Florida has the honor of leading the
nation in the number of people sentenced to death, then later released after either being
found innocent or having received an unfair trial (In this contest, Texas is tied for 3rd with Oklahoma).
Jeb's solution to this problem was to support legislation that limits
the appeals death row prisoners have and excutes them within 5 years.
Critics say that, on average, a wrongly - convicted prisoner is on death row for 7 years
before new evidence comes to light freeing them.
Jeb stands no hope of winning if he doesn't have a team. If his death row prisoners keep getting
freed for something insignificant like being innocent of the crime which
they will die for, then Jeb's game is over. So this legislation is a key
play in catching up to his more successful brother. We wish you luck Jeb!
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Jay Martel:
Jeb's bodyguards seem like big, tough guys-and they are. It's probably
the first time in my life (since being nine or so) I've been picked up
and carried by one guy. In a strange way, it was kind of comforting to
know that what I was up against was so much stronger than I was, I just
had to go with it. Then there was the arm-twisting stuff-one of those
holds they learn in bodyguard school or whatever-which was not so much
fun (though I only had to go back to junior high for my last experience
with that). I'm sure that if the cameras had not been there, I would
have been a lot more roughed up. As it was, not only did they stop
torturing me, they let me go back in to the meeting room and ask Jeb
another few questions. People who watch the piece still have trouble
believing that they really let me go back in, and, to tell you the
truth, I was surprised myself. When I look at the footage, and see me
standing there, looking wild-eyed and hyped with adrenaline in my tacky
floral shirt, I know I wouldn't have let me back in.
According to Amnesty International, in 1999, 85 per cent of all known
executions took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo and the USA. As you might have noticed, we're
in the company of countries not exactly known for their respect of
human rights.
But even better than that, we excel beyond those slackers and the rest of the world
to take the number one position of known executions of child offenders
(prisoners who were under 18 years old at the time of the crime). (Amnesty statistics)
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One of George's finer moments this season came with the March execution of Odell Barnes.
Journalists
investigating Barnes' case found incredible evidence suggesting that Barnes was not
guilty of the murder for which he was executed.
The blood-preservative expert who tested the murder victim's blood found on Odell's clothes has
stated that the blood could only have appeared there by being planted or accidentally
spilled onto the clothing.
Wichita Falls police detective Bill Pursley even agrees that
"There were parts of that crime scene
that if you read the books today, you could look
back and say, 'Boy, did we do that wrong.'"
Odell was executed on March 1st.
More on Barnes: 1
2
Check out Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (CUADP). They are the most comprehensive indictment of the George W Bush killing machine.
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