[Kjell: si, lo que tu ha audite es ver--in le anno 1984 un homine in Texas in un caso capital habeva un advocato (providite per le stato) qui dormiva in le corte durante multe del judicio. Le judice in le caso ha decidite que isto non era un deprivation del derectos de prisioniero--in le parolas del judice "the law says he has to have a lawyer; it doesn't say the lawyer has to be awake" ("le lege dice que il es necessari que ille ha un advocato; illo non dice que le advocato necessita esser eviliate"). In iste caso un corte superior ha decidite in le anno 2000 que iste conviction non era legitime, e ha reversate lo. Un mense post iste decision, perque le stato non ha preparate a facer un nove judicio, le homine era liberate--ma solmente post esser 16 annos in le prision de Huntsville con un sententia de morte. Charlie: in multe linguas europee le phrase equivalente al anglese "honeymoon" significa literalmente "luna de melle" (portugues "lua de mel," espaniol "luna de miel," etc). Io pensa que nos debe usar "luna de melle."] Io manda un reporta (scripte al lista [log in to unmask], un "soror lista" de nostre INTERLNG) per Tony Abdo. Ille ha visitate le prision in Huntsville, Texas, le loco statounitese con le plus grande numero de executiones (perque es le location de "death row" in le stato de Texas, e post le reintroduction del pena de morte statounitese, approximemente 1 in 3 executiones in le SU ha essite in Texas) le 9 de augusto, un die in le qual duo executiones occurreva--le governmento de Texas prefere facer plus que un in le mesme die pro reducir le expensas. Al hora in le qual Oliver Cruz e Brian Roberson ha morrite, quando Tony era in Huntsville, nos qui acta in "Not in My Name" (un drama de protesto contra le pena de morte) era in Times Square pro facer un representation in le strata. Un articulo in le prime pagina del New York Times duo dies ante le executiones, "Executing the Mentally Retarded Even as Laws Begin to Shift" ha explicate que Oliver Cruz ha "an I.Q. of either 64 or 76, depending on the test" e que un psychologista "testified at trial that ... Mr Cruz [is] mentally retarded. The state did not dispute this. Indeed the prosecutor argued that the fact that Mr Cruz 'may not be very smart' made him 'more dangerous' and so was a reason to sentence him to death." Io sape que le Nazis etiam credeva que un manca de intelligentia era un ration pro morte... In veritate, le testimonia de un psychologista era quasi un raritate. Le grande majoritate (approximemente 90%) de personas executate in le SU son pauperes qui ha un advocato providite (e pagate) pro le stato; le stato de Texas da $5,000 al advocato pro le defensa in un caso capital. Iste $5,000 non es solmente pro pagar le advocato, ma include tote expensas (in contrasto, le stato de California typicamente da $100,000 pro le defensa in un caso de pena de morte). Predictabilemente, in vista del pagamento miniscule, multe advocatos pagate per le stato son minimalmente qualificate, e mesmo in le casos de capabile advocatos qui son dedicate a opponer le pena de morte e non vole esser pagate, le $5,000 generalmente non es sufficiente pro pagar un "expert witness." Iste certemente non es le sol caso statounitese del execution de un persona mentalmente retardate. In un altere caso in 1992, quando Governor Bill Clinton de Arkansas era un candidato pro presidente, ille ha retornate a Arkansas pro executar un homine non simplemente retardate ma con injuria de cerebro, perque Clinton pensava que era possibile que le Lieutenant Governor (qui ha le potentia de actar in loco del governator quando le governator non es in le stato) commutarea le sententia de morte; isto haberea potite consequentias negative pro le candidatia presidential de Clinton, in iste pais ubi approximemente 80% del population era a favor del pena de morte. Solmente in le anno passate isto nivello ha comenciate a cambiar, e hodie "solmente" 60% es a favor. Ma le leges del Statos Unite (in theoria) non permiti le prosecution criminal de personas qui, per lor manca de intelligentia o de ration, non pote comprehender le consequentias legal e ethical de lor actiones, e le significantia de su situation legal. In le caso del prisoniero executate per Clinton in 1992, ille habeva tanto poc idea de su situation que ille habeva celate un portion de su repasto final pro mangiar postea. Ma le govenrmento del SU pensa que illo debe decidir qual altere paises debe esser considerate criminales perque illos abusa le derectos human... Tristemente, -Jay > ** Original Subject: [CHOMSKY] The Brown and The Gray > ** Original Sender: Tony Abdo <[log in to unmask] 'Put to Death' is the pretty euphemism that the local paper used for the word...... murder. It's also the description most people use for killing animals. 'Airman's Killer is Put to Death' was the headline for yesterday in the local paper. One can hardly begin to imagine the hysteria of our local First World society, if a headline were to read..... 'Man Who Put to Death Killer Pilot Killed'. Apparently, even the headline......'State of Texas Executes Retarded Man'.... was not deemed proper, either. The first thing that struck me as I got off the bus in Huntsville at the state prison, was how neatly manicured they keep the lawns cropped outside the administrative offices. It's a very orderly look, and one I've seen many a time before, at State mental institutions. Somehow it impresses people that what goes on inside must be itself well justified. Huntsville has now rightfully gained an image as a center of evil in the industrialized countries, because it is here where the State of Texas murders about one prisoner a week. This was the day, for the first 2 of 6 men to be murdered in this month. There were about a hundred protesters. And now that the murder factory-line is rolling well along, there were no cheering supporters of the death penalty to heckle the mainly religious opponents. Boredom has set in. The only bus that came in protest was from San Antonio. And almost all were nuns, priests, and those very closely influenced by them in the church. At our one rest stop, I almost couldn't get off from the back of the bus due to a sister leading a non-stop chanted prayer that seemed more important to the other passengers, than a leg stretch seemed to me. So once we had arrived, we all walked over the short distance to the designated protest and prayer area. A set of 6-7 guards stared facing us from behind the yellow taped restraining lines. On their faces, and during their conversations, a stop and go barrage of derisive smirks would blink on and off. Us protestors seemed so incongruous, and well... funny... to them. When you draw this guard duty once a week, week after week, one probably begins to drop the somber face that might once have been maintained. Oh, here we go again. Under the hot 95 degree sun, most of us drew off into the shade. Some had brought umbrellas and chairs. Two male protesters sat dressed in Eastern Orthodox clerical garb as they prayed. The 6 or 7 guards, contrasted sharply with the protesters as we stared at each other. What was it exactly that made us so different from them, I thought? And then it hit me. The colors of the others facing us. Or RATHER, the lack of color in their dress. The state of Texas dresses it's prisoners up in white. Since so many of the prisoners are Black, the black and white effect actually seems to brightly shine almost with color. But what was the color of the mostly White guards? I looked and looked, and began to see. They all were dressed in brown and gray. If they had been about 12 to 17 years old, they would have clearly been marked as scouts. But since they were older, they looked just exactly like Nazi Brownshirts. And they were behaving as such, too. In the background, the building they were guarding was an older, large innocuous looking, red bricked warehouse. There was a guard tower and some barbed wire, but it actually looked much less menacing than many another barbed-wire rolled concentration camp, like the so many that dot the Texas countryside. I contemplated with the others, on both sides of the line, the wierdness and surrealness of it all, for about 2 hours. Inside, an even greater wierdness and surrealness was in march. But outside, there were no bells or announcements to announce the inside work of the brown and gray. And finally, we began to roll things up, and move back to our respective vehicles. Horrible emotions had popped throughout our minds during those 2 hours, and some few had broken down in explosive waves of despair. One of the relatives of one of the condemned, Oliver Cruz, had dressed in black, with a white skull-like facial mask. Just like the prisoners inside, he too seemed to have more color than the brown and gray as they worked. And as they got payed. It was all in a day's work, as the State of Texas murdered Oliver Cruz and Brian Roberson. I wished I had taken a snapshot of the brown and gray. It would make an accurate post card of the Huntsvile, Texas area. Tony Abdo >** --------- End Original Message ----------- ** >