The near death of Kelly Gissendaner this month reminded much of the country that our nation kills. Those state-sponsored deaths are hidden from us so often under the words “capital punishment.” Capital punishment is a topic for debate in an undergraduate class. State sponsored killing is what almost happened to Gissendaner.As I watched the posts supporting amnesty for Gissendaner fly around Facebook, I wondered why there was so much activity regarding this case and not others. People posted images of her in a graduation gown, standing next to theologian Jurgen Moltmann. Her smiling face, her shining robes, and her degree seemed to be offered up in plea for clemency.
I completely support the stay of her execution. I am glad she is alive. And I wonder what the fate of all the others on death row, awaiting state-sponsored killing, will be. Those who do not have degrees from Emory. Those who do not have smiling faces or shiny graduation robes. Those who are not white or female. Those whom society more quickly labels “monsters,” worthy of death.
As we face the brutal truth that our nation kills, we must also face the brutal truth that this killing is racially and economically biased. We must confess our sins of wanting to save those who seem “upright” over those who are poor or non-white.
Shane Claiborne, a voice of Christian social justice, posted something different that caught my attention. He shared a home-made looking list of names, along with dates and the states that plan to kill in 2015. What I appreciate about this list is the affirmation that all these lives matter. Claiborne asks us to see them, to regard them. To pay attention to everyone awaiting killing by the state.
Gissendaner lives. Praise be to God. Will Manuel Vasquez, scheduled to be killed tomorrow in Texas, also be saved? Will social media rally in his name?
I care not what these people have or have not done to land on this list. I do not trust the system that has placed them on it, nor do I affirm the right of the state to take their lives. As a follower of Jesus, I will pray for all of these people. I will commit to posting about their scheduled deaths on Facebook, asking others to pay attention. I will hope and pray for federal abolition of the death penalty.
In all cases, at all times, it is wrong to kill. Let the faithful rise up to speak truth into a broken system.
Texas killed Manuel Vasquez today by lethal injection.
One of the major mistake that those against the death penalty make when advocating their position is in arguing from morality only, of starting out with it. In I’ve worked, through the Peace and Justice League of Spokane for 30 years, on this issue, and our experience and the scientific evidence suggests that there are much better arguments if we want to win the support of more people. First, fronting the moral argument is preaching to the choir. It turns off the unconvinced by being moralistic and holier than thou. As a patriot American, I have to support some killing. Look at our wars, look at our economy. As a nation, we must support some necessary bad things.
The most convincing argument in the present economy is that the death penalty is very much more expensive that life in prison without parole, up to three times when court fees and lawyers are in the equation. The money we could save would pay for the support of the victims and perpetrators’ families, who need support. The second most convincing argument is that the threat of death is not a deterrent, while life in prison is slightly. Killing is not a rational act, and the emotions are not easily deterred. Thirdly, the justice system, at its best, makes many mistakes, often through poor defense and racism. Rich whites are not often put to death. and as many as 1 out of three on death row after appeals, had little to do with the original killing, if anything at all. Finally, more and more of the families of the victims are speaking up – there is no closure, and more killing does not provide it.
BTW, where are all the god people of value when we have demonstrations and when we lobby with the legislators (where the battle will be won or lost next year)?