Once again the dismal state of Texas has proven why it should still be a part of Mexico, or even better, Saudi Arabia- where you can be executed for renouncing Islam (apostasy). Since 1976, Texas has executed 423 people, despite the fact that the death penalty discriminates against people of color, the poor, and the mentally ill. If the people of Texas could read, analyze data, and had any morals whatsoever, they would understand that every legitimate, academic study has proven that state-sanctioned killing does not reduce the homicide rate.
Now, the morally-challenged Texans are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to execute another mentally ill prisoner, Andre Thomas. In 2004, Mr. Thomas was found competent to stand trial by a Texas court for the heinous murders of his estranged wife, young son and her 13-month-old daughter. Mr. Thomas had a history of mental problems prior to his arrest for the murders, and as if to prove his point, pulled his own eyeball out of the socket and ate it before going to trial. If that’s not a sign of serious mental problems, then my name is Elvis, and I’d like to invite you down to the jungle room tonight to play Pong.
Apparently, Mr. Thomas’s predilection for eating himself was not enough to save him from an indeterminate stay on death row, and on December 9th, 2008, he ripped his other eyeball out the socket and ate it, too. This bizarre, erratic behavior, has still not convinced the Texas appeal courts that Mr. Thomas is insane. If the Texas courts had any common sense or human decency, this man would spend the rest of his life in a mental institution.
Wake up, Texas! It’s time for you to join the rest of the civilized world and abolish the death penalty, or at the very least stop executing the mentally ill who cannot comprehend their actions.
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