We should give a thought to what is being said, to how much we really believe that destroying another human soul can ever bring us peace.
This is the transcrip of the Video below:
There are many arguments against the death penalty. It's not a deterrent against the crimes it punishes. Societies who uses the death penalty don't have lower crime's rate than those that don't. When a country abolishes the death penalty they are not plunged into criminal chaos. But even if death penalty did reduce the crime's rate, would that then be acceptable? The death penalty targets the economically disadvantaged, those who can't afford good legal council, those without a voice in society. There is a saying in the US: Capital punishment means that those without the capital get the punishment. Statistics show this is true. But would it be acceptable if people from all sections of society were executed? Does Killing a rich man make killing a poor man right? The death penalty is irreversible and results in the death of innocents. When someone is dead, a retrospective pardon is of little use to them or their family. Since 1990 in China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the USA, there have been 51 recorded executions of child offenders, some as young as 14 years old. Or even if no more innocent or children are killed, shall we tolerate the death penalty? The death penalty is never acceptable. It abuses two of our most basic human rights. Everyone has the right to live and no one should be subjected to torture. The death penalty obviously kills people but it also tortures, physically by the brutal nature of execution, and psychologically by forcing individuals to wait to be killed. They wait sometimes for decades while others are led to their deaths. The horror of this waiting is unimaginable. Human rights are thus called because they apply to all human beings. They belong to all of us equally. An attack on these fundamental rights anywhere is an attack against all of us. The right to life is inalienable. It cannot be given and it cannot be taken away. No matter how terrible a crime, in a world full of uncertainty, human beings are clearly drawn line. A line between what is right and what is wrong. A line between imprisonment and execution. Every individual facing the death penalty who is, whatever they stand accused of, still a human being. How ever much we revile them, how ever much we are outraged by their action, how ever much we want revenge, they are still human beings. They may well have killed and tortured. They've crossed the line but do we really want to join them?
21.3.08
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WHAT'S IN THE BROWN PAPER BAG?
What's In the Brown Paper Bag ?
By Luis Ramirez #999309
I'm about the share with you a story who's telling is long past due. It's a familiar story to most of you reading this from death row. And now it's one that all of you in "free world" may benefit from. This is the story of my first day on the row.I came here in May of 1999. The exact date is something that I can't recall.I do remember arriving in the afternoon . I was placed in a cell on H-20 wing over at the Ellis Unit in Huntsville, Tx.
A Tsunami of emotions and thoughts were going through my mind at the time. I remember the only things in the cell were a mattress, pillow, a couple of sheets, a pillow case, a roll of toilet paper ,, and a blanket .. I remember sitting there, utterly lost.The first person I met there was Napolean Beasley. Back then, death rowprisoners still worked . His job at the time was to clean up the wing and help serve during meal times. He was walking around sweeping the pod in these ridiculous looking rubber boots. He came up to the bars on my cell and asked me if I was new.. I told him that I had just arrived on d/r.
He asked what my name is. I told him., not seeing any harm in it. He then stepped back where he could see all three tiers. He hollered at everyone, "There's a new man here. He just drove up. His name is Luis Ramirez."When he did that, I didn't know what to make of it at first. I thought I had made some kind of mistake.
You see ? Like most of you, I was of the impression that everyone on d/r was evil. I thought I would find hundreds of "Hannibal Lecter's in here. And now , they all knew my name. I thought "Oh well," that's strike one. I was sure that they would soon begin harassing me. This is what happens in the movies after all.Well, that's not what happened .
After supper was served. Napolean wasonce again sweeping the floors. As he passed my cell, He swept a brownpaper bag into it. I asked him "What's this"? He said for me to look inside and continued on his way . Man, I didn't know what to expect. I was certain it was something bad. Curiosity did get the best of me though. I carefully opened the bag. What I found was the last thing I ever expected to find on death row, and everything I needed. The bag contained some stamps, envelopes notepad, pen, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, tooth brush, a pastry, a soda, and a couple of Ramen noodles. I remember asking Napolean where this came from ?He told me that everyone had pitched in . That they knew that I didn'thave anything and that it may be a while before I could get them.
I asked him to find out who had contributed . I wanted to pay them back. He said, "It's not like that . Just remember the next time you see someone come here like you.You pitch in something ?"I sat there on my bunk with my brown paper bag of goodies, and thought about what had just happened to me. The last things I expected to find on death row was kindness and generosity. I thought of how many times I had seen "good people" of the world, pass by some man, woman, or child holding a sign that read, "Hungry, or will work for food." I'm guilty of the same. I just passed them by.
By the end of the block, or upon reaching my destination . That poor, hungry, tattered, and perhaps dirty , soul had been forgotten. Lost among my daily challenges and struggles with life. Yet, here on death row Among the worst of the worst . I didn't have to hold up a sign.They knew what I needed and they took it upon themselves to meet thoseneeds.They did this without any expectation of reimbursement or compensation. They did this for a stranger, not a known friend. I don't know what they felt when they committed this act of incredible kindness. I only know that like them,, twelve "good people" had deemed me beyond redemption.
The only remedy that these "good people" could offer us, is death. Somehow what these "good people" saw and what I was seeing didn't add up. How could these men, who just showed me so much, humanity, be considered the "worst of the worst."It chills me to my core when I think about it. Those twelve "good people" were given this enormous God like responsibility . They had to decide who lives, and who dies. The state of Texas gave them this responsibility. But they didn't give them any God like training.
I'm sure that they all meant well. They probably thought, as the DA and judge told them, that they were doing their civic duty. I personally have never considered murder a civic duty. That aside, how many times have we gotten this wrong ? I'm on the inside looking out now. I have that advantage over you. So I can tell you this. I have yet to meet a man here who I feel is beyond redemption. If you took a good look, and I invite you to do that, You may just come to realize how often you have been wrong.Ever since Napolean was executed, for a crime he committed as a teen. I've wanted to share this story with his family.
I've never been able to find anyone with their address. If anyone out there can share this with them, I would appreciate it very much. I would like for them to know that their son was a good man. One who I will never forget. I want for them to know how sorry I am that we as a society failed them and him. I still find it ridiculous that we as a people feel that we cannot teach or love our young properly. I'm appalled at the idea that a teen is beyond redemption, that the only solution that we can offer is death. It's tragic that this is being pointed out to the "good people" by one of the "worst of the worst." God help us all.What's in the brown paper bag? I found caring, kindness, love, humanity, and compassion of a scale that I've never seen the "good people" in the free world show towards one another.
Luis Ramirez# 999309
Executed October 20, 2005
http://www.deathrow-usa.us/luis_ramirez.htm
Luis Ramirez
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