Later. Not tonight — a delay — but not a stay.
Troy Davis will almost certainly be executed tonight in my home state, Georgia. It seems improper not to say something, but I will keep my thoughts brief.
- There’s no reason to think Troy Davis has to be a saint. He needn’t be a saint, only innocent of the crime and there are enough people I esteem who challenge his guilt for me to pay attention.
- The fatalism of those content — or willing — to see the execution take place undercuts the very idea of justice.
- I have long been uniformly opposed to the death penalty, but have been taken by those who uphold it to take exception in this case.
This execution is one of several episodes in recent months that makes me wonder if the United States is irrevocably damaged. I hope there’ll be an eleventh-hour stay, but I’m quite doubtful and rueful.
