Behind bars.

It is a beautiful (and relatively cool) Sunday morning. The birds are chirping and the dogs barking and an occasional squirrel joins the cacophony. I sit on the back porch (it is not so much a porch as a spot next to the pool that is covered. Patio, I guess you’d call it, but it doesn’t seem like a patio) and I let the delicious sounds of a peaceful morning in Dallas wash over me.

But for about 300 men in Texas the morning is just one more day closer to their awaiting execution.  That’s right, 300.  That’s a fairly big number. Not sure what percentage of the incarcerated population (or the entire population for that matter) this represents. And I am not concerning myself this morning with the guilt or innocence of these people.

I am wondering about killing machine that Texas has become with our penal system. Again, I know some, if not most, of these prisoners have committed heinous crimes. Crimes that would repulse the normal human. But is it our job, as a society to take their lives? That is the big debate. There are days I fall squarely on one side, and then the next day I waffle. It is a struggle.

But here’s what worries me. Of those 300, there is a real good chance, considering Texas’s track record with truly stupid juries and unscrupulous prosecutors, (not to mention police that will do ANYTHING for a conviction) that there are a few mistakes sitting behind bars in our state waiting for the prick of the needle.

And lets say one of those innocent men gets to the gurney and gets the juice before anything can be done to save him – just one – what are we, as a society, who has killed a man wrongfully?  Is it societal manslaughter? Do we all have to serve a day or two behind bars? Does it go on your record or on mine?

All it takes is one innocent man killed on our watch and their blood is on our hands– their life has been taken by you and by me.

It is a troubling thought as I sit here and listen to the birds and the dogs and an occasional squirrel. So as you enjoy your holiday weekend, remember there are those waiting to die at our hands. Some of them for no fault of their own.

Have a great weekend and happy Independence Day.