"...This teaches me that killing another human being cheapens life, brutalizes
all of us, and very likely creates more violence. It merely reinforces the
notion of lethal vengeance. We should stand with the rest of the civilized
world and reject that message. If I could paraphrase Kennedy after the
killing of Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Whenever an American life is taken
unnecessarily, whether in the name of law or in defiance of law, in cold
blood or passion, in an attack of violence or a response to violence. The
whole nation is degraded. This much is clear - violence begets violence." I
urge you to ask yourself, why do we deserve to make these decisions through
an imperfect legal system? Like slavery, torture and the subjugation of
women, all of which were once commonplace, the death penalty should be
relegated to the scrap heap of history. I hope, indeed I pray, that these
bills do not pass."
Members stood and applauded Rep. Smizik's maiden speech.
Question came on ordering the death penalty bill to third reading. On voice
vote, the bill was NOT ordered to third reading. Rep. Jones doubted the
vote and requested a roll call, for which there was support.
ON ROLL CALL VOTE OF 60-94 DEATH PENALTY BILL REJECTED (1:57 pm)
HOUSE SESSION - MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2001
