We Owe Troy Davis Nothing Less...

Barring a 180 degree legal turn, Troy Davis will be executed by lethal injection at 7 p.m. Eastern Time today.

Troy Davis, 42, convicted of and sentenced to death for the 1989 murder of Savannah, Georgia Police Officer, Mark MacPhail, has maintained his innocence for over 20 years.  Seven of the nine eyewitnesses who testified against Davis have since recanted their trial testimonies.   The murder weapon was never recovered and no other physical evidence links Davis to the murder.  Furthermore, new witnesses linking Sylvester "Redd" Coles to the murder have stepped forward.  And, of the two eyewitnesses who have not retracted their original testimonies, one is Redd Coles himself.

Regardless of your views on capital punishment, the fact the of matter is this:  there is simply not enough information to justify the execution of  Troy Davis.  At the very least, this execution will go through based on evidence that is entirely too shaky, and, for the most part, non-existent.  The worst, and most probable outcome is that the state of Georgia will condone and proceed with the murder of an innocent man.

In the words of Dave Zirin:

For those unfamiliar with the case, let’s be clear: Davis’s execution is little more than a legal lynching. As the New York Times wrote this morning in a featured editorial, "the Georgia pardon and parole board's refusal to grant him clemency is appalling in light of developments after his conviction."

As people of faith, or even just people with a reasonably intact moral compass, it is clear that the execution of Troy Davis is not justified.  Despite the fact that clemency has not been granted, and even as early as this morning, Davis's request for a polygraph was denied, there is still time to have the execution stayed.  Call Judge Penny Freeseman, who still has the power to withdraw the death warrant (912.652.7252), or sign this petition. 

Again, Dave Zirin:

I know that Judge Penny Freesemann still has the power to withdraw its death warrant. These are slim options, but I also know that this isn’t over until they send the poison into Troy’s veins. Troy himself has refused a “last meal,” choosing to fight until his last breath. We owe him nothing less.

Does Christianity Clash With Capitalism?

Laura Dean F. Friedrich/Protestants for the Common Good/Worthy Work, Worthy Wages:

As a nation, we value families, and we value work. We hold dear the notion that people in the U.S. can succeed if they work. Their [minimum wage earners] jobs make it possible for them to take care of their families, guide their children, and contribute to their communities. This vision of a stable, productive—and adequately compensated—work force falls short when it comes to workers who earn the minimum wage. These low-wage earners do not make enough to cover their basic needs, much less afford the extras many of us feel are essential for the good life.

As people of faith, we value all human life, and we believe in the dignity and integrity of all people. Stories about work fill our holy scriptures, beginning with creation itself. God speaks to us through psalm, prophet, and parable, and Christ calls us into relationship with one another and sets forth justice and compassion as integral aspects of our community life. PCG articulates our understanding of God’s claim and Christ’s call in our vision of a beloved community in which all flourish and all contribute.

Susan Brook Thistlethwaite/Washington Post/It's not 'class warfare', it's Christianity:

Capitalism isn’t “God’s Plan,” it’s an economic system that runs on the human desire for more, our own self-interest. This is not necessarily evil. It can actually be a very productive system, but it is not beneficent. In order for there to be good values in our economic life, capitalism needs to be regulated so it does not wreck the whole ship with unfettered greed...

The Christian approach to economics is to be the conscience of the nation and to insist that we regulate capitalism so it does not become reckless and destructive.

Blogging for Protestants for the Common Good, I am well aware of the pragmatic nature of our work.  We are an organization that seeks to create changes in an already given economic and political structure.  You will not find Che Guevara shirts, and Molotov cocktails in our downtown Chicago office.

But as a Christian, reading LDF's call for minimum wage increases and SBT's assessment of the inter-Christian debate over economic policy, I cannot help thinking about where we draw the line.  SBT describes capitalism as a system based on self-interest, and thus in need of regulation in order to fight the evils that come along with pure self-interest.  At what point do the regulations need to stop so that "capitalism" no longer looks like capitalism but more like something else altogether?  LDF describes the economic benefits that come with a higher minimum wage, but this is far from a consensus position amongst our pro-capitalism economists.

There is a level at which the Christian, the Christian who believes in a God who is about love and equality rather than profit and prosperity, has to stop thinking that it is their job to correct a system that fundamentally asks us to look out for ourselves above all other things. 

I want higher wages for workers not because it makes for good capitalism, but because it is how I view God's will.   Class warfare, higher taxes for the rich, call it what you want.  I don't care if its good for capitalism either.  I care if it is aligned with the gospel.  I am pragmatist, a realist, etc. etc.  But really, I long to be a dreamer.

-Tim

3 Videos and One Awesome Picture

Emma's last post on Rick Perry and the death-penalty-cheers got me thinking about a few things.

First (awesome):


Secondly (the clip in question):


Third (just sad, please note Ron Paul's response):

Side Note: I worked for two years at an NPO that directed people to social services available to them, and I can't count how many times someone went on a tirade about why so and so church wasn't helping them.  Removing government mandates to help the sick is not about freedom and belief in the human spirit to help all those in need.  It is about passing the buck. 

Lastly (An awesome screenshot from the first video):

Nothing says I <3 You like sexually ambiguous hair kissing while Jesus looks on.  This really had nothing to do with anything but I thought it was extremely funny.

-Tim

Friday Links - Plus a Special Song

Chart Via Ezra Klein's Blog

 

-President Obama said last night that the media was painting everything in terms of re-election, and that should not be the point.  I don't think that is going to change, and I also don't think 99.9% of politicians think that way either (nor should they? though that is a question for another day). 
-A number of other reactions to President Obama's speech, as put together by Andrew Sullivan.
-Paul Harvey (Religion Dispatches) argues that 9/11 did nothing to change the narrative of war in America.

As we think about 9/11 this weekend:

Gov. Perry and American Gladiators

I've had a few days to process the absolute shock I felt when I heard the audience at the Republican Debate last Wednesday break into applause when Brian Williams mentioned the huge number of executions that have taken place in Texas. If you missed it, here's a link to the video, courtesy of TPM.

I hardly remember Gov. Perry's response to the question because I was dumbfounded by the audience's uncontrollable joy at the death of 234 people. How could a group of people, no matter their political affiliation, join in such at outburst at the loss of human life, whether they understood it to be justifiable, or not? Did I somehow time travel centuries back to the Roman Colosseum? Or maybe just months back to the entire country's celebration of Osama bin Laden's death?

Bruce Reyes-Chow, in his reflections on the GOP debate, writes, "Revenge, payback and ultimate justice may work for the movies and it may indeed fall right in line with “American” triumphalism, but these are not Christian values." Perhaps the Californians were mourning their state's overwhelming debt or its overcrowded prisons, two issues not to be easily disregarded, but certainly they would not look towards Texas, a state with its own budget shortages, as an appropriate role model. It is almost impossible, though, to pinpoint the thoughts of each member of an audience, and harder to hold them accountable to a religion they may or may not follow.

However, for a candidate who has so unabashedly flaunted his faith, Gov. Perry has some explaining to do. When I looked back over transcripts of the debate, I saw someone who is not only blind to inherent flaws in capital punishment, but in the justice system as a whole. Gov. Perry called state mandated death the "ultimate justice." So I suppose Jesus' death, as ordered by the Roman empire, would be seen as ultimate justice, according to Perry? I'm sure he would disagree, but I would love to see the theological acrobatics that went into the backtracking.