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Daniel Fessenden, Human Life Amendment Author & Advocate
Alabama Moratorium on Executions
(IS THERE A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL?)
Will Alabama see the light and finally abolish the death penalty? Will our penal system finally stop looking for the vein? Of the states with the death penalty, Alabama is the only one that does not provide post-conviction legal assistance to the indigent. There is no statewide public defender system. Alabama cannot afford the financial responsibilities incurred by maintaining the death penalty. As simply a practical matter, it would do well to abolish capital punishment. Many ‘Republican conservatives’ around the country are taking a hard look at the death penalty and seeing it for what it is; a very impractical, incurably flawed system that needs to be abolished. The practice of executing the condemned is on the decline in the U.S., and in fact in most western democracies.
I am quite concerned about Governor Ivey’s position on the death penalty. She has been an effective champion for the right to life (that of the child in the womb) I respect that. But myself being the right to life absolutist that I am, I am of course at odds with her on the death penalty. She embraces the common notion that the execution of a killer gives closure to the victims loved ones. That is not quite true. It may be for some. Although the testimonies of a great many are that they would be satisfied to be assured that the convicted killer would be incarcerated for the rest of their life. They will never have the chance to murder again. They wake up every day knowing why they are where they are, and that they will be there, most likely for the rest of their days. …to be continued
8 / 6 / 22
Roe v Wade Overturned
The Supreme court has now reversed the infamous Row vs. Wade decision. But we in the pro-life movement must not rest our case. Abortion advocates are scrambling to find ground in those few states where the child in the wombs right to life is still vulnerable.
Our essential rights are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as enumerated in our Declaration of Independence. We must make the distinction between rights and privileges. Rights are only sustainable if no one assumes the privilege of violating them.
Abortion advocates use the oxymoron “abortion rights” to imply that abortion is a right, and not an assumed privilege, that clearly alienates the child in the womb’s inalienable right to life.
It is the goal of consistent life ethicists, that: “No person shall be denied life.” Which is the first sentence in The United States Human Life Amendment Proposal. If no one is denied life under the constitutional amendment, it will guaranty that all lives will be protected, from that of the innocent child in the womb, to that of even the vicious mass-murderer.
It cannot be proven that the death penalty is a deterrent to homicide. Only insomuch as “The dead can’t kill.” But we have far better alternatives than execution. We instinctively approach death sentences with an abundance of caution. Society, through one course or another always ends up footing the bill for the costly process of appeals, etc. Consequently, it costs less to feed prisoners for the rest of their lives than it does to execute them. The effort to execute the convicted rarely comes to that end. When it does it is “cruel and unusual punishment” which is clearly prohibited by the 8th amendment. Society can justify incarcerating those who have committed heinous crimes, even for the rest of their lives, if it cannot be determined that they would not return to crime if they were free.
DECEMBER 13, 2023
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Commutes All Standing Death Sentences
Oregon has not executed anyone since 1997 and has since exhibited a steadily diminishing appetite for the death penalty. In 2019, the state legislature passed a law that significantly limits the scope in which the death penalty can be imposed. The seventeen people whose sentences were commuted still face life in prison without the possibility of parole. Brown has stated:
“I have long believed that justice is not advanced by taking a life, and the state should not be in the business of executing people—even if a terrible crime placed them in prison,” Brown said in a statement.
“Unlike previous commutations I’ve granted to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary growth and rehabilitation, this commutation is not based on any rehabilitative efforts by the individuals on death row,” she continued.
“Instead, it reflects the recognition that the death penalty is immoral. It is an irreversible punishment that does not allow for correction; is wasteful of taxpayer dollars; does not make communities safer; and cannot be and never has been administered fairly and equitably.“
Governor Brown leaves office next month and will be succeeded by Tina Kotek who is like-minded with Brown on the death penalty. While judges and juries can still impose death sentences, it’s beginning to look like the death penalty is dead in Oregon.
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DECEMBER 14, 2012
Sandy Hook Massacre
A mentally disturbed 20-year-old, having murdered his mother in their home proceeds to the grade school he once attended and takes twenty-six more lives, mostly first grade children. After committing one of the worst mass-shootings in US history Adam Lanza turns the gun on himself.
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DECEMBER 11, 1941
Germany & Italy Declare War on US
The US replies in kind, having already declared war on Japan in response to their horrific attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7. All this brings about World War II. Adolf Hitler predicts the Axis powers will forge a new world order. We all know how that worked out.
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DECEMBER 9, 1990
Lech Walesa Elected President of Poland
The electrician who shocked the world. He fought for free elections and in 1990 he won the presidential election by a landslide and became Poland’s first democratically elected president since 1926. As a humble tradesman and influential speaker, he became a labor leader and won the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize for his work. Walesa has been lauded as one of the most influential figures of the century.
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DECEMBER 7, 1941
Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor
“THIS DATE WILL LIVE IN INFAMY”
In the early morning hours, the U.S. Pacific Naval Fleet in Hawaii is plummeted in a two-hour assault by 360 Japanese war planes. The fleet is destroyed, and 2,403 American troops perish. The U.S. declares war on Japan the next day.
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DECEMBER 8, 1941
US Declares War on Japan
President Roosevelt asks congress to declare war on Japan. In a stirring speech he refers to the events of the day before as “a date which will live in infamy.” Congress obliges and this brings the US into World War II.
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Check us out at: http://www.ushlac.com & http://www.lifeissues.us or http://www.wholelifeparty.us
on abortion shall not stand.”
-Dr. Mildred Jefferson
Day of Horror & Hope
Horror: This is the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme court decision, which unleashed massive feticide in all 50 states and promoted the same throughout the world. Even if Roe is ever overturned or severely curtailed, it will take a good long time to work through all the damage.
Hope: This year is the first anniversary of the United Nations Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons going into effect. Internationally, nuclear weapons are illegal!
Horror: The countries that possess nuclear weapons never ratified the treaty and are ignoring it. It will take a good long time to reach the goal of abolition.
Hope: The signs are good for Roe being overturned or severely curtailed this year. If so, a major obstacle to getting our work done will be removed.
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