Boston College -- Sr. Helen Prejean: More Problems & Full Rebuttal
sent 10/14/2014
sent 10/14/2014
To: Students, Professors & Administration,
School of Theology and Ministry, Boston College and
ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON
bcc: Boston Globe
RE: God Allows Us to Wake Up”: Sister Helen Prejean Comes to BC, By: Craig A. Ford, Jr., Graduate Students of Color Blog, 10/11/14,
http://bcgsca.wordpress.com/2014/10/11/god-allows-us-to-wake-up-sister-helen-prejean-comes-to-bc/
From: Dudley Sharp, independent researcher, death penalty expert, former opponent, 832-439-2113, Houston, Texas, CV at bottom
Mr. Ford speaks of us being introduced to the "reality of capital punishment" by Sr. Prejean and being "honest with oursleves".
Sadly, the article defines "nothing could be further from the truth".
Sr. Prejean is rebutted on all points. I am happy to discuss all these issues with her on a BC site.
The sister states: “We’re good, not bad people,” “We’re just real ignorant!”. . . or susceptible to deception.
"Wake Up!" Do you really think Sr. Prejean doesn't know what she is doing?
Sadly, the article defines "nothing could be further from the truth".
Sr. Prejean is rebutted on all points. I am happy to discuss all these issues with her on a BC site.
The sister states: “We’re good, not bad people,” “We’re just real ignorant!”. . . or susceptible to deception.
"Wake Up!" Do you really think Sr. Prejean doesn't know what she is doing?
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Read Victims of Dead Man Walking, the true story of the rape and murder of Faith Hathaway by Robert Lee Willie and Joe Vaccaro, by the case Detective Mike Varnado,
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1) Sr. Prejean claims that "75% of those on death row aren’t educated above a sixth grade level".
Sharp reply: 13% are educated to 8th grade or below. Median education on death row is 12th grade, with 87% above 8th grade. (1).
Sharp reply: 13% are educated to 8th grade or below. Median education on death row is 12th grade, with 87% above 8th grade. (1).
2) Ford or Sr. Prejean: " . . . since 1973, there have been 146 exonerations (from death row)."
Sharp reply: This has been a well known fraud, beginning about 15 years, ago, when the number was 69. Based upon numerous reviews, possibly, as many as 25-44 actual innocents (as of today) have been discovered and released from death row (2). Anti-death penalty folks just redefined "innocent" and "exonerated" as if they redefined lie as truth and put a bunch of cases into those fraudulent definitions (2).
Sharp reply: This has been a well known fraud, beginning about 15 years, ago, when the number was 69. Based upon numerous reviews, possibly, as many as 25-44 actual innocents (as of today) have been discovered and released from death row (2). Anti-death penalty folks just redefined "innocent" and "exonerated" as if they redefined lie as truth and put a bunch of cases into those fraudulent definitions (2).
3) Sr. Prejean commonly, calls the death penalty racist, refers, herein, to the primary execution states as "former slave states" and, recently stated, while in St. Louis, “the system of injustice which disproportionately kills black bodies.”, a statement which can, reasonably, be seen as putting another match to the powder keg in Ferguson, Mo.
Ford writes: "Sister Helen devastates us with the reality that the death penalty is sought more often against people of color than against whites".
Sharp reply: "As blacks represent 47% of murderers and whites 37%, whites are about twice as likely to be executed for committing murder than are blacks", with whites 56% of those executed, 34% blacks." (3)
Ford writes: "Sister Helen devastates us with the reality that the death penalty is sought more often against people of color than against whites".
Sharp reply: "As blacks represent 47% of murderers and whites 37%, whites are about twice as likely to be executed for committing murder than are blacks", with whites 56% of those executed, 34% blacks." (3)
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Later data: Race, ethnicity and crime statistics (3a)
For the White–Black comparisons, the Black level is 12.7 times greater than the White level for homicide, 15.6 times greater for robbery, 6.7 times greater for rape, and 4.5 times greater for aggravated assault.
For the Hispanic- White comparison, the Hispanic level is 4.0 times greater than the White level for homicide, 3.8 times greater for robbery, 2.8 times greater for rape, and 2.3 times greater for aggravated assault.
For the Hispanic–Black comparison, the Black level is 3.1 times greater than the Hispanic level for homicide, 4.1 times greater for robbery, 2.4 times greater for rape, and 1.9 times greater for aggravated assault.
Sharp: As the most common capital murders, those which are death penalty eligible, are rape/murders and robbery/murders, the perceived "disparities" (aka expected multiples) will most likely be even greater than the numbers, above, as reason would predict.
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"There is no race of the offender / victim effect at either the decision to advance a case to penalty hearing or the decision to sentence a defendant to death given a penalty hearing." (3)
4) The sister calls the death penalty classist.
Sharp reply: 99.8% of poor murderers avoid the death penalty. It depends, strictly, upon the definition of the wealthy, as to whether or not wealthy murderers are more or less likely to be executed than poor murderers, in the context of the very small percentage and number of wealthy murderers (4).
Sharp reply: 99.8% of poor murderers avoid the death penalty. It depends, strictly, upon the definition of the wealthy, as to whether or not wealthy murderers are more or less likely to be executed than poor murderers, in the context of the very small percentage and number of wealthy murderers (4).
5) Sr. Prejean states: "we turn our eyes away from the fact that we view violence as redemptive."
Sharp reply: Why would we turn our eyes, away? Christians, more than any group, understand the redemptive value of violence, not only with the Passion of the Christ, but the redemptive value of the death penalty, as detailed for 2000 years (5). As the Sister called God an ogre for crucifying His Son (6), her perspective is expected. It appears she was, later, rebuked by the Pope, as I, previously, detailed.
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Mr. Ford ends with this:
"Will we ourselves allow this logic to become reality again?"
One can only hope and pray that logic and reality will prevail, as it did not in Ford's article.
FOOTNOTES
1) Table 5, Capital Punishment 2012, Bureau Of Justice Statistics, May 2014, NCJ 245789
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cp12st.pdf
2) Start with sections 3 & 4, within
The Innocent Frauds: Standard Anti Death Penalty Strategy
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-innocent-frauds-standard-anti-death.html
3) RACE & THE DEATH PENALTY: A REBUTTAL TO THE RACISM CLAIMS
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2012/07/rebuttal-death-penalty-racism-claims.html
Sharp reply: Why would we turn our eyes, away? Christians, more than any group, understand the redemptive value of violence, not only with the Passion of the Christ, but the redemptive value of the death penalty, as detailed for 2000 years (5). As the Sister called God an ogre for crucifying His Son (6), her perspective is expected. It appears she was, later, rebuked by the Pope, as I, previously, detailed.
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Mr. Ford ends with this:
"Will we ourselves allow this logic to become reality again?"
One can only hope and pray that logic and reality will prevail, as it did not in Ford's article.
FOOTNOTES
1) Table 5, Capital Punishment 2012, Bureau Of Justice Statistics, May 2014, NCJ 245789
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cp12st.pdf
2) Start with sections 3 & 4, within
The Innocent Frauds: Standard Anti Death Penalty Strategy
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-innocent-frauds-standard-anti-death.html
3) RACE & THE DEATH PENALTY: A REBUTTAL TO THE RACISM CLAIMS
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2012/07/rebuttal-death-penalty-racism-claims.html
3a) REASSESSING TRENDS IN BLACK VIOLENT CRIME, 1980.2008: SORTING OUT THE "HISPANIC EFFECT" IN UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS ARRESTS, NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION SURVEY OFFENDER ESTIMATES, AND U.S. PRISONER COUNTS, See pages 208-209, FN 5, DARRELL STEFFENSMEIER, BEN FELDMEYER, CASEY T. HARRIS, JEFFERY T. ULMER, Criminology, Volume 49, Issue 1, Article first published online: 24 FEB 2011
https://www.academia.edu/8359043/Reassessing_Trends_in_Black_Violent_Crime_1980-2008_Sorting_out_the_Hispanic_Effect_in_UCR_Arrests_NCVS_Offenders_Estimates_and_U.S._Prisoner_Counts
4) See Is There Class Disparity with Executions?
within The Death Penalty: Fair & Just
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/12/is-death-peanalty-fairjust.html
5) The Death Penalty: Mercy, Expiation, Redemption & Salvation
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-death-penalty-mercy-expiation.html
6) As presented to you within email dated 10/5/2014 11:29:11 A.M. CDT, as "Sister Helen Prejean: A Rebuttal" and as found within:
“God, ogre comparison doesn’t fly with interfaith crowd”, Paul A. Anthony, Rocky Mountain News, 03:35 p.m., August 24, 2008
https://www.academia.edu/8359043/Reassessing_Trends_in_Black_Violent_Crime_1980-2008_Sorting_out_the_Hispanic_Effect_in_UCR_Arrests_NCVS_Offenders_Estimates_and_U.S._Prisoner_Counts
4) See Is There Class Disparity with Executions?
within The Death Penalty: Fair & Just
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/12/is-death-peanalty-fairjust.html
5) The Death Penalty: Mercy, Expiation, Redemption & Salvation
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-death-penalty-mercy-expiation.html
6) As presented to you within email dated 10/5/2014 11:29:11 A.M. CDT, as "Sister Helen Prejean: A Rebuttal" and as found within:
“God, ogre comparison doesn’t fly with interfaith crowd”, Paul A. Anthony, Rocky Mountain News, 03:35 p.m., August 24, 2008
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600+ pro death penalty quotes from murder victim's families &
3300+ from some of the greatest thinkers in history
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Victim Services
Victims' Voices
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Additional research,w/sources, w/fact checking/vetting & critical thinking, as required of everyone.
1) The Death Penalty: Justice & Saving More Innocents
and
Students, Academics & Journalists: Death Penalty Research
(7 pro death penalty experts included)
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Partial CV
