yesterday's blog post from the ncadp was chilling - each time i recall the interview with the nurse who so easily starts the ivs for the condemned inmates in georgia as they prepare to receive the poisons that will kill them - well it sends honest to g_d chills up and down me and my whole body shakes uncontrollably, even if only for a few, long seconds...

then interview was part of the now with david brancaccio show from last friday...

it left me considering the way in which death penalty advocates remake the frame and manipulate the facts to argue their deadly and pernicious case...and this led me to think about the dreaded scalia - yes, u.s. supreme court justice for "life" antonin scalia...

the dreaded scalia in his concurring opinion upholding kansas's flawed death penalty he joined a growing chorus of death penalty proponents who claim that our criminal justice system is nearly perfect in adjudicating guilt and innocence!!!

scalia bases his assertions on the flawed statistical arguments of joshua marquis, a self-promoting, pro-death penalty mouthpiece for the district attorney lobby out of oregon...

seems marquis can't find a legitimate social scientist to review his ideas ... you can (and should) read the article by david feige in the boston globe by clicking here ...

feige uses the case of recent exonoree alan newton to demonstrate how unreliable the criminal justice system is...

my favorite section from the article??? fine i'll give it to you here... "Comparing exonerations to felony convictions is like arguing that the Ford Pinto was safe because compared to the total number of automobiles sold in the United States, not many of them blew up..."

but you had better check the whole article, k'?

peace out - <3

p.s. please say a prayer for my mother who is struggling mightily after major surgery yesterday...