By Paul Shepard on Sep 30th 2010 11:02AM
Filed under: News, Politics, Race and Civil Rights
California state officials did the right thing in blocking the state's first execution in five years, so at least for now, the doomed Albert Greenwood Brown (pictured above) can breathe a little easier.
But the reason for the execution delay, a nationwide shortage of the "death" drug used by prison officials, sounds like it was dreamed up by a Hollywood screenwriter.
I can think of several reasons not to execute someone on death row, but running out of sodium thiopental, the drug used for lethal injections, is not one of them.
It probably would have been more righteous if state officials stopped the execution for the more legitimate reason that the death penalty is unfairly and arbitrarily applied in this country.
If you are of low intelligence, poor or (worst of all) both, you would stand a much greater chance of facing the death penalty than other inmates accused of capital crimes.
That's not fair.
But it probably doesn't matter to Brown exactly why his execution is being put off - just as long as it isn't rescheduled.
State officials haven't yet announced whether Brown will be sent back to death row, and while the crime he was convicted of was particularly sick, I'm not sure if putting him to death would be the best course for the state.
Brown was convicted of raping and killing a 15-year-old girl in 1982. Brown then taunted the girl's mother by calling her and saying she would never see her daughter again. Disgusting.
I can't make a convincing argument to death penalty supporters that Brown should be allowed to live after such a conviction, but I wonder if two wrongs ever make a right.
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Comments: (7)
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By: The Truth on 9/30/2010 2:03PM
The warden asked him...
"Can we put you down for next week?"
Albert said
"Let me check my schedule".
Looks like he's got nothing else going on.
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By: Ed on 9/30/2010 4:43PM
This piece of garbage raped and murdered a 15 year old girl. The only thing "disputed" here is why he has been on death row for 30 years. If you have trouble finding someone to throw the switch,please call me. I have three daughters and I would pay my own way to California to rid the world of this man.
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By: Hotep on 9/30/2010 6:57PM
The best answer for all of this madness is to cease and desist capital murder..The amerikkkn Gov has no more right than anyone else to kill another human and then call itsself the greatest?..The greatest what liars, murderers racists etc? There are hundreds of African and others in prisons for crimes they did not committ and it has been proven..So my question is, was anyone of u with the big mouth there..Did u see it, if u did did u call the cops..If the answwer is no..it would be best to remember that this could be u..Who will plead for u?
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By: blackbear72 on 9/30/2010 10:22PM
Hotep, this could not happen to me or for that matter 99% of the population. To be in this animals shoes you would have to have raped and murdered a 15 y/o girl AND call her mother on the phone and brag about what you have done. You do not get convicted of this kind of crime if you are innocent. It sounds like you are saying that the Gov doesn't have the right to kill someone, but this animal did have the right? Once he did this he gave up all rights! He has the right to nothing.
The bigger question to you is; if you hate this country so much and don't think it is the greatest of all country's (which it is), then why don't you find that great country and move there? Why would you stay here if there is a better place to live? If you promise to move to that great country and never come back, I bet I can find enough people to pay for the plane ticket.
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By: Ed on 9/30/2010 11:01PM
So what your saying is " I wasn't there so I wouldn't know."? Do you think this is profound and an indication of your intelligence. Actually I have heard this rationale before, usually from people in prison. Listen up goofy and maybe you'll learn something. Neither you nor I were at Auschwitz,so I guess that didn't happen. Neither of were slaves either so I guess that was a fairy tale too.
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By: Karl on 10/01/2010 5:21AM
There are questionable death row cases then there is this one. I have no problem with this guy getting what he gets. He was convicted of rape prior to this and no sooner than he gets out he does this deed. As the writer puts it: disgusting. Can't imagine getting that phone call from your child's rapist and murderer.
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By: bob on 10/02/2010 8:48AM
Is that danny glover?
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