Life of a Black Person

Life of a Black Person I would like to preface this by saying if you havent read Vincents amazing post Black Lives Matter (https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/black-lives-matter), read that first, then come back and read this post. As many of you are aware, the racial tensions in America are currently at an all-time high. From the murder of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, to the tragic deaths of four hardworking police officers in Dallas, it feels like America is barely holding together. As events unfolded a number of questions presented themselves to both black minds and not: I am not black, can I still support Black Lives Matter? Is there even really a race issue? Are you okay? What is the point? Nothing is going to change. You go to MIT, isnt that enough proof to say that racism isnt alive? Isnt Black Lives Matter just a hate group? Shouldnt we be working to shut them down? What about black-on-black crime? Do you hate the police? Arent the police the real victims? Dont all lives matter? I am sure these are a question everyone has seen at least once, if not a million times. Vincents post showed some of the worst of what people like us have to deal with. I would like to say that I haven’t had to live through stories like his, but that would be lying to every one of you. Here, I want to try my best to share a few moments in my life that might help those with these questions understand why I believe a movement such as Black Lives Matter is one of the most important developments of my life time. These moments in my life are not extreme in the sense that I had to fear for my life, which was already beautifully covered by Vincent. These are the small subtleties that no one but a black person can understand. These are not huge events, just moments in my life. These are moments where I realized that unlike some of my friends, I am still not equal. Summer before Freshman Year, Maryland: I believe that he should start with regular classes, The summer counselor looked over my middle school resume, nearly all A’s with a single B from Spanish 1 in eighth grade. I had just moved from Texas to Maryland, and I was going through a very familiar process. “Why? He has nearly perfect scores. He ran extremely well on his cross country team, and has demonstrated above average ability in every subject and hasn’t missed a single day of school.” My mom spoke with an icy frustration. My parents were not new to this process. At my first elementary school, they had to ask the school to not put me in remedial math, despite my perfect scores. At my second elementary school, they had to ask to put me in the gifted program, despite me scoring 50 points above the program’s requirements. And again in middle school, they had to ask for the school to not put me in the lowest classes. Their patience had long frozen over. “Well, yes. He has done well, but don’t you think it would be better for him to start at the bottom and work his way up? We wouldn’t want him to be overwhelmed by a new environment.” She tilted her head slightly to the side, and smiled. I could feel my mother’s hand squeeze tighter around mine. I could see the frosty frustration melt, and reveal behind it sat a fiery anger. My parents had left their homes and families in order to get a better education, so that my siblings and I wouldn’t have to “start at the bottom.” Yet here was summer counselor offering it to us like a present. “I think it would be better if you put him in honors classes.” We got up and left. Fast food restaurant, GA: “Whoa, you guys would make a fantastic football team!” The older white man looked at my family as we ate our hot wings. My four siblings and I looked at him. I was the biggest of us at only 5’4” 110lbs (163cm 50kg) as a sophomore in high school. We were seven people short of an offensive line five people short if you included my parents. My dad raised his left eyebrow, slightly annoyed. “What about an amazing team of doctors?” My dad spoke with a sense of urgency, looking the man in the eyes. My dad didn’t blink. He just looked at him. The man laughed. “Maybe a basketball team.” Outside Walmart, TX: “NIGGERRRR!” Senior Year Math Competition, GA: “You are a menace to this competition. I cannot believe your behavior. Where is your president?! WHERE IS YOUR PRESIDENT?!” The proctor of the competition was red in the face. Sweat slid down his forehead down from the thin strands of hair that remained on his head. My girlfriend and I, the only African Americans at the competition of almost 300 students, both stood at the receiving end of his sweat, spit, and steam. Apparently, someone from our school had disturbed the competition. Of course neither of us were in the same room as the event, but yet here we were. “Sir we are two of the team’s presidents.” Over the last two years I had spent night after night studying the Art of Problem Solving, laboring over past exams, and helping lead our school to a hopeful math team victory. It was only this past year that I had been given the position as president. To me, someone that had never really been great at sports, music, or anything else of the sort, being recognized for my work in academics had meant the world to me. However….. That meant nothing right now. “NO! WHERE IS YOUR PRESIDENT? SHOW ME YOUR PRESIDENT!” He didn’t believe me. “WHERE IS YOUR PRESIDENT! MOVE! I WILL FIND HIM MYSELF!” He walked between the two of us, and straight to my school’s math team coach. After a short conversation, my coach looked at us, then the proctor, then waved us over. “These are two of the school’s most hardworking presidents. If you have any problems, feel free to take it up with them.” The man looked at the two of us, and it seemed he had lost all of his previous steam. He didn’t apologize, and apparently he was no longer angry about whoever might have really been a problem. He just left. Time after time I have to come to face the fact that I am still not on equal ground to those that are around me. Time after time I have to face the fact that even after I leave MIT, I will be black first and whatever else second , if at all. Time after time I have to be aware of the fact that very few of my peers will ever understand a day in my life. Yet time after time I will do everything I can to fight for equality for my race. So next time a comment comes up saying “Racism is dead, they are angry over perceived slights.”, remember this post. Remember a little bit of what it is like in the life of a black person.

Taking a Look at Capital Punishment - 1003 Words

Capital punishment is a topic highly debated upon. For years the court systems have been debating whether the criminals deserve this strict punishment or not. However, despite the verdict from the judge, people have still been divided on whether capital punishment does more harm than good. A major subject that comes up is if the government has a justifiable reason for killing convicted people. Some only look at the negative but there are plenty of reasons why this is a positive action. Capital punishment is beneficial because it will have a better long term effect on society, the crime rate would go down, and it would give the victims family closure. Capital punishment would have a better long term effect on society. With capital punishment enforced repeat offenders would be off the streets. This would protect the lives of innocent civilians. â€Å"However, if the goal is to separate the criminal from society, capital punishment would provide a literally guaranteed rate of successâ €  (Free World 3). Another thing that would happen with capital punishment enforced is that any other crime the criminal may have had planned could be avoided. â€Å"What about those repeat offenders who have graduated to murder number two or worse?† (Grace 269). This means that whatever repeat offense the criminal had planned on committing could be stopped before it even got started.. â€Å"I know it is not about numbers, but repeat murders make a powerful argument for the death penalty† (Grace 269). Most peopleShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Capital Punishment677 Words   |  3 Pagesdeath penalty for alleged criminals in the United States needs to change because there is an unacceptable number of posthumous exonerations, and a negative generational impact on the family of the accused. The death penalty is a common method of capital punishment in the United States, used mainly for serious crimes such as murder. Currently, there are five different authorized methods of execution in this country: hanging, electrocution, lethal gas, firing squad, and lethal injection. Of these five,Read MoreTaking a Look at Capital Punishment1004 Words   |  4 PagesFurman had four main arguments: most western nations had abolished capital punishment because it was an unsuccessful way to deter crime; juries only handed out about 100 death penalties each year, and only about 50 prisoners were sentenced to death so capital punishment was not being issued objectively; national prison records stated that executions almost always involved black prisoners; and the only reason why capital punishment had not been abolished in the United States is because legislaturesRead MoreTaking a Look at Capital Punishment1080 Words   |  4 Pages Since 1608, legal systems have used capital punishment as justice. â€Å"As of November 2014, 32 states have the death penalty. There have been a total of 1348 executions from January 1977 to the end of 2014† (capitalpunishmentuk). The capital punishment only affects those who sentenced in the crime of rape or murder. The most popular death method is lethal injection. There are other options such as â€Å"electrocution, hanging, shooting, and the gas chamber† (capitalpunishmentuk) but theses alternativeRead MoreTaking a Look at Capital Punishment606 Words   |  2 PagesWould you rather want the murderer of your loved one to have a capital punishment or do you want them to spend their entire life in a prison cell? That question raises a lot of controversy to the public because of the capital punishment. To prevent criminals from killing they are given a capital punishment who has committed horrendous crimes to satisfy oneself, but many people think that criminals shou ldnt be given death penalty because it decreases the value of life. In the article â€Å"Death andRead MoreTaking a Look at Capital Punishment2178 Words   |  9 PagesCapital punishment also known as the death penalty is a sentence which requires the use of deadly force on high risk inmates. This form of punishment has become a controversial topic for many debates. 58 nations are currently using capital punishment in their justice systems, 97 countries have decided to abolish it completely. Canada decided to abolish capital punishment from the Canadian Criminal Code in 1976, and many argue whether the abolishment had any positive outcome on Canada’s justice systemRead MoreTaking a Look at Capital Punishment764 Words   |  3 PagesDeath penalty is also known as capital punishment. Capital Punishment is a penalty of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. The death penalty was established in America in 1608. The British influenced America to use the death sentence. The first recorded practice of the death penalty in America was to Caption George Kendall in Virginia, he was found guilty of being a spy for Spain. However, the death penalty came long before Captain George Kendall. The first establishedRead MoreCessation of Life: Who are we to choose?- A look into the Death Penalty686 Words   |  3 Pages The topic of capital punishment is a hot one. Human beings are capable of doing some monstrous things. For a victim of a heinous crime, sometimes the only justice seems to be an eye for an eye. And most of the time those victims look to our court systems to provide that justice. But is death the answer? I believe that with human fallibility and the fallibility of our court system as variables, that a sentence that cannot be overturned should not be passed down in any case, especially when thatRead MoreA Hanging By George Orwell1141 Words   |  5 Pagesconvey his argument against capital punishment. Orwell as an officer of the law is sworn to enforce the laws of the state, even if he disagrees with them morally. Orwell wrote â€Å"A Hanging† using an event he acted in to describe his point on why capital punishment is a crime against nature. Although as a police man he could not oppose the law, his story â€Å"A Hanging†, Orwell shows his opposition through many s ymbolic forms. Like Orwell I too am against capital punishment, by writing â€Å"A Hanging† GeorgeRead More Capital Punishment Essay - Justice in Retribution1470 Words   |  6 PagesCapital Punishment: Justice in Retribution       The American government operates in the fashion of an indirect democracy. Citizens live under a social contract whereby individuals agree to forfeit certain rights for the good of the whole. Punishments for crimes against the state are carried out via due process, guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. The use of capital punishment is decided by the state, which is legal in thirty-seven states. It is a moral imperative to protect the states rightsRead MorePersuasive Essay On Capital Punishment906 Words   |  4 PagesWhen talking about social injustices, capital punishment is the worst one of all. It is the final straw of any government sanctioned disciplinary action. There is no going back, no reversing or patching up mistakes. When a government makes the decision to exact capital punishment on someone, that’s it. They can no longer redeem themselves, atone for their sins, and try to contribute to society in a good, well-mannered way because they will no longer exist i n this world. This act of ‘justice’ is clearly

Definition and Types of Illocutionary Force

In speech-act theory, illocutionary force  refers to a speakers intention in delivering an utterance  or to the kind of illocutionary act the speaker is performing. Also known as an illocutionary function  or illocutionary point. In Syntax: Structure, Meaning, and Function (1997), Van Vallin and LaPolla state that illocutionary force refers to whether an utterance is an assertion, a question, a command or an expression of a wish. These are different types of illocutionary force, which means that we can talk about interrogative illocutionary force, imperative illocutionary force, optative illocutionary force, and declarative illocutionary force. The terms illocutionary act and illocutionary force were introduced by British linguistic philosopher John L. Austin in How to Do Things With Words (1962). Examples and Observations Illocutionary Act and Illocutionary Force [A]n illocutionary act refers to the type of function a speaker intends to accomplish in the course of producing an utterance. It is an act accomplished in speaking and defined within a system of social conventions. Thus, if John says to Mary Pass me the glasses, please, he performs the illocutionary act of requesting or ordering Mary to hand the glasses over to him. The functions or actions just mentioned are also referred to as the illocutionary force or illocutionary point of the speech act. The illocutionary force of a speech act is the effect a speech act is intended to have by a speaker. Indeed, the term speech act in its narrow sense is often taken to refer specifically to illocutionary act.(Yan Huang, The Oxford Dictionary of Pragmatics. Oxford University Press, 2012) Illocutionary Force Indicating Devices There are different devices used to indicate how an illocutionary force must be interpreted. For example, Open the door and Could you open the door have the same propositional content (open the door), but they represent different illocutionary acts—an order and a request respectively. These devices that aid the hearer in identifying the illocutionary force of the utterance are referred to as the illocutionary force indicating devices or IFIDs [also called illocutionary force markers]. Performative verbs, mood, word order, intonation, stress are examples of IFIDs.(Elizabeth Flores Salgado,  The Pragmatics of Requests and Apologies. John Benjamins, 2011) I may indicate the kind of illocutionary act I am performing by beginning the sentence with I apologize, I warn, I state, etc. Often, in actual speech situations, the context will make it clear what the illocutionary force of the utterance is, without its being necessary to invoke the appropriate explicit illocutionary force indicator.(John R. Searle,  Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language. Cambridge University Press, 1969) "I Was Just Saying That" Kenneth Parcell: Im sorry, Mr. Jordan. Im just overworked. With my page duties and being Mr. Donaghys assistant, theres not enough hours in the day.Tracy Jordan: Im sorry about that. But just let me know if theres any way I can help.Kenneth: Actually, there is one thing...Tracy: No! I was just saying that! Why cant you read human facial cues (Jack McBrayer and Tracy Morgan, Cutbacks. 30 Rock, April 9, 2009) Pragmatic Competence Achieving pragmatic competence involves the ability to understand the illocutionary force of an utterance, that is, what a speaker intends by making it. This is particularly important in cross-cultural encounters since the same form (e.g. When are you leaving?) can vary in its illocutionary force depending on the context in which it is made (e.g. May I have a ride with you? or Dont you think it is time for you to go?).(Sandra Lee McKay, Teaching English as an International Language. Oxford University Press, 2002) What I Really Mean When I say how are you to a co-worker, I really mean hello. Although I know what I mean by how are you, it is possible that the receiver does not know that I mean hello and actually proceeds to give me a fifteen-minute discourse on his various maladies.(George Ritzer, Sociology: A Multiple Paradigm Science. Allyn Bacon, 1980)

The Charmer Free Essays

â€Å"The Charmer† by Budge Wilson is a short story that displays the important of the role of family circulating through a main character named Zack. Just as any family, the parent has an important role that is to love, forgive and care for their children; but Zack’s failure was affected by these factors in his family. The love, forgiveness and lack of discipline from all family members create Zack’s childhood character and his adulthood down fall. We will write a custom essay sample on The Charmer or any similar topic only for you Order Now First of all, growing up as a happy and popular young man, Zack creates himself the prefect reputation with lots of room for love and smothering from his mother and two sisters. They love him so much and show this love by being at his every beckoning. According to Winnifred, â€Å"I was Zachary’s willing slave. Slavery, in fact, was in vogue in our house. † (Wilson, 102), Zack is overwhelmed with love and good deeds sent in his direction. He takes advantage of these kind gestures and never really appreciates what his family has done for him. Besides that, the family also gives him so much love just because â€Å"he was the only son, the only brother, the oldest child in the family† (103). He is spoiled by such irrational blind love, and that leads him to being a selfish and irresponsible person. That is why he starts to a have a sign of a â€Å"real evil† (103) when he is still young. In opposite, if his parent shares their love to his sisters, he would have learnt how to love and share responsibilities. Secondly, Zack’s bad behaviours also develop from his parent’s forgiveness. He dares to eat the cake that his mom makes for the church bazaar; and, he uses just some flattery words to fool his mom into forgiveness: â€Å"Go ahead. Have another piece. You certainly are the limit! † (102). He is taught that he can do something knowing he should not and stand a very good chance getting away with it. Zack makes mistakes but gets away without punishment or a good lesson. His down fall continues with lies, stealing money, smoking, drinking, smashing the family’s car, dumping his Dad’s toolbox, etc. , during his teenager age. He even takes the family car when they need to go see Lizzie on her dead bed, â€Å"but Mom forgave him everything† because â€Å"he’s sensitive, he’s taking it hard, and he can’t face what ahead for us. (104). His mother thinks that letting her son run free is good for him but actually just makes him worst. His mother thinks that he is suffering but actually he does not care for any one other than himself. Wrongfully forgiveness is a counteraction that also affect to Zack’s failure. At the age of twenty-four, he is still living at home, looses his job one aft er another, and plunges himself into drinking and gambling. Finally, the lack of discipline in the family, especially from Zack’s father, is also a key factor to Zack’s debouching. His father makes mistake of not saying or doing anything about his disagreement with the way Zack is treated, the bad behaviours Zack encountered. Winnifred describes that: â€Å"Even Dad took a long time to wake up† and â€Å"he would just leave the room and go out to his work shed and sit and rock and rock in that old chair of his† (103). The father is the male role model in a family. He knows about Zack’s problem, he knows about Zack’s bad behaviours, but why he does not act until it’s too late? Without discipline, Zack never learns from his mistake. Besides that, Zack’s mother also lacks in parental and discipline. Every time Zack acts as prodigal son, he â€Å"always left Mom in tatters† (103). This caption shows soften in his mother’s heart that makes she forget about the role of a parent when her son makes mistake. She is afraid her son would think bad of her, maybe even hate her if she applies discipline on him. When his Dad gives him two choices: stay with discipline or leave; Zack chooses to leave the family and end up destroying his life in gambling and drinking. In a family, love and forgiveness and discipline is really necessary present and being applied reasonable. Excessive love will become blind love. The parent sometimes has to put their love aside, and do what is best for their child. Forgiveness is necessary but if a parent forgives too easily, the child will take advantage of his rights. Although, with that comes discipline, less suffering will follow. A family is the foundation of a society and family really affects to the success or failure of each person in life. Hopefully through this story, readers will get a lesson about how to raise their children properly. How to cite The Charmer, Essay examples

Funding to Provide Training to Actors

Question: Developed a project proposal, the aim of which is to provide training to actors who have oversight functions in the security sector in a country that has recently experienced conflict. Write a cover letter to a prospective donor to accompany your funding request. In this short cover letter summarise why oversight is important and provide an overview of the type of training you will provide and to whom it will be provided. Answer: Importance of oversight The term oversight comprises of a number of important functions such as reviewing, monitor as well as supervision of different agencies at federal level, for activities, programs, policy implementation and so on. For these functions usually a committee of external members are formed which oversees the operational aspects local committees handling different function like finance, health, public works, security etc. This kind of oversight committees gather relevant information about functioning of each departments followed by proper monitoring and evaluation. These in turn form the basis of transparency in good governance. Specific purpose of oversight function involves examining the operation and activities of executive committees, proper and efficient use of available resources towards maximization of benefits so as to achieve the goals, and maintaining transparency. The importance of oversight committees lies with dealing specific type of issues prioritized for better delivery of se rvice. It also helps in bringing down corruption and enhancing transparency and public accountability. The oversight functions have a lot of significance mainly in security sector in the country which has recently experienced conflict. This is because one cannot have development without having security and vice-versa. This is well accepted across globe that the freedom or security of people or society from conflict is a bare necessity to achieve long term social and economic development. And the long term security can be achieved only when democratic control exists in security sector of a country. This includes military, police as well as intelligence agencies. Significance of funding training on oversight functions It is well documented and observed that in countries which experience civil war and other major conflicts whenever security sectors work autonomously without regarding law of the country and following principles of democracy and good management, poverty management becomes extremely problematic. Hence substantial technical expertise and financial help would be necessary to bring them come out the problems. Mainly the funding agencies would play major role to support improved governance and oversight training of security sector (Ball, 2001). Against this backdrop, the current proposal signifies the need of funding for the training of the country A for improving oversight function in security sector. Overview of the type of training Given that often post conflict countries face problems of security in general and enhanced disadvantage for minority groups by ethnicity, gender, age etc., specialized training would be required to tackle these issue more sympathetically. Training to all official in security sector of the country A at all level which include military, police, bureaucrats will necessary. The training should comprise issues to sensitize officials, capacity building to monitor intended progress and undertake evaluation to design necessary course correction. To whom training will be provided Training will be given to people who are mainly involved in oversight functions in security sector. Specifically the police officers at different level for this phase of training will be covered. As the post conflict countries have enhanced probability of disadvantage for the minority groups and gender disparity, training to police officers will focus to these areas. Experts will be employed to increase sensitization among trainee officers. They will also be given on how to monitor intended progress and undertake necessary course correction. Reference 1. Sinnar, Shirin 2013, Protecting Rights from Within? Inspectors General and National Security Oversight ,Stan. L. Rev. vol. 65 , pp.1027-10852. Ball, Nicole 2001, Transforming security sectors: the IMF and World Bank approaches, Conflict, Security Development, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 45-663. Born, Hans 2002, Democratic Oversight of the Security Sector. What does it mean?, Geneva centre for the democratic control of armed forces (DCAF) working paper series no. 9.4. Brinkerhoff, D. W. 2005, Rebuilding governance in failed states and post conflict societies: core concepts and crosscutting themes, Public Admin. Dev., vol. 25, pp.314.

Utopia And Prince Essays - Machiavellianism, Niccol Machiavelli

Utopia And Prince The Prince in an effort to discover their views on Human nature---This paper can easily be transformed from this topic. Niccolo Machiavelli vs. Thomas More : Defining Human Nature It is difficult to determine Niccolo Machiavelli's and Thomas More's view on human's nature. Each took a different approach to the topic. Through Utopia, Thomas More attempted to change man's thinking by creating an ideological society. Niccolo Machiavelli, through The Prince, attempted to teach man how to deal with human nature. With this in mind, Machiavelli's concept is much more realistic than More's; therefore Machiavelli better represents human nature. Machiavelli's view of human nature in The Prince, presents, on the surface, a view of governing a state drastically different for his time. Machaivelli believed that the ruling Prince should be the sole authority determining every aspect of the state and put into effect a policy which would serve his best interests. With this, Machiavelli uses the prince as man, and the state as the man's life. These interests were gaining, maintaining, and expanding his political power. Though in some cases Machiavelli may seem harsh and immoral, one must remember that his views were derived from concern of Italy's unstable political condition in the 1500s. Machiavelli seems to be teaching the common man how to live his life so that their life is good and prosperous. Machiavelli generally distrusted citizens, stating that "...since men are a sorry lot and will not keep their promises to you, you likewise need not keep yours to them" (Machiavelli 651). Furthermore, " a prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promises" when, "such an observance of faith would be to his disadvantage; and when the reasons which made him promise are removed" (651). Machiavelli did not feel that a Prince should mistreat the citizens. This suggestion once again to serve the Prince's best interests. If a Prince can not be both feared and loved, Machiavelli suggests, it would be better for him to be feared by the citizens within his own dogma. He makes the generalization that men are, "... ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders of danger, greedy for gain; and while you work for their good they are yours" (649). He characterizes men as being self-centered and not willing to act in the best interest of the state," and when it (danger) comes nearer to you they turn away" (649). Machiavelli reinforces the Prince's need to be feared by stating: "...men are less hesitant about harming someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared..." (649). The bond of love is one which men, the wretched creatures they are, break when it is to their advantage to do so; "... fear is held together by a dread of punishment which will never abandon you"(649). Machiavelli suggests that the key to being a good "prince," is deception. "It is necessary to know how to disguise this nature well and to be a great hypocrite and a liar: and men are so simple-minded and so controlled by their present necessities that one who deceives will always find another who will allow himself to be deceived" (651). Machiavelli states that men judge more, "with their eyes than with their hands." And with this Machiavelli claims that, "everyone sees what you seem to be, few people perceive what you are," (652) and those who do realize what the Prince is, dare not tell, for the Prince has the power of the masses to protect him. Machiavelli, in a sense, describes how to live, successfully and prosperously, by dealing with the human's nature. He details how one is to manipulate another's thought, in order to place oneself in a more respectable position. With this, Machiavelli pronounces human nature to be very cold-blooded, deceiving, self-centered, and most of all temperamental. Thomas More, in Utopia, tried to express that the only way for a better life was through change. More's key complaints of human nature were greed, power, and pride. More, seemingly, imagined a society, in which these three things no longer existed, believing that they were man's downfall. The main thought that he attempted to instill in the minds of the English was this: Take a miserable spell of disastrous harvests, when many of thousand of men have passed on in hunger. If at the end of this famine the barns of the rich were searched, surely enough provisions would be found in them to have saved the lives of those who died from starvation and disease, if it had been rationed equally among them.

Pro Death Panalty Speech †Fiction

Pro Death Panalty Speech – Fiction Free Online Research Papers Good day ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank all of you for coming out today and hope you are all enjoying the croissants and Starbuck’s coffee provided as a courtesy of your great state. Please allow me to introduce myself before we get started. My name is Slick Perry and if you didn’t already know, I am the state governor of Texas. You are all aware that we are reviewing our recidivism rate to various crimes and reviewing our stance regarding the death penalty as we approach 2009. Everyone here understands that capital punishment is a very controversial topic in the United States. In Texas, from December 1982 through August 2008, only 361 criminals of the millions of Texans in our good state were executed for the wickedest of crimes. We would all like to think more people would think twice before committing murder, knowing that they had to sit in jail for the rest of their lives with a life surrounded by complete boredom and misery. Unfortunately, this is not the case nor is it our desire to place people on death row matter-of-factly just because it’s an option available to us. We continually strive to make our judicial system fairer anticipating that the best verdicts are handed down based on the sound judgment of your peers. Anyone who has sat on a jury panel with the death penalty as a choice o f punishment knows this can be a very difficult thing to do, is one of our most difficult decisions but, inevitably, will be decided again. When European settlers came to the new world, they brought the practice of capital punishment with them. The first recorded implementation of the death penalty was Captain George Kendall which occurred in the Jamestown colony of Virginia, 1608. George Kendall was executed for being a spy for Spain. In 1612, Virginia Governor Sir Thomas Dale enacted the Divine, Moral and Martial Laws, where executions were not as humane as today and the death penalty was carried out by crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement. Thankfully we have evolved more humanitarian methods. In Texas, after sentencing, if the death penalty is handed down by the judge, most cases are appealed giving the vile defendant a chance to circumvent the just desserts. Many death penalty cases are appealed by a writ of habeas corpus action to determine whether the person in the custody of legal authorities is lawfully detained in accordance with the constitutional rules. It is at this point that the Eighth Amendment from the U.S. Constitution protects those Texas inmates where, ‘excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Since, by some, the death penalty is considered ‘cruel and unusual punishment this has become a popular appeal. Yes, it is true that Texas leads the nation in the number of executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, but it is our ethical legal moralism, our law enforcement officers and the duty of our fellow Texans doing what we should be doing stopping the evil s courge of society! Your society! In the 1958 the Supreme Court ruled in Trop v. Dulles (356 U.S. 86), which itself is not a death penalty case; the Eighth Amendment contained an evolving standard of decency that marked the progress of a maturing society. Death penalty opponents used this case as a basis for their argument that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment because the U.S. had evolved to a point that its standard of decency no longer tolerated the death penalty. This is not the case my good people and the decency we offer convicted murderers is a painless alternative to those methods used in the 1600s. The practice of using the death penalty continued until it was suspended in the early 1970s. On June 29, 1972, in the case of Furman v. Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty violated the Eighth Amendments prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. This was due in part to the fact that juries had complete sentencing discretion which could result in arbitrary sentencing, and the Courts deemed it was also a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process. Keep in my mind that in Texas only the most vial and cruel criminals are placed on death row, and, who are the most deserving. The consequences of the Supreme Court’s 1972 ruling voided 40 death penalty statutes, thereby commuting the sentences of 629 death row inmates around the country, 45 from Texas and suspending the death penalty because existing statutes were no longer valid. However, this ruling went against the U.S. public majority where, in fact, over 55% of U.S. citizens were in favor of the death penalty. Some states rewrote their death penalty laws to address the unconstitutionality of giving juries complete discretion in sentencing by setting a mandated capital punishment for those convicted of capital crimes. The Supreme Court ruled in Woodson v. North Carolina (1976) this was also unconstitutional. A different approach by some states was to introduce mitigating and aggravating factors when determining sentencing where, in 1976, the Supreme Court ultimately approved. The Supreme Court also held that the death penalty itself was once again constitutional under the Eighth Amendment allowing states a new dawn for a better society. On January 17, 1977, the suspension of the death penalty officially ended with the execution of Gary Gilmore in Utah, by firing squad, and that same year the introduction and use of the new kinder gentler lethal injection was administered by Oklahoma. In 1977, after the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, over 65% of U.S. citizens were in favored of it. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty the Supreme Court has further defined the Eighth Amendments relationship to the death Penalty. In the same year it was reinstated the Courts ruled that it was deemed to harsh for instances of kidnapping, rape, being mentally incompetent and juveniles younger that 15. However it was determined in Stanford v. Kentucky that the constitution does not prohibit the death penalty for 16-year olds who commit murder. Since 1977 our state has focused every effort to save your taxpaying money and kept Texans protected from paying a state sales tax. Unlike other states we’ve done this by managing inmate total cost and making executions cost effective as possible with renowned success. We’ve even managed to redirect that extra money towards repairing our roads and funding school programs for our kids. You! The Texas taxpayer, paid an average of 43% lower cost than the other states to house inmates and less than one-hundred dollars to rid the state of each of its worst offenders. My fellow Texans, I know the death penalty is a very touchy subject to a few of you and the views of individuals who either favor or oppose the action are coupled with not only moral values and ethical beliefs, but are as personally diverse emotionally regarding race, abortion, religion and if McCain or Obama should be the next president. The most popular alternative of death penalty opponents is life in prison with no possibility of parole and the additional penalty of restitution compensation to victim’s families. Unfortunately, there is no effect of this swaying proponents of the death penalty nor is there any substantial evidence of its effectiveness to reduce the number murders committed nationwide. Currently, over 65% of the U.S. is in favor of the death penalty. In our great state of Texas we have become a kinder gentler state where we, Texans, have implemented the use of lethal injection as means of execution. We started this in 1977, used it for the first time in 1982 and continue to use it to this day. I have two promises for you my friends. My first promise to you and my personal guarantee is that we will keep capital punishment as it is and continue to reevaluate its effectiveness and use; continually reviewing its pros and cons. If a majority of Texans agree that there are better restorative justice methods or positive retribution alternatives we will change our stance to how we administer capital punishment. My second promise and guarantee is for as long as the death penalty is still practiced, the malevolent and immoral death row inmates who make it to execution will never hurt you, your family, your friends or your children ever again. Death row inmates are fulfilling the appropriate punishment handed down to them by our Texas due process of law. Only God is left for them to answer to in their final judgment. My fellow Texans, I hope ya’ll stick around to enjoy the free lunch sponsored by Chili’s and remember to vote for me for reelection. Thank you. 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