Introducing Anthony

Good news on death penalty in the US

Only 20 people were executed in the US last year compared with 28 in 2015, according to British newspaper, The Guardian. 80% of these were from just two states - Georgia and Texas.

Arizona became the first state to vow never again to use the drug midazolam following the botched execution of Joseph Wood.

Read the full story here:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/21/death-penalty-end-2016-report










US Presidential Election 2016

Candidates views on Capital Punishment

Donald Trump - for

On the killing of two police officers in Mississippi:

Well it’s the death penalty. We have people who are, these two animals shot the cops and these were two wonderful young cops and you know you don’t see rioting when the cops get shot. You don’t see anything. There won’t be protests, there won’t be anything. You won’t even hear about it in two days. It will be old news and that will be it, except for their families and their friends it will be forgotten. The death penalty. It should be brought back and it should be brought back strong. 

Now these two people are just gunned down by these two thugs, and I will say thugs, and they should get the death penalty absolutely. And you know what, I don’t know they say it’s not a deterrent well you know what maybe it’s not a deterrent but these two will not do anymore killing that’s for sure.

Mike Pence -  for

Pence expressed his perspective on the death penalty in his home state of Indiana. In response to the question of the death penalty ever being removed from the law there, Pence responded:

I don’t see that prospect in the state of Indiana. I support the death penalty. I believe justice demands it in our most heinous cases.

Hillary Clinton -  for

Mrs. Clinton supports the death penalty “for very limited purposes” as punishment for heinous crimes such as mass killings and domestic terrorism. She thinks that death penalty cases should be overseen by the federal justice system. She has also said, however, that she would not be disappointed if the Supreme Court or states moved to eliminate capital punishment.

Clinton last publicly discussed her view on capital punishment during her 2000 race for the U.S Senate. At that time she stated that the death penalty had her “unenthusiastic support”.

Tim Kaine - against

Mr. Kaine personally opposes the death penalty, but he oversaw 11 executions during his tenure as governor, and Virginia has had the second-highest number of executions since the 1970s.

Hullo everybody

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Anthony, I am 77 years old and have five children and nine grandchildren. I am English, although I was born in India and I live in Wellingborough, a small town about 70 miles north of London. I was a Maths teacher, school counsellor and deputy principal in secondary schools before I left teaching to set up a business running exercise classes for adults and children. Now I am retired, but still teach French to other elderly people in the University of the Third Age. My great interest is in philosophy.

Shawna and I have been writing to each other for nearly two years. I was introduced to her through Lifelines, which is a UK based organisation that supports and befriends prisoners on death row in the USA. I very much enjoy our correspondence and I feel that she has become a true friend. She has supported and befriended me, just as much as I have her. Shawna is extremely intelligent, thoughtful and amusing and I really admire her for the courage and determination she shows in having to live in such appalling circumstances. She works tirelessly to try to improve the living conditions for herself and her fellow inmates.

I am proud to have Shawna as a friend and am honoured that she asked me to contribute to her blog. I look forward to writing some articles looking at the death penalty from a philosophical perspective, researching different aspects of it in the USA and bringing news from around the world. It is gratifying that another country, Mongolia, has just abolished the death penalty and I sincerely hope that I will live to see its abolition in the USA.