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a Texas death row inmate by the membrane Jasper has written an open letter I
before he said to be executed in March of 2014
and in the letter you learn a lot about him and he is one of the rare cases
where it seems like the present system is actually really billeted someone but
unfortunately he will be executed regardless
now up he was convicted after participating in a robbery in 1998
and murdering I a record studio owner by the name David
Alejandro so there he is and
you read is his his peace
you know his letters open letter and it's kind of incredible just how
knowledgeable he is you know he quotes the wrong Martin Luther King junior
and he talks about a lot of the viruses that are within our justice system so
let me give you a little taste
ok you first to appoint a clarity he didn't do the killing right now he is
part of a crime so
I if your party to the crime in Texas you can still get the death penalty
in fact he says that there fifty guys on death row in Texas
who didn't actually do the killing now in his case
his accomplice already confessed and
ended up plea deal so you'll get a life sentence a yeah
I shot the guy okay so we know in fact he didn't shoot the guy
but it was partly crime and you don't just get death penalty in Texas for
I murdered you get it for felony *** okay that means
he should someone and don't take any money from him you won't get
death sentence but if we take and nickel from him the well
you just that felony *** you know you're not the one who did the shooting
you saw get a decir
yes exactly so here's what he had to say
up he talked about empathy a lot throughout his letter and I thought that
was interesting and the Brians proper judgment said the breed sorrow
contemporary air against me there are proper judgment because they're based on
emotions
that's why two people can look at the same situation and have totally
different views
we all feel differently about a lot of things empathy gives you an
inside view it doesn't say if that was me and buddy says
that is mean so he's a huge advocate for and that the he feels as though you know
our justice system in the united states have none of that
arm so that was an interesting point to make this a look if you are sure really
you know that
I don't often have sympathy for a lot of people in his position right
we a *** earlier in the week with the story of a guy who's on
death row and he's make some claim he's mentally challenged
I wasn't buying that argument and I did not much sympathy for that cash okay
you read this guy's letter there's no way you don't come away thinking this
guy
is not a threat to society I easing
at this point really well educated self-educated really smart guy
and making really good points it's not the patronizing like always an
interesting like
I'm now all those liberals like all I got is on death row near a letter
okay no no this is a axle letter and the reason I say that in this context is
because he's right the most important thing is
in order to make the proper decisions as empathy is not a
matter being emotional about a case right is a matter saying
hey what would be fair is a bit of applied at me
if that happened to me this here's what I would want to happen Razak in Norway's
is the golden rule
logically so and any for example he mentions the peace chuck Colson
who used to be the Nixon White House and then when he is retired black crime
and then he got busted in with the president of Sony's like oh my god
i don't realize prison was so top worth all wrong
the people in prison and he said a prison ministries by the way chuck
Colson
as he points out here in this letter predicted in nineteen eighties
the prison was getting so outta control there by the year 2000 there be a
million people
impress well today there two million people in prison so he does talk about
the justice system he says the justice system is truly broken beyond repair and
the sad part is there's no way to start over improvements can be made
if honest people stand up I think they will be made overtime
I am so what what I really like about his letter is he talks a little bit
about the private prison industry and how
locking people away has now become profitable that's why you have
tough-on-crime legislation being proposed and it passes
a lot of times the private prison industry will lobby to ensure that those
types laws passed so we can funnel more and more people within that system and
in taxpayers'
pay for their business model they're not they're not really private
he made a great point sir before you guys wanna say one thing about the last
comment you made
he he said there that well you know things could get better if we take the
right direction and I
honestly as I'm really not I was skeptical that I was like
come on man really the prison system in America so bad it's going to get better
many said thorough propose that one honest man could morley regenerate an
entire society
I was like damn came on and gave me a little bit I hope by I'm really a mic
hey you know what
maybe throws right maybe he's right many said a man once said the revolution
comes when you form people have their rights
that man was martin luther king during ride and that's what he's doing here
he's tell us what the problem is any say now look
you never know what ripples that causes
so look about what he says about the private prison industry
yeah and I i love I love that he addresses the private prison industry
and he talks about the type a slave labor that happens behind bars right
so let me tell you what he said about that if a prisoner refuses to work
and be a slave they will do their time in isolation as a punishment
you have thousands of people with a lot of prison time that had no choice but to
make money for the government
or live in isolation the affects a prison isolation
literally drive people crazy that is such an important point to make right
because what we are seeing when it comes to labor in the United States
is organizations like Alec lobby
to make sure that unions go away and certain jobs that the average american
works for
and make decent money and now been shifted to the private prison industry
wanna prison industry as a whole and these up prisoners
have to do the same jobs and get paid virtually nothing bored
and if you disagree with that well they're gonna put you in isolation and
make you crazy
I isolation there needs to be a lob pass the federal law
the only time you get to put someone in isolation is that they are a threat to
other prisoners
okay it's a military so yet look if they were taken away too lightly salt air
combined so
that dish to Almansor this privatizing right one is a prime ties a presence in
the first place
which gives them an incentive to put more people in prison has there been a
profit of it
the second part is a corporation's that make the prisoners do stuff for them and
incredibly low rates
and their imprisoned so they don't really have a choice if they say no
the *** solitary confinement in honestly we're reminded me over
is in some recent movies have you seen if slaves this
did something that was disobedient they would get put in a hole
okay and so that's literally what we're doing these guys
okay now eat you by so I have no sympathy for him
okay but he's a look even if it's not me it's not a guy and death row
of the guys that are in here for nonviolent offenses and if you don't
work
as a slave almost no money then you get put in the worst possible situation so
that the fun way to lose your mind
here's another report from he said it's all about crime and punishment
is about crime and profit yeah that's exactly right with our system right now
like he he talked about it so perfectly be other side of the coin
is there does in the corporate world making money off prisoners
so the longer they're in prison the more money is being made
it's not about crime and punishment it's about crime in profit its so
its so true and you know oftentimes you get the perspective of journalists to do
their research
on the private prison industry but very rarely do you get the perspective of
people that are within that system
that are victims have that system and I'm not saying that you know he's a
victim he committed a crime he was convicted he has to face the
consequences about
even though I do not agree with the death penalty but the reality is there
are so many people behind bars right now for nonviolent offenses
some of them are serving sentences that will destroy their lives still get out
at some point but there's no recovering from it
and it's all because we want to ensure the best breaking corporations make as
much money as possible
disgusting one more thing any points out about the incentive system right he says
how can those that invest in prisons make money
the people have sentences that will allow them to return to free society
in other words they don't want to rehabilitate you in prison
because if you did you might not return to prison okay
and they make money when you come back into prison the private prisons make the
money
accord and the companies that profit off with the basically nearly free labor
profit of ovett so that they don't want to rehabilitate you
they want to keep US ISM how do you think we got two million people in
prison
here was an accident you should we were getting tough on crime
no cuz people are making a buck off a bit I thought that it was an excellent
letter it touched on so many other issues within our justice system
he talked about you know lethal injection and how you know
originally we were getting the lethal injection
from companies pharmaceutical companies in Europe
but then they saw what we were doing with the death penalty here in the
united states they disagree with and they stop supplying us with the medicine
all russians a medicine but with the drug so as a result now we're going to
other pharmacies that give you a substance
that hasn't even been approved by the FDA and they're using that on prisoners
I mean he's touching all the significant
issues it's a long letter but boy is it worth the read okay
he talks about the jury system and he says book
they tell you you're supposed to get a jury your peers but a young black woman
was kept off my jury
why because she said that she felt that the police for intimidates
but she's like he's like a jury of my peers totally feels that way
that's how the police treat us all the time that would have been a jury of my
peers he said instead
there were no black people on History there is no black people he said in the
entire court when he is being tried
any cites a example the someone else use
to measure a white person goes in and is a crime in a black area
and when he goes to his so huge big trial
I'm the judges black the whole juries black
they said don't worry we're gonna give you a couple urs their black okay
and all the witnesses are black and here's the white guy and a soaking in
Ottawa for a couple hispanics on your jury to
ok 89 eating out why person moving to get a fair trial
the is that would that stand up any air constitutional challenge
mean you know it in your heart it would right is that what you only black people
for the jury that's crazy
but he says it happens all the time that is the reverse
is only white folks on the jury the purposely school black folks from the
jury
because they say your experience is not valid he talks about the
passers in Texas that are going around preaching
for the death penalty he did mention this but whenever I think about the
death penalty in
so-called Christians that our favorite you know got a death penalty
Jesus Christ okay but nonetheless any says
in the Bible turn you know a turned into a shaker know that she is center but
they don't give a damn about that
and he says he's a religious cases the praise God every day
okay any said quote the blotter Babel cried benches
the blood of Jesus Christ mercy okay that's in the Bible
now he said people get the death penalty when a jury is judge them to be
a continuing threat to society and have to actually in the same Texas say
there is no hope for redemption for this guy okay if they believe there is no
hope for me then they can give that up
settings so now thing about how on Christian that s
because he says as he over here that in itself is country the whole Christian
faith
that believes no one is beyond redemption if they repent for their sins
and put their faith in Jesus Christ
it is the exact opposite a Christian belief yet their pastors like John heyyy
the measures here going all around said Texas saying
give him death given death given death
no empathy no redemption
and it's certainly no concern for jesus christ preached
J and I'm not a religious guy
up i care about. reason
and having justice in our society and even if you're not a Christian
and you don't believe in what Christ taught you
have to be outraged by what we're doing these people
and to me air
was having a rage Aspyr and so many people like him
is beyond all boundaries and indecency
and you don't agree with what he did and you can by the way given a life sentence
to
but it's not about him it's about the prison system
and the fact that people are making money offer turning people
into unfortunately the modern equivalent of slaves