Excerpts on Death Penalty

The Death Penalty is a form of torture

The cruelty of torture is evident. Like torture, an execution constitutes an extreme physical and mental assault on a person already rendered helpless by government authorities. Abolitionist groups claim that the cruelty of the death penalty is manifest not only in the execution but in the time spent under sentence of death, during which the prisoner is constantly contemplating his or her own death at the hands of the state. Prison is an extraordinarily severe punishment that should not be exacerbated with torture or the death penalty.

Torture Defined

Torture of prisoners violates the Eight Amendment’s provision against Cruel and Unusual Punishment, and also constitutes a violation of several international laws. The United Nations Convention on Torture defined torture as “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.”

An example of torture in the US Criminal Justice System

In May 1998, a lawsuit was filed concerning conditions for death row inmates in Idaho Maximum Security Institution. The suit states that inmates are held in solitary confinement for 163 of every week's 168 hours in small concrete and steel cells with solid metal doors and a narrow slit for a window. Inmates are allowed out of their cells for a maximum of one hour a day, excluding weekends, for recreation, alone and handcuffed in one of 12 enclosed wire mesh pens measuring approximately seven by 15 feet. The prisoner named in the lawsuit, Randy McKinney, states that he has lived under such a regime for 16 years, and that such treatment constitutes torture.

The Sinking of USS Reuben James

Allright people, today I come to you with a story, But not any story... this is about a ship, 159 brave crew members, and their fate. (For a better effect, listen to this song by: Woody Guthrie- The sinking of Reuben James its cool, if you like country. link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1U5ngze280&feature=related

The Reuben James was named after Boatswain's Mate Reuben James (c.1776–1838), who fought in the Barbary Wars. This ship was the first to get hit by hostile action in the WWII, torpedoed by a submarine when it was returning from a convoy to provide the British with weapons.

"Reuben James was hit forward by a torpedo and her entire bow was blown off when a magazine exploded. The bow sank immediately. The aft section floated for five minutes before going down. Of the 159-man crew, only 44 survived."

(fan)video of the sinking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hzAX0p_0Xw&feature=related

(I think I like that song so I'm just gonna post the lyrics it kind of describes what went on in the sinking of the Reuben James)

The Sinking Of The Reuben James

Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James
Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and fame?
She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free
But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea.

Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
What were their names, tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James

Well, a hundred men went down in that dark watery grave
When that good ship went down only forty-four were saved.
'Twas the last day of October we saved the forty-four
From the cold ocean waters and the cold icy shore.

It was there in the dark of that uncertain night
That we watched for the U-boats and waited for a fight.
Then a whine and a rock and a great explosion roared
And they laid the Reuben James on that cold ocean floor.

Now tonight there are lights in our country so bright
In the farms and in the cities they're telling of the fight.
And now our mighty battleships will steam the bounding main
And remember the name of that good Reuben James.


Well I hope you like this topic. Thanks and good night.

Truck Bombing of Marine Barracks in Beirut (1983)

The article talks about a U.S. and french army force who where atacked by a bombing on October 23, 1983, the bombing was reported as a suicide bombing, wich means that people drove a vehicle close to the army base and blew themselfs up.. The injure toll was of 241 American servicemen: 220 Marines, 18 navy personnel and three army soldiers. Sixty Americans were injured. In the article it mentions it was the biggest toll on american lives in war since world war II.. making it an impressive and horrible ocurance for the united states.

The U.S. President Ronald reagan called this a horrible act of coldness to marines and american lifes that were just stationed there and were performing no duty that was in any way harming this "force" that atacked the buildings... I think this article shows a lot about humans, the way we can act, and the way we respond to such a sudden change of game plan...

World Trade Center bombing

The World Trade Center bombing occurred on February 26, 1993, when a bomb expoded in a Tower of the world trade center in New York.

There where 6 people dead, and 1, 042 people injured, but the bomb was suposed to knock out both towers killing thousands of people.

Why does this attack occurred?, because Ramzi Yousef was sendig letters to US newspapers demanding: an end to all US aid to Israel, an end to US diplomatic relations with Israel, and a demand for a pledge by the United States to end interference.

The plan was to drive a yellow Ryder van into Lower Manhattan, and pull it into the public parking garage beneath the World Trade Center around noon, and twelve minuts later the bomb was suposed to explode.

The Sinking Of The Lusitania

This attack had place during WWI near the coast of Ireland. On May 1 1915, the Lusitania departed from New York. Six days later, May 7, the Lusitania was hit by a torpedo. The ship was severely damaged, so much, that it took only 18 minutes to sink. This was a terrible event, because from the 1900 passengers, around 60% died.
The reason for the attack is believed to be that Germany found out that this luxury ship was being used as a transportation method of armament since it was a war zone, they didn´t hesitate to sink the ship. As a good disguise for being a luxury ship and being the fastest ship, that was easily seen by germans. This attack was a major event that led the United States to join the World War.

It hink this was a very interesting event. The fact of using it as armament transportation is very unfair for the passengers, though, this time I am not against the US for permitting this because Germany sent an advise that they would sink any ship near those waters because it was a war zone.

I have a question, do we have to send you the Attacks on America worksheet? Or was it only for us to use it as a guide?

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (1941)

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, began at 7:53 on Sunday, December 7, in Hawaii, ie, at 3:23 of the December 8, in Japan. Japanese aircraft attacked in two waves, a total of 353 aircraft arrived in Oahu. The first wave was led by Mitsuo Fucha.

Most of the 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed and 155 that were damaged were the impacts on land. The attacks on barracks killed more pilots. The friendly fire brought down several aircraft. Among the 55 Japanese airmen and nine crew members died during the attack submarine. Of the 441 Japanese aircraft (350 of whom took part in the attack) 29 were lost during the battle (in the first wave of nine and twenty in the second) and another 74 were damaged by ground fire. Over twenty of the planes that landed safely in the carrier were irreparable.

A lot of people died in this attack, 2345 military and 57 civilians to be exact and 1,247 military and 35 civilians were wounded.

Japan was having problems with US because the US decided to stop giving them oil after they make Japan dependented to that source because they didn't have an own source of oil. Also japan wanted to get china but the US wasn't agree with that so is when they stop to give them oil. Japan realize that they only had two options: acomplished what the US was telling them to do, or start the war. I think we all know what they decided.

Oklahoma City bombing

I chosed the bombing in Oklahoma, that happened in April 19, 1995 on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. This is the second deadliest attack on the U.S. history, being the attack on New York on 2001 the first one.

First, i'm gonna talk about the backround. On April 19, 1993, there was a standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidian Cult (people who believed on apocalypticism, a belief that states that we live on times were apocalyptic prophesies are happening now). The governmend gassed the building, resulting on a major fire that killed around 75 people including children. After the struggle, lots of people blamed the government and the FBI for this tragedy. Timothy McVeigh was one of them.

Planning his revenge, McVeigh enlisted Terry Nichols and several friends that he met on the U.S. army basic training to help him pull his plan. They purchased over 5,000 pounds of fertilizer, that was the fuel for the explosion. They placed the explosives in a Ryder truck parked in the building carrying the whole explosives.
On April 19, 1995, the truck exploded pulverizing the whole north face of the building.
The blast destroyed and damaged around 325 surrounding compounds and destroyed 86 cars ion the area. Around 90 minutes after the incident, a highway patrol stopped Timothy McVeigh by driving without licence plates, and his ties to the bombing were later found. Although Islamic terrorist were blamed at the beginning by the media, the plan was discovered when some of McVeigh's recruits were caught. The explosion killed 168, and more than 800 were injured. Ninety nine people who died worked for the government, 69 did not. 19 of the victims were children. McVeigh was sentenced to recieve a lethal injection, and his friend, Terry Nichols, was sentenced to a life in prison.

I think this wasn't an attack to the U.S. itself, it was towards the government. I don't trust ANY government I know, I sometimes the work burocracy makes isn't that trustable, and when it comes to the U.S. government I start to doubt even more. Expansionism, imperialism, war, oil... United States has its reputation well refuted. I even think, sometimes, they make their own conspirancies and "destroy" their own stuff, so they can go and invade other countries... taking a little more oil on their way back.

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