Joe Biden just announced that he is commuting the sentences of a vast majority of people on federal death row (37 of 40). To this end, I have released the following quotes:
“Just when I thought Joe Biden was going to give our nation some ethical clarity, he has presented us with a new nightmare…the ranking of murder victims. Either Biden finishes the job and commutes all federal death sentences or we are left in the same place we were before…a moral abyss of federal sentencing that only pursues death sentences in rare cases, prioritizing some murder victims above all others.”
“This is not time for celebration. We are in the same moral abyss we were in before. Regardless of how many death sentences President Biden just commuted, by not commuting them all he has made sure that the killing will continue.”
Back in March (2024), I wrote the opinion piece below for Newsweek. Though some details have changed, I still feel strongly that President Biden (even with the latest news) has dramatically failed to meet his campaign promises or moral obligations.
President Biden Should Follow Through on Ending the Death Penalty | Opinion
On Good Friday President Joe Biden will likely go to church. While there, I hope more executions than just that of Jesus fester in his mind.
I was Kenneth Eugene Smith’s spiritual advisor during the first nitrogen hypoxia execution in Alabama. There was no one closer. Witnesses from all sides described the same thing, something incredibly evil.
A few weeks ago, Smith, 58, was completely immobilized on the gurney. On his face, there was a tightly secured mask that covered from the top of his head to the bottom of his chin. In fact, it was so tight that I could see tight red bunches of skin around the entire seal. With little warning, the nitrogen started to flow. Like an expanding tomato, Smith’s head grew bigger and bigger. His body was pumping adrenaline in every possible direction. Every inch of him looked like it was going to explode. Seconds turned into minutes.
The state of Alabama lied. We were told to expect Kenneth to go unconscious within the first few seconds. Smith began to heave back and forth. No one with a conscience could have wanted the entire moment to continue. Fluids shot out of his mouth and caught on the inside of the mask. The concoction looked like a waterfall. His eyeballs protruded out of their sockets. It was like watching a horror movie.
Conversations about nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution and the death penalty in general followed. Perhaps with wishful thinking, I expected bold leadership from President Joe Biden. Instead, we got a short statement from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, “The president has long said and has had deep, deep, deep concerns with how the death penalty is implemented and whether it is consistent with our values. So we are deeply troubled by it, by what we heard by about Kenneth Smith’s death.”
“Thoughts and prayers?” It’s a phrase that has come to define indifference. Whenever tragedy strikes, it’s always the auto response. But when do “thoughts and prayers” lead to action? The use of the word “troubled” by Jean-Pierre strikes similarly. There was a time when use of the word “troubled” meant that you would be stirred to do something. Not today. Jean-Pierre speaks for an administration that is so “troubled” that it has done, and seems aimlessly determined to do, absolutely nothing.
This isn’t what we were promised. Back in 2020, President Biden declared on his campaign website that he would, “work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level, and incentivize states to follow the federal government’s example.” He’s done neither.
Far from offering leadership of any kind, executions are happening regularly. The U.S. Justice Department continues to seek new death sentences. Now, we even have a new execution method that allows the government to suffocate someone to death. These are not all federal issues that Biden has direct control over, but he promised effort and we have seen none.
President Biden’s inaction is not theoretical. As a spiritual advisor to people on death rows throughout the nation, I provide comfort to those who are to be executed by their government. I work to end such moments because they’re completely unnecessary, a waste of resources, and contrary to my faith. Executions are also bolstered by unfair systems and generally morally repugnant. But these conversations about President Biden and capital punishment go beyond basic objections and extend to fair and timely questions of failed governance.
On April 4, the State of Oklahoma is scheduled to execute Michael Smith. If the execution proceeds, I will be standing next to him doing my best to provide him comfort. That’s my job. President Biden promised to take on the death penalty, and he is not doing his job.
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