Thank you, Peter. I firmly believe this man, Troy Davis, was wrongfully convicted as there is no evidence pointing to his guilt. He's black -- that's his crime in this country. This has to STOP!

I've written letters to guys like this off and on for years. But I like to experiment with different approaches just to see if *anything* gets past file 13 or the delete button. I wrote this today, for what it's worth.
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13 September, 2011

Dear Members of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles,

There's little I can add to the din surrounding this case that you haven't already heard in one form or another. You are most likely aware of the fact claims from both sides, as well as most political implications for any action you might take in this case. I certainly realize your inboxes are overflowing with shrill, hysterical and unhinged condemnations and vulgar cheerleading. I'm loath to add to that pile of futility, since I know from experience that volume is a double-edged sword. But I write nonetheless to express a warning in the unlikely chance that you may heed it.

I've long ago understood that appeals to decency and humanity fall on deaf ears as they have always done when talking with the powerful and their agents. So this is obviously not a realistic option.

What you may not have considered so thoroughly is the context of Troy's case in the larger scope of what is happening to this nation at this very moment. The reality is that the legitimacy of the American state itself is under considerable stress; both from right and left. This stress is not unfounded, and in my opinion derives a great deal from how justice and its system of application is viewed by millions of Americans. I count myself among them. We see the system that each of you have chosen to represent as arbitrary and capricious towards our most vulnerable, and equally ferocious in defense of our most powerful. We see you as have taken sides without respect for the equal application of law to all Americans, as well as often contemptuous of the spirit of western legal philosophy.

This may seem arcane and bookish to most of you, but this breakdown in faith has grave consequences for any society that claims to be something other than just another tyranny. If you and those like you continue to murder citizens out of a sense of political expediency, the law will eventually be seen by the people as just another instrument in the exercise of raw power. When this happens on a wide enough scale, obedience to legal systems and the state itself disintegrates. It is a recipe for social collapse. And even though Mr. Davis is but one man, he is still one of many who have been sacrificed to public lust, and his case reminds people like me that there is no protection from this thing you call "law" for those of us on the outside looking in.

America as a free country can only survive when the overwhelming majority have faith in her institutions, foremost among them the application of capital punishment. Don't spare Troy because it's the right thing to do. We both know you would do no such thing. Spare him, because in doing so, you spare the increasingly cynical view of a legal system run amok with prosecutorial psychosis. Spare him, because, ultimately, in doing so, you will spare the source of your authority and your power. Continue on this path, and you can remember these moments when we as ordinary subjects have had enough and no longer tolerate your rule over us, and you wonder where it all went wrong.

Restore credibility to the legal system by sparing Mr. Davis.

Sincerely,
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Lincoln, Nebraska