Thursday, November 26, 2009

November 26, 1968, 41 years ago today, the UN General Assembly voted against capital punishment.







On November 26, 1968 the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution against capital punishment following an official report which said, “Examination of the number of murders before and after the abolition of the death penalty does not support the theory that capital punishment has a unique deterrent effect.”


You can get more information from the Death Penalty Information Center by clicking here. and from Amnesty International by clicking here.


The United States is the only first world country that still uses the death penalty and its practice is viewed as barbaric by our European friends.


Here is the UUA position from the UUA web site:


The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations has been on record since 1961 as opposing capital punishment, and has reaffirmed its position four times since. The first and second principles of Unitarian Universalism summarize the basis of our continued opposition to the death penalty:


We, the member congregations...covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
Huge racial disparities clearly illustrate the biased manner in which the death penalty is applied, and there is still no evidence that the death penalty is a deterrent. The United States is unique in the Western world for its continued use of this inhumane practice; other nations join millions of concerned U.S. Americans in viewing the death penalty as barbaric and unnecessary.


The UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association) urges its member congregations to engage actively in efforts to eliminate the death penalty, to work with other organizations in this effort, and to increase efforts to persuade governors to forego capital punishment.


When is the last time you wished someone was dead or killed in your heart?

When vengeance demands death it gives up any hope in human redemption and communicates the message that human life can be so evil, so ugly, so repulsive, so unabidable that the only approprite response is eradication.

For people of faith who believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person such thoughts are blasphemous.

I say this as a person who had 2 children killed at age 5 and 8 by a drunk driver.

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