Read a Peace Report- Connecticut Legislature Considers Death Penalty Ban

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Connecticut Legislature Considers Death Penalty Ban
an article by Tony Dominski

Michael Ross, a 45 year old Connecticut serial killer, is scheduled to be executed on May 11, 2005. His off-and-on-again appeals process and postponed execution dates, have energized local support against the death penalty.

On January 18, 2005 dozens of activists fanned out through the legislative building in Hartford, Connecticut's capital. Each wore a red sticker pleading "Don't Kill in My Name". The Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty was formed almost 20 years ago, but recently its membership has doubled and its mission has gained fresh purpose. Connecticut's most recent execution took place in 1960.

Advocacy groups for Don't Kill in My Name have been staging rallies across the state. Some 300 criminal defense lawyers signed a resolution last week to abolish capital punishment. Churches and synagogues held vigils, and the Catholic archbishop of Hartford is distributing petitions to end state executions.

This advocacy has prompted the Connecticut Legislature to take up HB6012, a bill banning the death penalty. All but two of 74 speakers at the judiciary committee's hearing in Hartford spoke in favor of the bill: "I'm here to tell you that I never met an inmate for whom I had no hope," said Mary Morgan Wolff, state deputy warden. It is likely HB6012 will pass, but it faces a potential veto by Republican Governor Jodi Rell who was in favor of Ross’s execution.

People in Connecticut are ambivalent about the death penalty. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that Connecticut voters supported capital punishment in theory (59% to 31%), but preferred the penalty for murder to be a life sentence without parole rather than execution (49% to 37%).

Abolition of the death penalty is an important step towards a non-killing society. It is encouraging that Connecticut is so close to this milestone for a Culture of Peace.

DISCUSSION

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Are non-killing societies possible?,

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Promoting Communication Literacy through Principles of Compassion for a Nonviolent Planet

by Vedabhyas Kundu

At a time when there are conflicts at different level around the world, promoting COMMUNICATION LITERACY through principles of compassion is a necessity so as to bring people together and collectively work for global peace.

Compassion and feelings for others are essential ingredients for human unity. Swami Vivekananda had said, “Do you feel for others? If you do, you are growing in oneness. If you do not feel for others, you may be the most intellectual giant ever born, but you will be nothing; you are but dry intellect, and you will remain so.”

Indeed in today’s contemporary society when there are so much of differences and intolerance, if we can’t promote feeling and compassion for others, we cannot promote oneness amongst one another. There seems to be crisis of values and little respect for each other’s ideas and perspective. For a large number of people, the self seems to be the supreme and are agnostic about the feelings of others. Anger and hatred towards each other seems to be found in abundance. All these will lead to greater conflicts and ill feelings amongst fellow beings. Swami Vivekananda pertinently underlines that howsoever one may acquire intellectual power, without compassion for others, one is nothing. . ...more.

This report was posted on March 7, 2005.