Update and Petition on Ron Smith Getting Death Penalty

Once again I am stunned by the penchant of the political right for cruelty and a total lack of empathy.  I simply cannot understand how being a human being oneself, it can be so impossible to feel empathy for another human being, even one who has made the enormous mistakes Ron has.  Ronald has admitted to killing 2 men 30+ years ago.  And if true, it is the most serious of damage one person can do to another and to their respective families.  I'm not sure what the answer is when these circumstances occur, what is an appropriate manner for those responsible to accept responsibility and to make whatever amends possible.  But I feel quite certain about this, 30 years in the hole and then being put to death by the state which writes laws against killing - is wrong.  It just is.  

Sign the Petition to support Ronald and stop his execution.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-ronald-allen-smith/sign.html#se

Are there any people in Canada working on this issue from a community level?  Please leave a comment or send me an email - j-sheryl@hotmail.com

Baird slammed for 'cynical' clemency plea

Double-murderer Ronald Smith asks to be spared death penalty

 By RANDY BOSWELL, Postmedia News January 21, 2012

 Opposition critics and one of Canada's leading opponents of the death penalty are denouncing Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird for sending a brief letter to the Montana parole board in which he appears to only half-heartedly request clemency for convicted killer Ronald Smith, the only Canadian on death row in the United States.
Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International-Canada, described the letter as "deeply disappointing."
The federal NDP's justice critic, Jack Harris, called it a "deplorable" indication of the Conservative government's stance on capital punishment, and Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc said the "weak" and "cynical" letter could effectively sink Smith's bid to avoid death by lethal injection.
In the letter, Baird prefaces his request by noting that the government was ordered to lend its support to Smith by the Federal Court of Canada. He then states that the government "does not sympathize with violent crime" and that Canada's formal request for clemency "should not be construed as reflecting a judgment on Smith's conduct."
The letter from Baird was included this week in Smith's formal application to have his death sentence for killing two Montana men in 1982 commuted to life imprisonment.
The request is expected to prompt an investigation by parole board officials, a formal hearing within the next four months and eventually a non-binding recommendation from the board to Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer on whether Smith deserves to avoid execution.
The 19-page application for clemency - accompanied by two other lengthy and impassioned letters of support for the 54-year-old Smith from a Catholic priest and prison educator - detailed Smith's record as a model inmate at the Montana State Prison, the failure of his first lawyer to accept a 1983 plea bargain that would have spared Smith's life, the abusive childhood Smith suffered growing up in Alberta and his "heartfelt remorse" over the crimes he committed nearly 30 years ago.
"Clearly, a more robust letter conveying detailed and forceful support would be constructive, including laying out the reasons why (in addition to a court order) the government believes Mr. Smith deserves clemency," Neve said.
"There are many such reasons."
Neve acknowledged that having Canada officially "on the record" as backing the clemency bid is "obviously welcome" - even if the Conservative government's support is, at best, lukewarm.
"It's very, very cynical to begin a letter to the Montana parole board by saying 'Look, I don't really want to do this, but I've been forced to,'" said LeBlanc. "If we think it's wrong to impose the death penalty on Canadians in Canada, we should have a consistent application of that principle when foreign jurisdictions are subjecting Canadians to that potential sentence."

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Baird+slammed+cynical+clemency+plea/6030715/story.html#ixzz1khfe2m9C

The Lead Now Campaign

Lead Now has demonstrated to those within the Canadian state just how to do a mainstream, national advocacy project while also including voices with more radical ideas.  And the project seems to be having some success at the government level.

Some Updates;

Senator Percy Downe posted this to his twitter account during the Lead Now senator letter campaign.



 Lead Now goes on to restate what the media have already informed us, that Senate voting on Bill C10 will not take place before February.   A move away from "the first 100 days" initially promised by conservatives.

Then as almost an after thought, Lead Now informs us that they contacted criminologists from around Canada and asked them to sign on to the open letter addressed to Senators.  Here is the list, but I see at least one name missing who should have been invited - perhaps you notice others....  Though I applaud Lead Now in all of their initiatives, a small suggestion might have been to ask members to contribute suggestions around who to contact.  I would have suggested Eugene Oscapella.

"PS - We asked some of the country's leading criminologists to add their names to our open letter asking the Senate to provide the sober second thought we need on the Crime Bill. The response was amazing. Here's the initial list of signatories:"

• Anthony Doob, Professor of Criminology, Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies, University of Toronto
• Frank Cormier, Criminology/Sociology Coordinator, Department of Sociology, University of Manitoba
• Gordon Darroch, Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, Senior Scholar, York University
• Lorna Stefanick, Associate Professor, Governance Law and Management Program, Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, Athabasca University
• Penni Stewart, Associate Professor, Sociology, York University
• Deborah Brock, Department of Sociology, Sociolegal Studies, Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, York University
• John Edward Deukmedjian, Ayssociate Professor, Criminology, Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Criminology, University of Windsor
• Margaret E. Beare, Professor, Law and Sociology, York University
• Marc Nesca, Forensic Psychologist, Associate Professor, Criminal Justice Program, Athabasca University
• Frederick Desroches, Professor, Sociology, Criminology, and Legal Studies, St. Jerome's University, University of Waterloo
• Michael Weinrath, Professor & Chair, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Winnipeg
• Joanna Pozzulo, Director, Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Carleton University
• Russell C. Smandych, Professor of Sociology and Criminology, Department of Sociology, University of Manitoba