Written by Ronald W. Clark Jr. # 812974

In Memory of

Terry Sims Feb 5, 1942 - Feb 23, 2000

and

Anthony Bryan March 1, 1959 - Feb. 24, 2000

In the name of God, justice and the American way.

These two friends of mine were the first two men executed in the state of Florida by lethal injection and it was all done in the name of God, justice and the American way.

And God said in John 16:2 that you would try to justify killing in his name.

Jesus said in John 8:7 ye without sin cast the first stone and he looked all around as he stood there alone. For not one of them men could cast a stone.

If you read Matthew 5:38-40 Jesus did away with an eye for an eye. Jesus shedding his blood in the new testament for our sins, did away with the blood sacrifice in the old testament. So don't try to justify the death penalty by the word of God.

Now for justice - you tell me what kind of justice can a poor man receive when he's assigned a public defender to fight for his life against a top notch prosecutor? Come on open your eye's theres nothing fair about that! So theres no fair trial.

Okay just look at William Kenndy Smith who beat his rape case with a high powered attorney. Marlon Brando's son received 10 years for killing his sisters boyfriend, and they tampered with the witness and no charges were brought against anyone for witness tampering.

And O.J. Simpson. We won't go into guilty or innocent. But the state attorney didn't even seek the death penalty in that case and that was the case the death penalty was designed for. But they pick and choose and only the poor will lose.

Last but not least President Bill Clinton who purjured himself in a sworn statement and nothing happened. Why? Money and power in all four of these cases and you still want to talk about fair?

The Death Penalty

a rich man will walk

and a poor man will die

and America will scream

an eye for an eye.

But only a poor mother will cry

for a rich woman's son will never die.

Now that poem is our justice system and the death penalty in America and that is why my two friends are dead is because they were too poor for our American justice system.

Tony's attorney was drunk during his trial, and he admitted it. But the court turned Tony's appeal down and wouldn't grant him a new trial. Now you won't let this attorney operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated. But it's ok for him to go into the court of law and fight for a man's life while he's intoxicated? Where is the justice!

Terry said he was innocent all the way to the end. I can't say whether he was or he wasn't. But this is a fact America has executed 23 innocent people this past century. So maybe Terry was the 24th and if evidence does prove it later then what? You can set an innocent man free from prison, but you can't bring one back to life. And who's to say the next man won't be innocent? We are not God. We make mistakes. We are only human.

So come on America. Open your eyes and see this for what it truly is and lets stop exucting the poor and underpriveledged in America.

God bless you.