“What He Said and What He Didn’t Say,” by Kevin Cooper. Shortly after the botched execution in Oklahoma, in late April, President Obama ordered a policy review on executions. He stated that, “In application of the death penalty in this country, we have seen significant problems— racial bias, uneven application of the death penalty, you know, situations in which there are individuals on death row, who were later on discovered to have been innocent because of exculpatory evidence.” Mr. Obama told reporters, “And all of these, I think do raise significant questions about how the death penalty is being applied.”
What President Obama didn’t say is what the hell he is going to do about it, if anything, about all the problems that he described concerning the application of the death penalty in the United States of America, here in the 21st century. If he is to do anything with real, lasting meaning concerning this crime against humanity, he should do something now, while the support for the death penalty in this country is receding. Some politicians just say things. Some say and do things. What will Mr. Obama do while he is still in office? That is a question that needs to be asked and answered. In struggle from death row in California, this is Kevin Cooper.
These commentaries are recorded by Noel Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
