the death penalty

Here we go with my first non-poem diary.  It's the story of Patrick Fitzpatrick, who is the reason Michigan does not have the death penalty.

Patrick Fitzpatrick was a native Detroiter living in Windsor.  His name is particularly relevant to me, as it is also the name of my father.  As a matter of fact, I may or may not have been related to him.

In 1828, Pat was living in an inn, and when the daughter of the inn keeper was raped and killed, the Canadian government found him guilty, despite circumstantial evidence, and sentenced him to death.  He was hung from the gallows a short time later.

Seven years later, Pat's former roommate was on his deathbed.  With the guilt too much to bear, he confessed to the crime.  He died in peace, of natural causes.

People in Detroit were outraged, and wanted to be sure that such a mockery of justice would never take place on our side of the Detroit River.  Unfortunately, they were too late.  The city had already turned a blind eye at the execution of Stephen Simmons in 1830, choosing instead to profit off of the spectacle that was his execution.

So even the state that abolished the death penalty with their first legislative act has blood on its hands.  And until we make sure that no other errors are made, this nation will never be able to wash it off.

The death penalty has not come up at any of the Democratic debates.  I think that it is because we are afraid of the issue.  They saw Michael Dukakis follow his conviction and get slammed, and they are afraid that it will happen to them.

The reason that the Right owns the death penalty is because we let them have it.  Rather than attempt to educate the people about the horrors of capital punishment, they choose not to bring it up.  Whether or not this is good politics, I don't know.  But it certainly isn't right.