Monday Open Thread
Here is your open thread to talk about whatever is on your mind. Chat away.
Here’s a story to give you some thoughts – Texas Governor Rick Perry’s cover-up of the execution of an innocent man. The man’s name was Cameron Todd Willingham. I can’t really do justice to the heartbreaking story, but here’s a short summary.
In 1991, a fire broke out in the Willingham house that killed Willingham’s three children. The arson investigators determined that the fire was caused by arson and that Cameron Todd Willingham, the children’s father was to blame. Willingham was eventually convicted of causing the fire and sentenced to the death penalty. Willingham maintained his innocence and in fact turned down a plea agreement to do life in prison. The problem – the arson investigators used discredited and just plain wrong ideas about arson and fire to make this determination. Willingham’s family contacted a famed fire investigator, Dr. Gerald Hurst, who wrote a report showing that the fire was not arson but was accidental. The report came across Governor Perry’s desk in the request to halt the execution but he reportedly did not read it. Willingham was executed in 2004.
The Innocence Project commissioned a report on the Willingham case, and it was reviewed by the Texas Forensic Science Commission. The commission found the report compelling and set up a hearing to review the case and make a ruling. In effect, the commission could clear Willingham’s name. Just before the commission was about to have the hearings, in which the fire experts were going to testify, Perry abruptly fired three commissioners and replaced the head of the commission with a political ally. The hearing on the Willingham case was postponed. That was pretty convenient for Perry because the report would have come out right before the primary. When will these guys learn that the cover-up is what attracts the attention?
Tags: Open Thread
Paper, paper, memos, memos. Real men from Texas don’t have time to read all that stuff. I mean “Al Quida Determined to Strike U.S.” or “You Just Killed An Innocent Man” — why would a macho Texas guy be interested?
“The death penalty is a hate crime” – bumper sticker I saw last weekend.
It never ceases to amaze me to see how far the dealth penalty partisans will go to make sure that somebody, anybody gets killed for a crime — but who have little investment in justice.
And my favorite question to How Awful Government Is crew (but make sure you execute everybody in sight) — how do you reconcile your rhetoric that the government can’t do anything right with condemning your fellow citizens to a government-processed execution? There is always alot of sputtering and handwaving at 12 citizens who made the decision. As if those 12 citizens aren’t the by the people, for the people part of government.
Spot on Cassandra.
BTW, if you kill a white person you have a better chance of being executed than if you kill a black person.
Sign the petition to Governor Rick Perry and the State of Texas to acknowledge that the fire in the Cameron Todd Willingham case was not arson, therefore no crime was committed and on February 17, 2004, Texas executed an innocent man.
We plan to deliver the petition at the 10th Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty on October 24 in Austin at the Capitol.
1) “Cameron Todd Willingham: Media Meltdown & the Death Penalty:
“Trial by Fire: Did Texas execute an innocent man?”, by David Grann
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/04/cameron-todd-willingham-media-meltdown–the-death-penalty.aspx
This was written and released prior to the Corsicana Fire Marshall’s report. See below:
2) EXCLUSIVE: City report on arson probe:
State panel asks for city response in Willingham case
http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/news/local_story_276222736.html
3) No Doubts
http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/thewillinghamfiles/local_story_250180658.html
NOTE: There is the potential for, at least, 3 more, official, reports on this case: the Texas Fire Marshall’s office, which will give an official and requested reply, the Corsicana Police Dept. and Navarro County District Attorney’s office, both of which may only contribute to the TFM report.
There is an official “report” which, it appears, few have paid attention to – the trial transcript. I find that rather important because, at least five persons, who were involved with the trial, the prosecutor, defense attorney, two surviving fire investigators and a juror have all voiced support for the verdict, still, in the light of the criticsm of the arson forensics. One of those original fire investigators is, now, an active certified arson expert.
See Corsicana Daily Sun, The Willingham Files
http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/thewillinghamfiles
Dudley Sharp
Thanks for the links, Scott and Dudley. I think this is a potentially huge case and I’m not sure why this hasn’t blown up into a huge scandal.