Help Stop the Execution! Edward N. Bell, a Black Jamaican national, was convicted by an all-white small-town Virginia jury in 2001 in the shooting death of a popular police officer, Ricky Timbrook. He faces execution on February 19. If I had you at "Stop the execution" you can sign the Online Petition right now. Or you can learn more about his case at www.clemency4Eddie.net or by reading local coverage of the case by the Northern Virginia Daily.
Today's diary is about Kilgore's pro-death penalty campaign ads, and the pressure they are placing on Gov. Kaine.
In past diaries, I’ve discussed Virginia’s willingness to execute a man who is likely mentally retarded; the severely deficient performance of Eddie’s trial counsel; and the perjured testimony that underlies his conviction. Today I’d like to share with you the main reason I think Governor Kaine may be reluctant to grant clemency to Eddie Bell.
In his campaign for Governor, Republican Jerry Kilgore ran the following despicable ad:
As is typical with Rove Republicans, there is a lot that’s dishonest about that ad. Just as an example – Eddie was not illegally in this country. He was here pursuant to a valid visa.
But the point of this diary isn’t to correct Kilgore’s lies. Here’s the point of this diary: no one should die just because their case gets turned into some Republican’s political football.
As the comments in previous diaries have shown, we don’t all agree about the merits of Eddie’s claims. I feel very strongly that he may be innocent, and that regardless of his guilt or innocence, he did not get a fair trial. Many of you seem to agree. A few of you feel strongly that the crime of which he was convicted is heinous, and we’re discussing whether the right response is to answer a murder with another murder, or instead to imprison Eddie for life.
Regardless of where you come out on that issue, though, I hope we can all agree on at least some common ground: whatever the crime, whatever the circumstances, cheap political maneuvering has no place in the decision to put another human being to death. None. Zero. Kilgore should be ashamed of himself for running this ad—indeed, when the ad originally ran, many commentators on DKos criticized it as thoroughly despicable.
And Kaine should not allow Kilgore’s utterly amoral gutter politics to affect his decision to grant clemency. The clemency decision should be based on the merits of Eddie’s case, not some Republican’s political grandstanding.
If you agree, please consider adding your voice to the chorus calling for Governor Kaine to take action. The pressure this ad and ads like it have brought to bear on Kaine is tremendous. No doubt right now, his advisers are telling him that if he grants clemency, Kilgore and company will be on Virginia talk radio saying "I told you so."
It’s up to us to counter that sentiment, and to show Governor Kaine that there is an equally committed constituency supporting justice and mercy. Governor Kaine will be the new chairman of your DNC. Join us in showing him that we want Democrats that act like Democrats, not center-tacking Republican-lite.
ACTION ITEMS
We are running out of time – we have just 4 days before Eddie is executed.
Please help by signing this Online Petition. Please consider forwarding it to 2 or 3 of your friends. We will be delivering the petition soon, and we need it to be as strong as possible. Please feel free to publish this petition or diary in any way that you think might help us get more signatures.
Please help by joining Amnesty International’s Letter Writing Campaign.
Thanks again for reading! If you wish to learn more details about Eddie’s case, please read our Clemency Brief.