Fw: Texas Tries Again to Kill a Man Named Michael Moore

Mon Jan 7 00:25:20 CST 2002

Welcome back, Doug. We missed you. Ha!  I tried to keep your spirit alive
while you were on holiday. I defended Noam Chomsky and see now? Michael
Moore. (Okay, okay, I'll stop : )
Are you at least going to tell us about that Pynchlist New York gathering?
I'm dying to hear how it went. (Pssst...Were they nice to you?)
Barbara

----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Moore <mike at michaelmoore.com>
To: <michaelmoore at topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2002 12:04 PM
Subject: Texas Tries Again to Kill a Man Named Michael Moore

> TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE, SEE BELOW.
>
> January 6, 2002
>
> Texas Tries Again to Kill a Man Named Michael Moore
>
> Dear friends,
>
> This Wednesday, January 9, the state of Texas is once again going to
> attempt to execute a young man by the name of Michael Moore. As we share
> the same name, he and his relatives had written to me asking if I could
> help in any way to get the word out and stop this unjust and immoral
action
> by the Texan officials. I wrote to you last year when he was first
> scheduled for execution, and thousands of you flooded the offices of the
> governor and the pardon board in Texas with e-mails and phone calls
> demanding that Michael not be put to death. In virtually the 11th hour,
the
> state granted Michael a stay of execution and let him appeal his sentence.
>
> But in a strange turn of events that could only happen in that pathetic
> excuse of a state known as Texas, the prison board decided to go ahead and
> re-schedule Michael's execution -- five weeks before the court was to rule
> on the issue that Michael and other death row inmates were raising! The
> ruling just came in (and not in favor of the defendants), but even if it
> had not, the state was going to execute him anyway, before there was a
> ruling on his appeal! Had the hearing taken place after Michael's death --
> and had the ruling gone his way -- I guess those geniuses in Texas would
> have figured, "Well, ain't that something! Poor boy won his case, but he's
> no longer around to celebrate!"
>
> It is clear from the evidence and the testimony that Michael is mentally
> ill and needed the help he never got, starting as a child. He was
> represented by incompetent counsel (it was the lawyer's first death
penalty
> case), and even that lawyer has signed an affidavit to the court stating
> that he was incompetent and lacking the experience to give Michael an
> adequate defense.
>
> I suppose my concerns over these basic constitutional rights that are
> afforded to all citizens -- even to those who are accused of committing
> crimes -- probably sounds so "Pre-9/11." We now live in a time where the
> constitutional rights of ANYONE are being treated as if they were just a
> nuisance that must not get in the way of our "war on terrorism." And, you
> know, what better way to show the world that we are an advanced,
civilized,
> and moral nation than to kick off the new year with another round of
> state-sponsored executions! But, hey, at least we don't behead them at
> half-time in the soccer stadium!
>
> Did Michael commit the crime he is accused of? I don't know. That is not
> for me to decide. If he did, he can be locked up and society can be
> protected. If he is mentally ill or insane, he deserves to be helped in a
> place where he will do no harm to others. If he is innocent...well, on
> Friday the 99th INNOCENT death row inmate in America was released from
> prison with an "oops, sorry, we had the wrong guy!". That's not a typo.
> NINETY-NINE absolutely innocent human beings were sent to their deaths by
> our justice system -- and only through luck, circumstance or DNA were
their
> lives spared.
>
> The taking of another person's life -- other than it happening as a
> consequence of true self-defense -- is wrong, always wrong, no matter if
> the act is carried out by an individual or the state. In fact, it's worse
> if it is committed by the state because a country that cherishes liberty
> and justice NEVER wants to grants its leaders the power to exterminate
> other human beings. Did you know that the United States is one of only six
> countries that allows the execution of juveniles? Who are the other five,
> you ask? Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Yemen and Iran. Is that the
> company we want to keep? It is now the 21st century and it's high time we
> crawled out of our cave and started acting like civilized citizens of the
> world.
>
> Please help me, once again, convince the authorities in the republic of
> Texas to spare the life of Michael Patrick Moore. E-mails, calls,
> telegrams, and faxes must be sent today and tomorrow. That's all the time
> we have. And it's certainly the only hope Michael Moore has.
>
> Send your pleas to:
>
> Governor Rick Perry
> Office of the Governor
> PO Box 12428
> Austin, TX 78711-2418
>
> Governor's phone: (512) 463 1782
> fax: (512) 463 1849
>
> e-mail:
>
<http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact%20%20information/email/email_the_go
vernor.htm>
>
>
> AND:
>
> Board of Pardons and Paroles
> Attn: Gerald Garret
> Executive Clemency Section
> PO Box 13401, Capitol Station
> Austin, TX 78711
>
> phone: (512) 406 5852
> fax: (512) 467 0945
>
> e-mail:
> <http://www.governor.state.tx.us/e-mail.html>
>
> web:
> <http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/bpp/index.html>
>
> For further information, you can contact:
>
> Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
> 3400 Montrose Blvd.
> Suite 312
> Houston, TX 77006
>
> phone: 713-520-0300
> fax: 713-942-8146
>
> e-mail:
> dpatwood at igc.apc.org
>
> web:
> <http://www.tcadp.org/>
>
> Amnesty International
> State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator
> SMU PO Box 750172
> Dallas, TX 75275
> contact: Rick Halperin
>
> phone: (214) 768-3284
> fax: (214) 768-3475
>
> e-mail:
> rhalperi at mail.smu.edu
>
> Thank you, if you can, for helping out. If this man (or any citizen) is
put
> to death by the government -- a government "of, by and for the people" --
> then he is being killed in your name and my name, and to remain silent is
> the same as lending my name and consent.
>
> Yours,
>
> Michael Moore
> mmflint at aol.com
> www.michaelmoore.com
>

Clarification on the email addresses to the Texas executioners...from
Michael Moore

Dear friends,

Thanks for the overwhelming response to my request to inundate the governor
of Texas with emails regarding the upcoming execution of Michael Patrick
Moore. Some of you have written to me to say that certain browsers are
having trouble with the state of Texas websites and addresses that I
listed. The best way to send your letter is to use this website address for
Governor Perry which will provide you with a quick e-mail form to send him:

<http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact%20%20information/email/email_the_go
vernor.htm>

<A
HREF="http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact%20%20information/email/email_t
he_governor.htm">Governor
Perry</A>

Thanks again!

Michael Moore
mmflint at aol.com
http://MichaelMoore.com/

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