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Gov. Henry Disappoints
Death Penalty Opponents By Ray Dyer OKLAHOMA CITY — After hearing former Gov. Frank Keating, a Catholic, lecture Pope John Paul II on the morality of the death penalty a few years ago, opponents of capital punishment had hoped a new governor would bring a different viewpoint to Oklahoma. They’ve been disappointed. Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat, has basically mirrored Keating, a Republican, in his willingness to follow through with state-sponsored execution. “These politicians think they have to appear to be tough on crime,” said Annie Fowler, an outspoken opponent of the death penalty. “I say it’s time to be smart on crime,” said her husband, Jim Fowler. “We can save money and build a safer state.” Fowler said statistics support his claim. According to statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fowler said Oklahoma has 5.9 homicides for every 100,000 people. The national average is 5.6 homicides for every 100,000 people. Even more alarming is the fact that states that don’t use the death penalty have a homicide rate of 2.6 per 100,000 population. Paul Sund, spokesman for Gov. Henry, said the governor supports the death penalty because it is the law in Oklahoma. He said Gov. Henry “does not think it’s his place to second guess a judge and a jury. “The governor does not base his beliefs on statistics,” Sund said. Opponents of the death penalty, such as state Rep. Opio Toure, D-Oklahoma City, argue mistakes have been made in the death penalty and innocent people have been put to death. They point to the seven condemned men Oklahoma has set free from death row after DNA evidence proved them to be innocent of the crime for which they were convicted. Toure has called for a moratorium on the death penalty until a study of every execution conducted in Oklahoma can be completed. He has received criticism for his proposal. Sund said the fact DNA helped free innocent men from death row supports Gov. Henry’s argument. He said it was the appeals process that allowed DNA evidence to be introduced that led to the condemned men being freed from death row. “Gov. Henry has faith in the system,” Sund said. “If there is any doubt the appeals process will bear this out.” Not so fast, Fowler said. “What happens if there is no DNA evidence,” he asks. “The only time DNA evidence exists is if there is forensic evidence. There may not be forensic evidence in a drive-by shooting. What if we convict the wrong person in that case? What stops us from executing the wrong person?” It’s not worth the risk, Fowler said. He said modern prisons en-sure convicted killers are kept behind bars and away from society. “We’re supposed to live as Christ lived,” he said. Fowler said those who turn to the Bible to support capital punishment find the basis for their arguments in the Old Test-ament. “We are Christians, Christianity is from the New Testament. If you want to live by the Old Testament death is justified in a lot of offenses. Prostitution, blasphemy, striking or cursing your parents, adultery- all of these justified death in the Old Testament. I don’t hear too many people calling for the death penalty for these offenses.” |