BUSH OKs EXECUTION OF ARMY DEATH ROW PRISONER, by Mary Neal

For the first time in over 50 years, an Army execution has been approved by a U.S. president, George W. Bush.  The condemned man is Private Ronald A. Gray, who was convicted of four murders and eight rapes committed in the 1980's while he was stationed near Fayetteville, NC at Ft. Bragg.  George Bush is the first U.S. President to approve a military execution since President Eisenhower approved Army Private John Bennett's execution in 1957.

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Bush OKs execution of Army death row prisoner

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer
July 28, 2008

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday approved the execution of an Army private, the first time in over a half-century that a president has affirmed a death sentence for a member of the U.S. military.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080729/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_military_execution

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Since my brother, Larry, died while under secret arrest in Shelby County Jail, Memphis, TN (2003)*, I have become interested in deaths of other people in government custody, called "democide."  Although I have no data on the number of folks who died like Larry did, under secret arrest and/or unexplained circumstances, most deaths of prisoners are legal executions.

Death Row Penalty Information Center Statistics:
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=5&did=184

EXECUTIONS SINCE 1976

BLACK        381          34%
WHITE        632          57%
HISPANIC    76           7%
OTHER         24           2%

CURRENT DEATH ROW POPULATION

BLACK          1,379        41.7%
HISPANIC       364        11.0%
WHITE          1,489        45.0%
OTHER              77          2.3%

(Death Row Population Figures from NAACP-LDF "Death Row USA (January 1, 2008)"

Cornell News reported in 2004 that black defendants who murder white victims receive the highest rate of death sentences across the board; whites who murder whites receive the second highest; whites who murder blacks receive the third highest; and blacks who murder blacks receive the lowest. 

President George Bush is from the State of Texas, which executes more citizens than any other state in the union.  Regarding Texas, Cornell News reported:

"The view that Texas is the most death penalty-prone state stems partly from the high number of murders committed in the state, 38,000 from 1976 to 1998, leading to 776 death sentences and 319 executions. While the study did not consider executions, Texas' rate is indeed high when compared with California, which had 50,000 murders in that same time period, sentenced 795 people to death between 1976 and 2002 and executed 10."   Link:  http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Feb04/Death.row.demo.lm.html 

This is a bad week for capital punishment opponents.  Much of their concentration of late has been dedicated to trying to assist an Alabama condemned man, Thomas Arthur.  Arthur is scheduled to die by lethal injection Thursday, July 31.  Arthur was convicted of murder some 26 years ago, and still declares his innocence.  Arthur claims that DNA evidence would prove he is not a murderer, but various courts and Governor Riley have thus far denied his lawyers access to the DNA evidence for testing.  See this article:

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/thomas-arthur-doesnt-get-it-executions-are-fun-folks-no-offense-intended-mary-neal

The Last Word Newsletter gives information on (1) who is scheduled for execution this July and August; (2) answers questions about how many people have been released from death row; (3) whether retarded people and juveniles are eligible for execution; as well as (4) various religious organizations’ official stance on execution.  See it at this link: http://campaign.matadordesignstudio.com/viewEmail.aspx?cID=BD878C6E1A8982EB&dID=5CB9CB5A1CE688CE

Mary Neal
Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill
*Website:  http://wrongfuldeathoflarryneal.com