I am always coming to DU for help.

[Th1onein]

My friends,

Thank you for all of the help that you have given me through the years. My family and friends in the "real" world and my DU family and friends, who are no less real than those I can touch and hold, have been there for me many times. You have commiserated with my loss when my nephew died in Iraq. You have helped me and my family enormously, when my sister was dying in St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. You have congratulated me and given me both direction and confidence, when I told you about my work with cystic fibrosis.

I am asking for your help again. I am sorry to have to ask you again, but you are a powerful group of people, and it is only the smart thing to do, to go to the power, when you need help.

I have been writing to a prisoner on Texas' death row for several years now. His name is Robert Perez. He was condemned to death for killing two people while he was a member of the Mexican Mafia. He's from San Antonio, Texas. He is scheduled to die by lethal injection on March 6 of this year--he has less than a month to live.

He is guilty. He killed those two people. He shot them. But his victims were shown more mercy than he will be shown. They died quickly. Their death was more merciful than his will be.

On December 13, 2006, Angel Diaz was put to death by the State of Florida. After the first injection, Mr. Diaz was struggling, and trying to mouth words. After the second injection, it took Mr. Diaz 34 minutes to die. Do you wonder how long it took BETWEEN injections, as I do? Think about it. Think about struggling for breath, and people scurrying around you, getting another IV ready to go into your veins. Try to imagine what it must have been like for Mr. Diaz, surrounded, not by loving members of his family, but by cold technicians who have one goal in mind: putting you to death. While you struggle to breath.

Governor Jeb Bush suspended all executions in the State of Florida two days later.

I beg you. Please, please do not let this be done to my friend. Please write your Congressman. Please write to Texas Governor Rick Perry, asking him to suspend death by lethal injection. Even if you believe in the death penalty, to die in this way, or to sanction this kind of death, is so wrong.

Here is Governor Perry's address:

Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, TX 78711-2428

You can also fax him at: 512-463-1849

The Talmud says that if you save one life, you save the world. I could not save my own child from cystic fibrosis, or my nephew from the Iraq War. But I tried. I am asking you, my friends at DU, to try, now, to save the life of Robert Perez.

[seriousstan]

1. Then let's be merciful and shoot him in the head. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

May he NEVER rest in hell.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

3. Barbaric

I can't believe that it is 2007 and people still think this way.

[kineneb]

4. life can be far more a punishment

As a person who has looked at taking their own life, death is an easy way out. Life can be a far better punishment for such a person. We all will die anyway, so why is it a punishment?

Punish those who deserve punishment by making their life hell on earth.

[BuyingThyme]

8. You are no better than he.

But I am not calling for your death.

[seriousstan]

14. Really? I shot and killed 2 people? I must have forgotten that.

[BuyingThyme]

15. No, you read a couple lines about a guy and decided

he should be shot in the head.

[seriousstan]

16. I guess he didn't get a trial with a jury. Whereas, you read a couple

lines about a guy and start crying a river for a murderous thug. Good luck with that. Perhaps you could invite him to live in your house with your family.

[spoony]

2. "Their death was more merciful than his will be"

I'm against the death penalty, but I have to say, your argument needs a hell of a lot of revision.

Is it necessary to diminish the victims' suffering in all of this?

[Th1onein]

5. I'm not here to fight with you. I'm asking you to help.

I'm not trying to diminish anyone's suffering. Or even make an argument. I'm asking for your help. Having seen someone suffocate to death, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Neither should you.

Now, you can either get off your butt and write to Gov. Rick Perry, or not. I'm not going to waste my time arguing the death penalty on a forum that is supposed to represent liberal views. You like the death penalty? Don't reply to the post.

But if you are against the death penalty, you should do something about it.

[spoony]

11. Please, don't

talk about how merciful it is to be shot to death and then presume to lecture me about liberal values.

[BlooInBloo]

6. Is this for real? Most bizarre post I've ever seen here.

[BuyingThyme]

7. Great post, Th1onein.

I don't know anything about this case, but I know right from wrong, and I know killing people is wrong.

It's so sad that right and wrong need to be explained to adults.

Thank you.

[brer cat]

12. I'm with Thyme on this.

:thumbsup:

edited to add:

Recommended in support of Th1onein.

[Richard Steele]

9. K & R

[onecent]

10. Glad to K and R number 5.

[JohnLocke]

13. WTF? (nt)

[varkam]

17. I think it's ironic...

that so many people wish to kill other people in order to demonstrate that killing people is wrong. Murder is murder, whether or not it is sanctioned by the state.

[tbyg52]

18. I'm against the death penalty

but writing or calling Perry will do about as much good as it would have when W was governor. (Unfortunately.)

[JNelson6563]

19. We kill people to teach them

killing is wrong. Oy.

Glad I'm in MI where we don't do the death penalty.

Julie