In a message dated 5/12/00 1:45:17 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> The below quibbles on the meaning of 'murder'--please I have the
>  right to use the word with its common meaning, legalisms aside.

   When discussing the judicial system and capital punishment you do not have
a right to ignore the customary use of the term.

>  And the US IS a European nation, what language do we speak, where
>  did our laws come from, need we go on?

    Well, since a majority of us speak English, and our laws come from the
middle east (Old Testiment), and from Roman law,  and English common law, I
would have to say, based on this criteria, that we are an English nation.
But even if that were true, which it is not,  it would not make us an
European nation.

>  State murders ARE murders, and they do focus on 'minorities' only 23%
>  of such murders are 'white' (read Germanic).

    My first response would have to be, "so what?"  After all,  Black
Americans -- I assume that is what you meant by "minorities?" --
overwhelmingly murder out of all proportion to their numbers in the general
population, so it would make since that they would be heavily represented on
death row .  As to from where you pulled your "23%" I don't know, but here is
some info that tends to rebuke your claim.

"Summary findings
During 1998 --

68 persons in 18 States were executed -- 20 in Texas; 13 in Virginia; 7 in
South Carolina; 4 each in Arizona, Florida, and Oklahoma; 3 each in Missouri
and North Carolina; and 1 each in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia,
Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, and Washington.

Sixty-six of those executed were men and 2 were women.
By race:
-- 48 were white
-- 18 were black
-- 1 was American Indian
-- 1 was Asian "

Yours,
Issodhos