This is Obama's chance to reach out with his power of presidential pardon in a simple act of justice. Whatever one thinks of this case, this no longer meets the "beyond reasonable doubt" standard for conviction. Those who have taken up Troy Davis' cause, and attempt to stop his execution, include Amnesty International, Jimmy Carter, and former Republican congressman Bob Barr, a death penalty supporter.
Obama has already used his pardon numerous times:
From wiki history of presidential pardons, Obama:
* James Bernard Banks, of Liberty, Utah, sentenced to two years of probation in 1972 for illegal possession of government property.[20]
* Russell James Dixon, of Clayton, Ga., sentenced to two years of probation in 1960 for a liquor law violation.[20]
* Laurens Dorsey, of Syracuse, N.Y., sentenced in 1998 to five years of probation and $71,000 in restitution for conspiracy to defraud by making false statements to the Food and Drug Administration.[20]
* Ronald Lee Foster, of Beaver Falls, Pa., sentenced in 1963 to a year of probation and a $20 fine for mutilating coins.[20]
* Timothy James Gallagher, of Navasota, Texas, sentenced in 1982 to three years of probation for cocaine possession and conspiracy to distribute.[20]
* Roxane Kay Hettinger, Powder Springs, Ga., sentenced in 1986 to 30 days in jail and three years of probation for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.[20]
* Edgar Leopold Kranz Jr., of Minot, N.D., who received 24 months of confinement and a pay reduction for cocaine use, adultery and bouncing checks.[20]
* Floretta Leavy, of Rockford, Ill., sentenced in 1984 to 366 days in prison and three years of parole for drug offenses.[20]
* Scoey Lathaniel Morris, of Crosby, Texas, sentenced in 1991 to three years of probation and $1,200 restitution for counterfeiting offenses.[20]
Barr has said that although he is "a strong believer in the death penalty as an appropriate and just punishment," the proper level of fairness and accuracy required for the ultimate punishment has not been met in Davis' case. Carter says "Executing Troy Davis without a real examination of potentially exonerating evidence risks taking the life of an innocent man..."
In the Facebook era an effective action is to pressure public officials on their Facebook pages. Unlike emails which go into a black hole, everyone can see a gathering storm and whether an elected official is acknowledging it. Simply posting this link is a statement.
White House Facebook Wall HERE
White House Phone Numbers
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
Contact form
Breaking message from the NAACP:
The state of Georgia has set Troy Davis's execution date for midnight on September 21st, just two weeks from today.
This is our justice system at its very worst, and we are alive to witness
it. There is just too much doubt.
Even though seven out of nine witnesses have recanted their statements, a
judge labeled his own ruling as "not ironclad" and the original prosecutor
has voiced reservations about Davis's guilt, the state of Georgia is set to
execute Troy anyway.
Time is running out, and this is truly Troy's last chance for life.
But through the frustration and the tears, there is one thing to remain
focused on: We are now Troy Davis's only hope. And I know we won't let him
down.
There are three steps you can take to help Troy:
1. Send a message of support to Troy as he fights for justice on what may be
the final days of his life:
http://action.naacp.org/...
2. Sign the name wall, if you haven't already. And if you have, send it to
your friends and family. Each name means a more united front for justice:
http://action.naacp.org/...
3. Make sure everyone knows about this injustice. Spread the word on Facebook
http://action.naacp.org/...
0/VEsC
and Twitter
http://action.naacp.org/...
0/VEsD
(using the hashtag #TooMuchDoubt) so that Troy Davis's story can
be heard. We still have a chance to save his life, but only if people are
willing to speak out against injustice.
Seven witnesses recanted. The US Supreme Court didn't care.
Amnesty International:
Troy Davis was sentenced to death in 1991 for the murder of police officer Mark Allen MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia in 1989. No physical evidence directly links Davis to the murder – no murder weapon was ever found. The case against Davis primarily rested on witness testimony. Since his trial, seven of nine key witnesses have recanted or changed their testimony, some alleging police coercion.
In 2009, the US Supreme Court ordered a federal evidentiary hearing to review Troy Davis’ innocence claim.
At the hearing in June 2010, US District Court Judge William Moore addressed not whether the state could demonstrate a watertight case against Troy Davis, but whether Davis could show “by clear and convincing evidence that no reasonable juror would have convicted him in the light of the new evidence” that had emerged since his 1991 murder trial. Under this “extraordinarily high” standard, Judge Moore wrote, “Mr Davis is not innocent”. Elsewhere in his ruling, however, he acknowledged that the new evidence presented by Troy Davis cast “some additional, minimal” doubt on his conviction, and that the state’s case was not “ironclad”.
In a dissent from a decision to force Davis to prove his innocence before a single federal judge, rather than be granted a new trial, Antonin Scalia said:
This Court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who has had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is “actually” innocent.
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Troy Davis