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Texas Records All Inmates Last Words Before Execution And Puts Them All Online

tdcj.texas.gov

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Re: Texas Records All Inmates Last Words Before Execution And Puts Them All Online

#241

Post by s1artibartfast »

dionidium wrote: post #232
s1artibartfast wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My response to this materialist argument is that it essentially goes full circle. Once everyone has no responsibility, you are just left with what are they and what did they do . Did they act like monster, independent of the upstream causality? I try to apply the same logic to myself when I get into a deterministic ego trip. The question of if I can choose to go the gym today is irrelevant. The relevant question is d…

It’s funny you say this, because it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. If you take the materialist position to its logical conclusion, then, in my view, instead of being exculpatory, you arrive back at an essentialist position.

Exactly my conclusion as well.

The interesting and challenging aspect of the essentialist position is understanding and believing in change. Past performance is not guarantee of future performance, even for the material determinist, as the world is not static.

Maybe you have never been to the gym, but today could be the first day. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what induced the change, but if you will fight it. In this way, I think that determinism is best paired with a optimistic and charitable perspective.

Most people have good intentions. I think that usually the biggest difference between those who act them out and those who don't is their essential optimism or pessimism. To that end, I try to encourage more optimism.

Re: Texas Records All Inmates Last Words Before Execution And Puts Them All Online

#242

Post by ashwagary »

vkou wrote: post #104
makeitdouble wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they're commiting to publish a man's last words before killing him, I wish they kept the profanity in. Either it was generic profanity and it's not as if it would cause harm at this point. Either it was very specifically pointed at Gabby, and a at least a summary of the profanity would be useful to that person.

We're too civilized to print profanity, but not so civilized that we shirk from killing people.

>We're too civilized to print profanity, but not so civilized that we shirk from killing people.

We're too civilized to print profanity, but not so civilized that we shirk from killing innocent people.

Re: Texas Records All Inmates Last Words Before Execution And Puts Them All Online

#243

Post by ashwagary »

kerblang wrote: post #123

For the heck of it I counted the race column. Take it as you like: 110 ->Hispanic 206 ->Black 259 ->White 3 ->Other

Knowing how biased and at times corrupt the US justice system is, I wonder what percentage of the black are innocent.

For the downvoters unaware or in denial:

"As of January 2022, 375 people previously convicted of serious crimes in the United States had been exonerated by DNA testing since 1989, 21 of whom had been sentenced to death.[11] Almost all (99%) of the wrongful convictions were males,[29] with minority groups constituting approximately 70% (61% African American and 8% Latino)."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innocence_Project

Re: Texas Records All Inmates Last Words Before Execution And Puts Them All Online

#244

Post by BitwiseFool »

giraffe_lady wrote: post #214
conductr wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok I'm just stating my thoughts and discussing. I think if you want to retort in this manner, you probably should head over to Reddit

No this is good. Part of the villainy of this place is that as long as it's "just discussion" and you keep a controlled tone, you can call for whatever viciousness and violence you want. And you can! I can't stop you. But I can also point out that you can be seen when you do this, and my assessment isn't less valid because the idea of stomping out human lives is abhorrent to me.

>"Part of the villainy of this place"

What do you mean by this?

Re: Texas Records All Inmates Last Words Before Execution And Puts Them All Online

#245

Post by ashwagary »

pmdulaney wrote: post #2

I hope these last words are posted with the inmate's prior permission.

I agree. I have a feeling more of the potentially innocent would not succumb to the futility of claiming innocence if they knew it would be publicly viewed.

Re: Texas Records All Inmates Last Words Before Execution And Puts Them All Online

#246

Post by pnf »

dr_dshiv wrote: post #170

“First I would like to say I have been here since September 2005. I had the honor and privilege to know many prison guards and staff. I want to thank all of them. I would like for everyone to write the people on death row as they are all good men and I am very happy I got to know them. All of their lives are worth knowing about. Secondly on February 14th the medical examiner and the chief nurse were engaged in numero…

I read something like this and am reminded that many people in prison for violent crime are sociopaths or psychopaths. I'm not saying there aren't exceptions or even innocent convicts. It's just not the norm. Hard to take anything these guys say at face value.

Re: Texas Records All Inmates Last Words Before Execution And Puts Them All Online

#248

Post by giraffe_lady »

BitwiseFool wrote: post #244
giraffe_lady wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No this is good. Part of the villainy of this place is that as long as it's "just discussion" and you keep a controlled tone, you can call for whatever viciousness and violence you want. And you can! I can't stop you. But I can also point out that you can be seen when you do this, and my assessment isn't less valid because the idea of stomping out human lives is abhorrent to me.

>"Part of the villainy of this place" What do you mean by this?

The social norms of HN create an environment where you can endorse or advocate for atrocities as long as you do it in a certain detached, academic-lite tone. Things like eugenics, sweatshop labor, colonialism, retributive actions towards homeless people, are all things I've seen argued for and upvoted on this site in the last six months.

Being upset by these things, or admitting a personal stake in not seeing them continue or come to pass in the world, is seen as the moral transgression instead.

This could arguably be a valuable norm in a place specifically set aside for people to practice opposing each other's positions, like a debate club, say. But that's not the purpose here, and routinely acting in this way, maintaining this environment as a value distances us from our humanity and that of other people.

Re: Texas Records All Inmates Last Words Before Execution And Puts Them All Online

#249

Post by ashwagary »

calvinmorrison wrote: post #119
vkou wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would it be on-topic to point out that some prominent Texan politicians - who have direct responsibility for war crimes that have killed... A lot more people - are free men, today? There are a lot of awful people who have done a lot of awful things in the world. Despite being an awful person, he is quite correct in observing that not all of them get treated proportionally to the suffering and misery and pain that the…

the #1 cause of death in the world, in the entire history of the earth, is democide.

I agree but prefer the phrase "mass murder by a state".

Re: Texas Records All Inmates Last Words Before Execution And Puts Them All Online

#250

Post by pnf »

namdnay wrote: post #20
dionidium wrote: post #9

Hard to reconcile some of these last words with the reality of their crimes: Juxtapose: I was so glad to leave this world a better, more positive place. It’s not an easy life with all the negativities. ... I hope I left everyone a plate of food full of happy memories, happiness and no sadness. [0] With this: > On September 11, 1999, Jones murdered his great aunt, 83-year-old Berthena Bryant, bludgeoning her to death…

The crime was when he was deeply addicted and drugged out of his mind 22 years earlier. I don't find it shocking that he's had another life since. Killing him in 2021 just seems so... pointless

To be fair. The decades of stays that separate his crime from his punishment were his choice.
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