Dear Friends,

I'm expecting a ruling on my appeal any day now, and I have put together a little something until I'm able to divulge more intricate matters. Please understand that all of the opinions in this report are my own, and if someone else's opinions are used, then I have stated so. Views, some stats, and different perspectives may have come from sources such as USA Today, law books, and personal knowledge.

What I had planned was to give you a closer look at what capital punishment is, a few laws surrounding capital punishment, and how politics is directly involved with capital punishment. Issues that also demand extensive debates such as religion, race, and the millions of dollars spent on capital cases were purposely left out, though I do intend to raise these issues at a later time. Because I have a habit of not making too much sense whenever I attempt to write so much, I have done my best to keep things clear and understandable enough, so everyone interested can easily understand.

The media has time after time reported that the majority of Americans (and specifically Texans) is in favor of capital punishment. The percentage was as high as 80%. Then it was reported to be 60%. Since then, the percentage has dropped even more significantly. My question is: If 80% represented a majority, my way of thinking tells me that this means that 3 out of 5 Americans say "yes" to capital punishment. I challenge you to call all of your friends and neighbors, and ask if they have ever been asked their opinion on the death penalty. The results shouldn't surprise you at all. So what percentage do the people against capital punishment make up?

It is very clear that public opinion determines whether the death penalty is abolished or not. George Bush (Texas governor and presidential candidate) has said so many times, "It's what the people of Texas want." It's his favorite line, and he stands by these words. I perceive that statement to be a lie, and I'm basing that perception on facts.

When you consider the numbers associated with the death penalty as a whole, the numbers clearly show that the majority is made up of people against the death penalty. Consider this… In every state in America, there are coalitions to abolish the death penalty (there are also other groups that are less known). There is the Catholic Church (the Pope's stance is clearly anti-capital punishment). Then, there are the right-to-life organizations and the Baptists (and several other Christian denominations, which are principally opposed to taking another person's life). The list does get longer.

The point is that these institutions are made up of people, and once you think in terms of support from a particular institution, such as the Catholic population, then you must think in terms of high numbers, numbers that go well into and beyond thousands. So when you think of a mass movement, please think in terms of millions.

These are numbers that can actually be seen (the kind of evidence scientists love), but our government can't see them. It's because they don't want to see them. We cannot trust our United States Supreme Court to make rulings based on what's right and wrong because they have shown us that political life means more than anything. This is evidenced by the executions of retarded people, etc. in Texas, when one mitigating issue can't be found to spare one life (out of over 140 executed people). This should be shocking to anyone!

When President Clinton was in the midst of trouble, all of the Democratic representatives walked out of the House in support of him… not because of issues of right and wrong, but because he was a Democrat who happened to be President (and yes, it would have been the same had it been a Republican President). These are the same people that I can't even get to respond to my letters regarding human lives… yet they could shut down the government because they didn't know that oral sex meant having "sexual relations."

Death row abolition supporters outside of the United States have been so diligent in their efforts. They are the truly civilized people. Did you know that, amongst most Americans, it is not general knowledge that there are other countries opposed to capital punishment in the United States, and that these countries have been vocal and very supportive in more ways than are known? Governments have protested to our country's leaders about its use of death as a penalty for any crime. England, the country from which our laws were derived, is leading the fight. This is the same country that used to execute queens before they realized the act was barbaric and stopped the killings.

In America, the Rack and the Thumbscrew have been recognized as cruel and unusual punishments, and have been erased from the books. But not the death penalty. Something is terribly wrong.

There are experts in every field structured by our society, but they lack the experience. I'm black, I'm poor, I'm the expert! I'm the person who can tell a Congressional committee what's wrong with our judicial system, why the courts fail… because I do know exactly what's wrong. I have the experience, and I would be very grateful for the opportunity to go before any committee that is willing and truly committed to finding solutions to the problems that have plagued this beautiful country internally.

Will you please help me to make a difference? I challenge you!

Sincerely,

Charles Nealy #999289
Terrell Unit - 1200 S. FM 350
Livingston, Texas 77351

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