
In less than forty eight hours Garry Allen is scheduled to be executed in Oklahoma by lethal injection. He was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Lawanna Gail Titswoth in 1986. He confessed to the murder to save her family the trauma of a long drawn out trial.
Over the years he has exhausted all his appeals and all were rejected. However, one in 1996 did confirm some important in formation that should have reduced his sentence to life imprisonment without parole. His appeal case in 1996 did confirm that Garry Allen has had a history of suffering from mental illness. Atkins v. Virginia, a Supreme Court case in 2002, ruled that execution of mental retardation or intellectual disability would be a violation of the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Unfortunately, in his 2008 appeal he was found sane enough to face execution.
Secondly, a pardon and parole board voted 4 to 1 that his sentence should be reduced to life imprisonment without parole.
Regardless of their recommendation, Governor Mary Fallin(R) said she has reviewed the case and is not leaning towards clemency.
The purpose of this article is to make Americans aware of what travesty is going on and has been ongoing since 1977 when the first execution took place in Texas since the United States reinstated the death penalty. Regardless of how you may feel, this is
an ugly spot on our nation just as Segregation was.
Only thirty some nations out of two hundred in the world have a death penalty. Some of those nations are Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Afghanistan. Honestly most Americans don’t like being compared to these nations, but unfortunately we as a nation seem to want
to act like them. No country in the EU, countries we prefer a comparison with, has a death penalty.
Now you may feel it is right by saying a life for a life, but it’s not a life for a life. Execution by lethal injection however humane it may seem you actually kill about four people not just one. Once the toxins of the lethal injection are in the blood stream they
circulate in the body till eventually reaching the heart and stop it. Now every vital organ in the body is poisoned. Do you know how many people die each year on the organ donor list? Walter Payton died awaiting a liver, and since 1977 we have executed over 1000 inmates, a lot of unusable organs.
I still take a stance and hope for a day we can see the death penalty once again abolished. But until that day if these executions
have to take place could it be done in a manner where the organs could be saved to possibly save another life. I’m sure Walter Payton would have wanted that.
Until then, I will stay on my Death Watch to see how many lives must be destroyed before we can actually and truly say we are a
civilized nation vs. the barbaric nation that perpetrates it. Come August 12th, unless the governor has a change of heart, Garry Allen will be the first name on my death watch list. How many names will it take for the madness to stop? We will be
watching.
T$
Over the years he has exhausted all his appeals and all were rejected. However, one in 1996 did confirm some important in formation that should have reduced his sentence to life imprisonment without parole. His appeal case in 1996 did confirm that Garry Allen has had a history of suffering from mental illness. Atkins v. Virginia, a Supreme Court case in 2002, ruled that execution of mental retardation or intellectual disability would be a violation of the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Unfortunately, in his 2008 appeal he was found sane enough to face execution.
Secondly, a pardon and parole board voted 4 to 1 that his sentence should be reduced to life imprisonment without parole.
Regardless of their recommendation, Governor Mary Fallin(R) said she has reviewed the case and is not leaning towards clemency.
The purpose of this article is to make Americans aware of what travesty is going on and has been ongoing since 1977 when the first execution took place in Texas since the United States reinstated the death penalty. Regardless of how you may feel, this is
an ugly spot on our nation just as Segregation was.
Only thirty some nations out of two hundred in the world have a death penalty. Some of those nations are Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Afghanistan. Honestly most Americans don’t like being compared to these nations, but unfortunately we as a nation seem to want
to act like them. No country in the EU, countries we prefer a comparison with, has a death penalty.
Now you may feel it is right by saying a life for a life, but it’s not a life for a life. Execution by lethal injection however humane it may seem you actually kill about four people not just one. Once the toxins of the lethal injection are in the blood stream they
circulate in the body till eventually reaching the heart and stop it. Now every vital organ in the body is poisoned. Do you know how many people die each year on the organ donor list? Walter Payton died awaiting a liver, and since 1977 we have executed over 1000 inmates, a lot of unusable organs.
I still take a stance and hope for a day we can see the death penalty once again abolished. But until that day if these executions
have to take place could it be done in a manner where the organs could be saved to possibly save another life. I’m sure Walter Payton would have wanted that.
Until then, I will stay on my Death Watch to see how many lives must be destroyed before we can actually and truly say we are a
civilized nation vs. the barbaric nation that perpetrates it. Come August 12th, unless the governor has a change of heart, Garry Allen will be the first name on my death watch list. How many names will it take for the madness to stop? We will be
watching.
T$