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Pete Wilson, George Deukmejian and Gray Davis
(PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.kmvt.com/news/regional/176609881.html)
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The Three Musketeers (PHOTO SOURCE: http://allthecovers.tumblr.com/post/25097836552/the-three-musketeers-by-alexandre-dumas)
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On this date, October 30, 2012, a trio of former California Governors, where we nickname them The Three Musketeers, spoke out against Proposition 34 and encouraged the voters to preserve the death penalty.
Unit 1012 respects them for
upholding the death penalty law and not giving into the Abolitionist. We, the
comrades of Unit 1012, do not want leaders in the state to support the death
penalty for political gain but for justice and protection in the state.
As one of the Seven Good Judges, Wee Chong Jin who was the First Chief Justice of Singapore for 27 years (1963 to
1990) once said:
“I hope the day will never come when the guilt or innocence of anyone in Singapore is decided by politics. Your guilt or innocence on this charge is decided by the law of the land, by the courts and by the judges. No one, least of all a politician, is above the law. The law is enacted by Parliament.”
In this case, it is the State of
California, not Singapore, Unit 1012 wants leaders that enforce capital
punishment and victims’ rights for justice and protection, not for political gain. Please see the
following articles of the event.
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George
Deukmejian A.K.A Courken George
Deukmejian, Jr. (born June
6, 1928) is an American politician who as a Republican served as the 35th governor
of California (1983–1991) and as California Attorney General (1979–1983).
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INTERNET
SOURCE: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/30/us-usa-california-deathpenalty-idUSBRE89T1U820121030
Trio of former California
governors seeks to preserve death penalty
October
30, 2012|Alex Dobuzinskis | Reuters
LOS
ANGELES (Reuters) - A trio of former California governors urged voters on
Tuesday to preserve the death penalty in the state by defeating a ballot
initiative seeking to abolish capital punishment on cost grounds, and a recent
poll showed the measure gaining support but falling short of passing.
The
initiative, if passed by voters next week, would automatically commute the
sentences of 725 death row inmates in California, which has nearly a quarter of
the nation's condemned prisoners but has executed none in the last six years.
"Prop.
34 is a horrible injustice," said former Democratic Governor Gray Davis,
referring to the ballot proposition. "Like a giant eraser, it would wipe
out the death penalty convictions of 700 killers on death row."
Those
convicts are responsible for killing 200 children and 43 police officers, said
Davis, who was governor from 1999 to 2003 and who was joined in opposing death
penalty repeal by former Republican governors Pete Wilson and George
Deukmejian.
"Don't
let the bad guys on death row win," Davis said. The governors were joined
at a Los Angeles hotel by relatives of murder victims, prosecutors and police
officers.
California
Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, and his Republican predecessor, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, have been silent on the initiative.
The
push by the former governors follows a poll of 1,504 registered voters released
on Friday by USC Dornsife and the Los Angeles Times that showed support for
repeal at 42 percent, with 45 percent opposed. The poll had a margin of error
of 2.9 percent.
Those
numbers represented a much narrower gap than in a September survey by the same
group that showed the pro-repeal side at 38 percent compared to 51 percent who
wanted to keep the death penalty.
The
polling boost was welcomed by the campaign to end the death penalty, even if
ballot initiatives are generally seen by political observers as unlikely to
succeed without crossing the crucial 50 percent threshold in polls leading up
to an election.
Seventeen
U.S. states and the District of Columbia do not allow the death penalty. The
referendum comes as the American Civil Liberties Union and other backers of the
ballot initiative are taking a new approach by emphasizing the cost of the
death penalty.
Death
penalty costs are driven by mandated appeals and a shortage of public lawyers
qualified to handle capital cases.
An
independent budget watchdog, the Legislative Analyst's Office, has said
repealing the death penalty in California could initially save $100 million a
year, later growing to $130 million a year.
The
group behind the initiative held a news conference on Tuesday featuring
relatives of victims in death row cases.
"I
know how it feels like to have an innocent person you love murdered,"
Bethany Webb, whose sister was killed last year in a southern California
shooting spree, said in a statement.
"I
want no part of the execution of an innocent person. I passionately believe that
if a yes on 34 vote could save even one innocent life, it would be worth
it," she said.
(Reporting
By Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Christopher Wilson)
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Pete Wilson A.K.A Peter
Barton "Pete" Wilson (born August 23, 1933) was an American politician
from California. Wilson is a Republican who has served as the 36th governor of
California (1991–1999), a United States Senator (1983–1991), the Mayor of San
Diego (1971–1983) and a California State Assemblyman (1967–1971).
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INTERNET
SOURCE: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_21892257/3-ex-governors-oppose-calif-death-penalty-repeal
3 ex-governors oppose Calif. death-penalty repeal
AP Political Writer
Published:
Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 - 12:59 pm
Last
Modified: Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 - 3:50 pm
LOS ANGELES -- Three former
California governors joined prosecutors and families of murder victims Tuesday
to urge voters to reject a ballot proposal next week that would abolish the
state's death penalty.
Appearing
at downtown Los Angeles hotel, Democrat Gray Davis and Republicans Pete Wilson
and George Deukmejian warned that Proposition 34 would erase history, punish
victims' relatives and potentially free imprisoned killers.
There
are more than 700 inmates on California's death row, though no executions have
occurred since 2006 because of pending lawsuits.
The
proposal "is a horrible injustice. ... These people had their day in
court," Davis said. "Do not let the bad guys
on death row win."
Wilson
called the proposition "a travesty ... re-opening heartbreak."
The
American Civil Liberties Union and other supporters say $4 billion has been
spent since 1978 to house death row inmates and on court appeals that grind on
for years. They argue that the money could be used to investigate unsolved
murder and rape cases.
If
voters approve Proposition 34, inmates awaiting execution would have their
sentences converted to life in prison without the chance of parole. In
addition, $100 million in grants would be doled out to law enforcement agencies
over the next four years to investigate cold cases.
But
the governors disputed the savings estimates and argued that far more would be
lost in suffering by victims' families if the courtroom sentences are set
aside.
Also,
opponents say those sentences could be commuted in the future, possibly freeing
murderers once on death row.
"We've had enough crime victims in this state," Wilson said.
Gov.
Jerry Brown, a Democrat with a history of opposing the death penalty, has not
announced a position on the proposal.
Former
NFL star Kermit Alexander, whose mother, sister and two nephews were murdered
in a botched 1984 contract killing, struggled to keep his composure when
recalling his family members. Prosecutors said the killers had been looking for
another woman but went to the wrong house.
Alexander
said he has forgiven triggerman Tiequon Cox, who was sentenced to death, but
"it doesn't erase the consequences."
Thirteen
executions have been carried out since the death penalty was reinstated in
California 35 years ago. During that same period, 89 death row inmates have
died of natural causes, suicide or murder.
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Gray Davis A.K.A Joseph
Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American Democratic
politician who served as California's 37th Governor from 1999 until being recalled
in 2003.
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INTERNET
SOURCE: http://blog.sfgate.com/djsaunders/2012/11/03/three-governors-sing-save-the-death-penalty/
Three governors sing: Save the death penalty
Gray Davis is righteous — in favor of the death penalty and
against Proposition 34. This week the Democrat joined two other
former California governors, Republicans Pete Wilson and George
Deukmejian, at a press conference urging voters to reject Prop. 34. It was
like Three
Tenors, but for public safety.
Wilson
noted that those who make it to death row are guilty of “unimaginable cruelty,”
as they committed not only murders, but also other crimes. Death-row inmates
are responsible for 90 victims of torture. Deukmejian said that he believes
“life is sacred,” and society must do all it can to protect the innocent.
While
former and now present governor Jerry Brown did not attend the press conference, he did tell
the Chronicle editorial board that there are no innocent inmates on death row. As California’s former
attorney general, he should know.
This
video is a must-see because it also stars Phyllis Loya, whose police officer
son Larry Lasater was slain in the line of duty, whom the Piedmont League of Women Voters would not invite to speak at
its forum supporting Proposition 34. It seems there is a lot that Prop. 34
backers don’t want you to know.
If
you are looking for more information on the criminal justice system, try the Crime and
Consequences blog.
| Nov 03 at 6:37 am
PLEASE
WATCH THESE TWO VIDEOS TO HEAR THE GOVERNORS SPEAK: