Yeah, cause a black man who was murdered by our racist government despite overwhelming doubt of his guilt is TOOOOTAAAALLLY on the same level as some psychopathic serial killers.
Considering the occupation is confronting a screwed up system that lets these things happen, it’s a pretty apt renaming, if you ask me.
My comment was not ill-considered. In fact, it’s something I’ve thought a lot about. Following is what I wrote the day after Davis was put to death. I stand my my thoughts…
There is a lot of outrage today over the execution of Troy Davis, and I believe there should be, but the outrage grabbing 99% of the headlines is a bunch of crap. We should be outraged that the death penalty even exists in our country. We should be outraged that a police officer trying to help someone was gunned down in the prime of his life. We should be outraged that a family lost a husband, father, and son. We should be outraged at all of the individuals and groups putting their agendas before the facts. We should be outraged at the continued behavior and final act of Troy Davis. And we should be outraged that a dead man’s family has not only had to wait decades for closure, but that they’ve been continuously put in the position of aggressor when they are in fact the victim.
None of our outrage should be where the loudest of it is right now. None of our outrage should be wasted in believing that it was an innocent man who died last night. Troy Davis is guilty. Troy Davis knew he was guilty. Troy Davis died guilty.
None of the people wearing “I am Troy Davis” t-shirts are anything like Troy Davis. They’re not him, because no matter how misplaced their outrage is, they are at least proving they care about someone, and last night the irony was that the person they cared most about was a person who only ever cared about himself. With his final words, Troy Davis once again proved he is as selfish and self-centered as the night he murdered a cop. By continuing to claim his innocence, he continued to punish and mock everyone including the victim’s family, the jurors who condemned him, and society. He had one final chance to do the right thing, and he could not.
Although Davis, and only Davis, doomed himself to die a guilty man, his death should never have been at the hands of society. To me it is simple: Davis was guilty, and the death penalty is wrong. Those statements represent the two issues at play here, but the real problem is the refusal by so many to separate the two. There is guilt and there is the death penalty. Too many opponents of the death penalty wrongly used the Troy Davis case. They wrongly used it because it not only made Davis look innocent, but it put the victim’s family through years and years of hell. It is a worthy cause to rail against the death penalty. It is barbaric, it makes nothing right, it is not justice, and it lowers all of us to the level of the guilty. However, we still have to wage a fair fight against it, and a fair fight does not include making martyrs of the guilty and punishing the innocent and grieving. To pick and choose the facts of a case and ignore everything else in order to fight a related battle is not fair.
The Troy Davis case passed the test over and over again when looked at fully and logically through ever escalating levels of our court system. Only when stirred by headline grabbing media and agenda driven zealots arming themselves only with facts convenient for their battle can Davis ever look innocent. The full story is the true story, and it was the full story that convicted a murderer.
I think it’s time we allow the victims to move on with their lives. I think it’s time to let Davis rest in what little peace he may be able to find. And, I think it’s time we abolish the death penalty on its own lack of merit and not on the back of straw arguments.
Davis was guilty, and the death penalty is wrong.
_______________
My thoughts exactly. Well written. I’m sorry folks, but if you actually looked at ALL the facts in this case, it’s a no brainer that Troy Davis was guilty.
You are entitled to your opinion on the guilt or innocence of Troy Davis, but to compare the case to Manson or Gacey is demeaning to all involved. As to your well-written, longer opinion, you mention straw arguments, but you frequently cite the pain of the family’s victim in your argument. As terrible as that pain certainly was, it is irrelevant to Davis’s guilt or innocence. In this case, the victim’s family has no more knowledge of the victim’s guilt or innocence that you or I do. I have no opinion about Davis’s case, not having closely followed it or examined all the evidence. But I do believe a crass jab at opinions held just as passionately as your own is, if not ill-considered, is arrogant in its assumption that those holding them have not also carefully considered the evidence.
I get what you’re saying, but I was simply using hyperbole to exaggerate how ridiculous I believe it would be to name a park after a cop killer. Those who even suggest it is okay continue to disrespect the memory of the dead officer. I’ll say it again, Davis should be alive, but not because he was innocent.
For the record, the picture was taken at the very small Occupy Atlanta encampment in Woodruff Park.
Meanwhile, thousands of marchers have closed the Port of Oakland this evening.
These “protests” are so foolish. Like Herman Cain said, they’re just playing the victim card. They need to go home and actually do something productive. Do that, or all they’ll be occupying is a jail cell.
I got an amazing window into the minds of people who think Herman Cain is an arbiter of reason yesterday. I kept thinking, “I need to share this somewhere,” and now DM has given me my opening:
Co-Worker: “Herman Cain is a brilliant man who thinks outside the box.”
Me: “He’s brilliant?”
Co-Worker: “He beat two types of cancer!”
So there you have it. Herman Cain is brilliant because his superhuman mind willed away cancer.
Sounds like you got a window (amazing or not) into the mind of one person, unless your co-worker is able to read the minds of other Cain supporters and was reporting to you what they were thinking.
Protests are an important part of a functioning democracy. Although I don’t agree with all that these people are saying, I don’t understand people who are so upset by protesters. To me, it reveals an ignorance of history.
Naming it Troy Davis Park is just stupid PR. There’s nothing 99% about that. Way off track of the real point. This is about a government that is bought and paid for it – stay on message. Instead we’ve got cases like this thread where people are reacting (rightfully, I think) to the celebration of a convicted cop killer.
You don’t name these things after the “heroes” or the oppressed (or whatever they were going after with Troy Davis ).
I agree. (though I wouldn’t go so far as to call it stupid pr; I’ve talked to some of these kids and they truly believe Davis was wrongly executed by a racist state). It’s a message that resonates with many; big money has corrupted the system. Stay close to that issue and related ones, e.g. the corporate personhood nonsense, and they may have a real impact.
No, it’s totally stupid PR. You can’t claim to represent the 99% and then feature a fringe issue. The majority of this country does not share their weird beliefs about Troy Davis and naming the park after him just alienates a ton of potential supporters. That’s practically the definition of bad PR.
I agree. It obfuscates the issue. As demonstrated by the conversation on this thread. I was hoping that the snapshot would start a discussion about the OWS movement, to help me to sort out my own thinking on the subject.
Latest from Decaturish
Troy Davis Park. Isn’t that at the corner of John Wayne Gacy Rd. and Charles Manson Ave.?
Or it might be at the intersection of Damien Echols Street and Lena Baker Boulevard.
+1, and then some…
“Or it might be at the intersection of Damien Echols Street and Lena Baker Boulevard.”
One of the most brilliant retorts to an ill-considered “joke” I’ve seen on this site.
I don’t know enough about Damien Echols, but to put Troy Davis in the same group as Lena Baker is disgusting.
Thank you.
Yeah, cause a black man who was murdered by our racist government despite overwhelming doubt of his guilt is TOOOOTAAAALLLY on the same level as some psychopathic serial killers.
Considering the occupation is confronting a screwed up system that lets these things happen, it’s a pretty apt renaming, if you ask me.
+1 on InStitches comment.
despite overwhelming doubt of his guilt
___________________
Sorry, but you clearly have not studied this case.
My comment was not ill-considered. In fact, it’s something I’ve thought a lot about. Following is what I wrote the day after Davis was put to death. I stand my my thoughts…
There is a lot of outrage today over the execution of Troy Davis, and I believe there should be, but the outrage grabbing 99% of the headlines is a bunch of crap. We should be outraged that the death penalty even exists in our country. We should be outraged that a police officer trying to help someone was gunned down in the prime of his life. We should be outraged that a family lost a husband, father, and son. We should be outraged at all of the individuals and groups putting their agendas before the facts. We should be outraged at the continued behavior and final act of Troy Davis. And we should be outraged that a dead man’s family has not only had to wait decades for closure, but that they’ve been continuously put in the position of aggressor when they are in fact the victim.
None of our outrage should be where the loudest of it is right now. None of our outrage should be wasted in believing that it was an innocent man who died last night. Troy Davis is guilty. Troy Davis knew he was guilty. Troy Davis died guilty.
None of the people wearing “I am Troy Davis” t-shirts are anything like Troy Davis. They’re not him, because no matter how misplaced their outrage is, they are at least proving they care about someone, and last night the irony was that the person they cared most about was a person who only ever cared about himself. With his final words, Troy Davis once again proved he is as selfish and self-centered as the night he murdered a cop. By continuing to claim his innocence, he continued to punish and mock everyone including the victim’s family, the jurors who condemned him, and society. He had one final chance to do the right thing, and he could not.
Although Davis, and only Davis, doomed himself to die a guilty man, his death should never have been at the hands of society. To me it is simple: Davis was guilty, and the death penalty is wrong. Those statements represent the two issues at play here, but the real problem is the refusal by so many to separate the two. There is guilt and there is the death penalty. Too many opponents of the death penalty wrongly used the Troy Davis case. They wrongly used it because it not only made Davis look innocent, but it put the victim’s family through years and years of hell. It is a worthy cause to rail against the death penalty. It is barbaric, it makes nothing right, it is not justice, and it lowers all of us to the level of the guilty. However, we still have to wage a fair fight against it, and a fair fight does not include making martyrs of the guilty and punishing the innocent and grieving. To pick and choose the facts of a case and ignore everything else in order to fight a related battle is not fair.
The Troy Davis case passed the test over and over again when looked at fully and logically through ever escalating levels of our court system. Only when stirred by headline grabbing media and agenda driven zealots arming themselves only with facts convenient for their battle can Davis ever look innocent. The full story is the true story, and it was the full story that convicted a murderer.
I think it’s time we allow the victims to move on with their lives. I think it’s time to let Davis rest in what little peace he may be able to find. And, I think it’s time we abolish the death penalty on its own lack of merit and not on the back of straw arguments.
Davis was guilty, and the death penalty is wrong.
_______________
My thoughts exactly. Well written. I’m sorry folks, but if you actually looked at ALL the facts in this case, it’s a no brainer that Troy Davis was guilty.
You are entitled to your opinion on the guilt or innocence of Troy Davis, but to compare the case to Manson or Gacey is demeaning to all involved. As to your well-written, longer opinion, you mention straw arguments, but you frequently cite the pain of the family’s victim in your argument. As terrible as that pain certainly was, it is irrelevant to Davis’s guilt or innocence. In this case, the victim’s family has no more knowledge of the victim’s guilt or innocence that you or I do. I have no opinion about Davis’s case, not having closely followed it or examined all the evidence. But I do believe a crass jab at opinions held just as passionately as your own is, if not ill-considered, is arrogant in its assumption that those holding them have not also carefully considered the evidence.
I get what you’re saying, but I was simply using hyperbole to exaggerate how ridiculous I believe it would be to name a park after a cop killer. Those who even suggest it is okay continue to disrespect the memory of the dead officer. I’ll say it again, Davis should be alive, but not because he was innocent.
Point taken. Even if I believed Davis was innocent of the crime, I would not be naming any parks after him.
That should have been “victim’s family,” not family’s victim.
And it should have been the “accused’s guilt or innocence” not the “victim’s guilt or innocence.”
Add my vote to the call for an edit function, at least after a few beers.
For the record, the picture was taken at the very small Occupy Atlanta encampment in Woodruff Park.
Meanwhile, thousands of marchers have closed the Port of Oakland this evening.
These “protests” are so foolish. Like Herman Cain said, they’re just playing the victim card. They need to go home and actually do something productive. Do that, or all they’ll be occupying is a jail cell.
I’m so confused. I think this is a serious comment, but appointing Herman Cain as a current arbiter of reason and logic is just so damned funny…
I got an amazing window into the minds of people who think Herman Cain is an arbiter of reason yesterday. I kept thinking, “I need to share this somewhere,” and now DM has given me my opening:
Co-Worker: “Herman Cain is a brilliant man who thinks outside the box.”
Me: “He’s brilliant?”
Co-Worker: “He beat two types of cancer!”
So there you have it. Herman Cain is brilliant because his superhuman mind willed away cancer.
That’s fantastic.
Sounds like you got a window (amazing or not) into the mind of one person, unless your co-worker is able to read the minds of other Cain supporters and was reporting to you what they were thinking.
It was light-hearted humor. Next time I’ll add that as a disclaimer. Thanks for the painstaking clarification though.
(That was sarcasm laced with humor. Or humor laced with sarcasm, depending on your perspective).
Here I am, rocked you a Herman Cain.
This may be bad enough to bring Lyrics Only Guy out of retirement!
Protests are an important part of a functioning democracy. Although I don’t agree with all that these people are saying, I don’t understand people who are so upset by protesters. To me, it reveals an ignorance of history.
“Like Herman Cain said, they’re just playing the victim card”
Sort of like Cain is doing now– you know, victim of the mainstream media and such. And he sure did jump quickly to the race card too.
Naming it Troy Davis Park is just stupid PR. There’s nothing 99% about that. Way off track of the real point. This is about a government that is bought and paid for it – stay on message. Instead we’ve got cases like this thread where people are reacting (rightfully, I think) to the celebration of a convicted cop killer.
You don’t name these things after the “heroes” or the oppressed (or whatever they were going after with Troy Davis ).
Name it Phil Gramm Park. Or Lloyd Blankfein Park.
I agree. (though I wouldn’t go so far as to call it stupid pr; I’ve talked to some of these kids and they truly believe Davis was wrongly executed by a racist state). It’s a message that resonates with many; big money has corrupted the system. Stay close to that issue and related ones, e.g. the corporate personhood nonsense, and they may have a real impact.
No, it’s totally stupid PR. You can’t claim to represent the 99% and then feature a fringe issue. The majority of this country does not share their weird beliefs about Troy Davis and naming the park after him just alienates a ton of potential supporters. That’s practically the definition of bad PR.
You have a good point. I guess I just associate the word “PR” with insincerity, and reacted to that rather than the idea of it being ineffective.
I agree. It obfuscates the issue. As demonstrated by the conversation on this thread. I was hoping that the snapshot would start a discussion about the OWS movement, to help me to sort out my own thinking on the subject.