I refuse to be a part of this compromised and inequitable system any longer; and I will not allow further executions while I am governor.

— Governor John Kitzhaber of Oregon.

This is what exercising moral authority looks like:

The governor, a physician who served two previous terms, from 1995 to 2003, noted that he had allowed the two previous executions to go forward under his watch.

“They were the most agonizing and difficult decisions I have made as governor and I have revisited and questioned them over and over again during the past 14 years,” Gov. Kitzhaber said. “I do not believe that those executions made us safer; and certainly they did not make us nobler as a society. And I simply cannot participate once again in something I believe to be morally wrong.”

Noting the length of time many inmates spend on death row, often more than 20 years, he said Oregon had an “unworkable system that fails to meet basic standards of justice.”

The governor did not commute the sentence of Mr. Haugen or any of the other death row inmates. He granted Mr. Haugen a temporary reprieve. He asked the Legislature “to bring potential reforms before the 2013 legislative session and encourage all Oregonians to engage in the long overdue debate that this important issue deserves.”

More here.

(via kohenari)

(via squashed)

Source: The New York Times

100 Notes/ Hide

  1. entegegenwartigung reblogged this from knittingandsljivovica
  2. knittingandsljivovica reblogged this from kohenari
  3. anitakatyzita reblogged this from squashed and added:
    Ok but this gives me hope…
  4. thehermitkrab reblogged this from randomactsofchaos
  5. randomactsofchaos reblogged this from other-stuff
  6. other-stuff reblogged this from letterstomycountry
  7. dingbatter reblogged this from kohenari
  8. chidashyan reblogged this from kohenari
  9. dicklick-supreme reblogged this from thescienceofreality
  10. jbreazeale reblogged this from squashed
  11. viviano reblogged this from letterstomycountry
  12. lazdoinactive reblogged this from squashed
  13. octosquid reblogged this from btx91 and added:
    okay SO i actually support...death penalty…BUT. I am glad politicians are sticking to...
  14. btx91 reblogged this from letterstomycountry
  15. silas216 reblogged this from kohenari