, have morphed into the greatest purveyors of violence, much of it sick, senseless, and sordid in every way. And hardly coincidentally, the stock market fell another 600 points today. That puts it about 1500 points beneath where it was before the August 2 credit limit showdown. I wonder if the artificial instruments of economic destruction will find a way to buoy it back up again>
There was NO physical evidence in this case and the likely culprit was one of those who fingered the unlucky scapegoat. Well, what thug wouldn't to save his own hide? That's the ghastly thing about this whole travesty: the whole verdict depended on finger-pointing.
Setting aside, for a moment, the barbarity of the state-killing this man - has it occured to all these sick law-and-order-an-eye-for-an-eye types that by killing a most likely INNOCENT man, the actual killer is running around society scott-free?
Gee, I sure hope the real killer doesn't happen to kill one of these twisted, sick fucks who applauded Troy Davis' death, or their spouse or children. Wouldn't that just be ironic as hell?
Anyone who thinks that the use of DNA evidence means that mistakes won't happen is either deluded, or a liar.
DNA is useful, but it is still humans who are conducting that DNA evidence gathering. Humans who make mistakes, humans who end up accidentally contaminating that evidence.
R.I.P. Troy Anthony Davis 10-9-1968 - 9-21-2011.
You are not forgotten.
I feel the same. I hope that the international outrage in regard to this travesty of justice translates to UN support for a Palestinian state. Those people are being murdered on a regular basis with US support and complicity just like Troy Anthony Davis was.
Turn the memory into an action. Boycott the companies that keep their headquarters in Atlanta, George. For example, Arby's, AT&T Mobility, CNN, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, Home Depot, Hooters, InterContinental Hotels, Longhorn Steakhouse, NAPA Auto Parts, NCR, Rubbermaid, Novelis, Popeye's, Simmons Bedding, Sony Ericsson,
UPS. Every time you avoid these products, remember the name of Troy Davis.
Thank you for the list. I will boycott them.
Don't forget Wallmart, although I think most here already boycott them for their own human rights abuses.
Sony Ericsson are from Japan (Sony) and Sweden (Ericsson) and their main headquarters are based in London. Surely you can't include them in this boycott list just for having a branch in Georgia? They have them in cities all over the world.
Personally, I don't use products or services from any of those listed as a personal choice. More important I think, is an economical model that supports social justice and equality. At least at the local level you know who and what you are supporting.
No one should be consuming or using any of those goods anyhow. RIP Troy Davis.
As the US lurches even further to the right one of the things I have noticed with increasing frequency is the way in which the opinons of our global neighbors are not only ignored but often ridiculed. The more 'foreigners' criticise US practice and policy the more many on the right believe this to be a sign they are 'doing the right thing'. There really is an attiitude of 'who cares what the rest of the world thinks' (with the possible exception of Israel) so what if the Pope, Tutu et al voice protest they have nothing to do with us. Not only have we lost our moral and ethical compass we reject attempts from others who try to point us in the right direction. Yes I know I'm using the word 'we' and Davis was NOT executed in MY name but I fear we all get tarred with the same brush as the policy makers!
Yes, that breezy ridicule of how people abroad view the US comes from the myth of US exceptionalism, the bizarre and unfounded notion that the US is some utterly unique Beacon of Light for all humanity, with the greatest constitution ever, written by ennobled demigod Founding Fathers...the US is a light on a shining hill blah blah blah...
The inconvenient truth is that the US is simply the stunted stepchild of Europe, a rogue nation with the most propagandized populace in the industrial world, a failed state that is only a masquerade of democracy.
... and then along comes the PATRIOT Act. Flushed all that right down the toilette.
Amen.
from the Declaration of Independence:
"a decent respect to the opinions of mankind..."
gone.
I feel very sad and ashamed to be an American today. Any one of us could be Troy Davis. It almost feels like this is some sort of psyop, a demonstration of raw sociopathic state power. To demoralize those with morals. To give the finger to all who work for justice, who pay homage to anything other than power. Or is it just old fashioned Southern cracker racism? One thing about this case is that I cannot recall such publicity given to a case of a possibly-innocent person executed in a long time. Yet the studies show one in ten people executed in the US is probably innocent, so in fact this is not uncommon, not at all. So what made Troy Davis's case so different?
Yes -- it was like -- 'ok now that you all know this man is most-likely innocent -- we are going to wait until we have all your attention - and then kill him. The people who make these decisions are SICK sociopaths in every single way. Yes, we could all be Troy Davis. We all should get those shirts that say that. This give us more fuel now to have a mass movement against all the WRONGS done by our governments.
Wow, Memory. You and I are in synch! I hadn't read down the thread when I posted, and used the premise of rogue nation AND that we are all Troy Davis... and now I see the same sentiments flashed through your psyche. Your post nails it! -------------------------
Troy Davis being a Libra would make him less likely to use direct violence, although many Libra people will go along with what their partners do. Also, his being born on the 9th, that is the day of love. Its message is: "No condition is a barrier to love, only the incentive to love more." -------------------------------------------------------
Since I believe in reincarnation, the way I'm choosing to internalize this awful travesty of justice is by seeing Troy as a martyr. On the SOUL level, he may have accepted this situation to hopefully serve as the last American citizen put to death by a FLAWED, vengeful, and racist "justice" system.-----------------------------------------------
Let us hope... Like the Buddhist monk who set himself on fire to let the world know the outrages associated with the war in Vietnam, Troy Davis puts a similar face on "capital" punishment, the USA's favored domestic version of "collateral damage."---------------
Maybe when America looks rotten we have to look harder for people of dignity.
I watched the Democracy Now coverage last night and prayed...thinking he might have been spared the execution at 7 pm, and then, after it was clear that the Supreme Court had considered and denied his plea and the prison folks were going to go ahead with the killing that night... wow, what strange times we are living in... Troy Davis displayed tremendous grace under pressure... and the world was watching...
When has a "prayer" ever worked besides by coincidence? It's just another term for a wish or hope.
That was an incredibly moving, historic broadcast. Thanks to Amy Goodman and her crew. Also, Benjamin Jealous and the NAACP deserve our gratitude for really being out in front on this one.
After the GDC officials thrice threatened to pull the plug on Democracy Now! if they didn't vacate immediately, Amy finally signed off and played a live recording of Billie Holiday singing "Strange Fruit."
Then our local radio announcer came on to give the station call letters and to say: "My name is Troy Davis. And you better believe your name is Troy Davis too."
Notice what effect worldwide protest has on the actions of the US. Remember the protests against the Bush junta's assault on Iraq? Watch the Tar Sands pipeline sail thru the Obama administration. Are the futile protests actually counterproductive, creating the illusion that there may be any other option than obedience? Our Overlords don't care what we think: they have the guns, the cops, the gulags, the media, the needles....We truly are all Troy Davis, now.
Maybe this, in conjunction with the forthcoming "no" vote on the Palestine state in the UN, will be enough to flush that racist murderous piece of shit Obama down the toilet once and for all.
My God, compared to Obama, Bill Clinton looks principled, decent and humane. During his first campaign for the presidency he reassured White voters by executing a brain-damaged Black man who didn't understand what was happening to him. But at least Ricky Ray Rector had really killed somebody. Obama can now add Troy Davis to the mountain of black and brown corpses over which he is clawing his way towards a second term - or failing that, to a future presidency for Hillary Clinton and maybe even Michelle Obama after that.
People tell us that we have no choice but to vote for Obama because the alternative is the crazy barbaric Republicans like Rick Perry. But this dynamic of "least-worse-ism" means that the Democrats become ever more right-wing as the Republicans become ever more insane. And it is not even clear that the working class would be worse off under a Republican Administration. Because under a Republican Administration, the Democrats act like an opposition party and as such they sometimes defend the rights of the working class. When the Democrats are in power, on the other hand, there is nobody to speak for the working class. Obviously the Republicans won't do it. No Republican president could eliminate Social Security and Medicare, because the Democrats will resist it. Bush II tried to eliminate Social Security and failed. But now Obama is doing it, with nothing but support from the Republicans. Just as, in the past, no Republican president could have eliminated Welfare. It took a Democrat like Bill Clinton to do it. I'm willing to take my chances with President Rick Perry. I think the only thing that could make me vote for Obama would be if the Republicans ran Hitler himself as their candidate in 2012.
Obama had absolutely nothing to do with this execution. Clinton was Governor of Arkansas when he declined to spare Rector; as governor he was the appeal of last resort to a man condemned by the state judicial system--other than the SCOTUS which had already declined to intervene. Outside of the Governor of Georgia, the only non-state entity that could stop Davis's execution was the SCOTUS--and it declined. Obama has enough blots on his escutcheon without giving him any he hasn't earned.
HailCodePink wrote:
"Our Overlords don't care what we think: they have the guns, the cops, the gulags, the media, the needles.."
That's because the US govt. is no longer answerable to We the People, but has been taken over by international bankers, conglomerates, industrialists, and militarists, who run the two-party sham 'demockery' in their own interests....
With all the death-dealing that the u.s. does on a routine basis, the grotesque ritual of state-sponsored murder is the most calculated, surreal and bizarre, right down to the last supper, (which he declined.) Troy Davis is dead, but his case will live on.
Read the list, especially items 2, 3 and 12 pertaining to the present subject.
Fourteen Defining Characteristics Of Fascism
By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Source Free Inquiry.co
5-28-3
Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forgo civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
We are there. The dark times on high tech steroids have arrived for us now like they once did for the people of Germany.
So incredibly sick of the double-standard in this country where as an ordinary person you can be imprisoned for decades for jay-walking and life for stealing an apple, but your privileged overlords can steal trillions, kill a million Arabs, thousands of our troops and torture people to death and then promote their book on TV.
It's beyond sick or evil or unjust, it's an outrage against the people of the nation and the arrogant sons of bitches that think they can go on with this indefinitely are in for the rudest of awakenings. Not too many months ago Hosni Mubarak thought he was safe and sound and had it all under his control too.