Dead Man Walking

March 11, 2013

“Dead Man Walking” presented by the Boston Opera Collaborative

When Sister Helen Prejean wrote the book “Dead Man Walking” about her work with death row inmates, she probably never thought the subject matter would become a film, a play…or an opera.

The opera, written by Jake Heggie and Terence McNally, tells the story of Joseph De Rocher, a convicted murder, and Sister Prejean’s struggle to save his life and his soul . What emerges is an emotional, musically soaring portrait of one of the most serious ethical issues facing us today–the death penalty.

The Boston Opera Collaborative presents “Dead Man Walking” at the Somerville Theatre from March 15th-18th.

Guests

Sister Helen Prejean, a Roman Catholic religious nun and adovcate for the abolition of the death penalty

Graham Wright, founder and host of Opus Affair– an arts salon in Boston

Check out this lecture by Sister Prejean about her experiences with death row inmates:

Other stories from this show:

http://www.facebook.com/bkort Barry Kort

Anthony, I would love to hear a future story on Restorative Justice as an alternative to Retributive Justice.
dudleysharp

From the parents of rape/torture/murder victim Loretta Bourque, a Dead Man
Walking vicitm

” . . .makes you realize the Dead Man Walking truly belongs on the shelf in
the library in the Fiction category.”

“Being devout Catholics, ‘the norm’ would be to look to the church for
support and healing. Again, this need for spiritual stability was stolen by
Sister Prejean.” (2)

===

Case Detective Michael Vernado, in the rape/torture/murder of Faith
Hathaway, a Dead Man Walking victim

“I wouldn’t have had as much trouble with (Prejean’s) views if she would
have told the truth . . .”

” . . . (Sr. Prejean) based her book on what was in I guess a defense file
and what (rapist/murderer) Robert Willie telling her.”

” . . . she’s trying to mislead people in the book. And that’s something
that she’s going have to work out with herself.”

“(Sr. Prejean’s) certainly not after giving anybody spiritual advice to
try to save their soul.” (2)

===

Sr. Prejean finds that THERE IS NO GREATER SUFFERING , MENTALLY, THAN BEING
A GUILTY MURDERER ON DEATH ROW (1)

Did she consider the mental suffering of a parent who lost their innocent
daughter to a rape/murder or, possibly, the mental (and physical) suffering of
that girl, as she was being raped and murdered?

Of course the sister considered it and she made her choice – the
murderer.
===

Book Review: “Sister Prejean’s Lack of Credibility: Review of “The Death of
Innocents”, by Thomas M. McKenna (New Oxford Review, 12/05).
www(DOT)newoxfordreview.org/reviews.jsp?did=1205-mckenna

“The book is moreover riddled with factual errors and
misrepresentations.”

“Williams had confessed to repeatedly stabbing his victim, Sonya
Knippers.”

“This DNA test was performed by an independent lab in Dallas, which
concluded that there was a one in nearly four billion chance that the blood
could have been someone’s other than Williams’s.”

” . . . despite repeated claims that (Prejean) cares about crime victims,
implies that the victim’s husband was a more likely suspect but was overlooked
because the authorities wanted to convict a black man.”

” . . . a Federal District Court . . . stated that ‘the evidence against
Williams was overwhelming.’ ” “The same court also did “not find any evidence of
racial bias specific to this case.”

MUCH MORE WITHIN FOOTNOTE 2, BELOW

======

(1) Prejean: Death penalty is torture, TimesLeader.com online, October
1, 2012, http://www.timesleaderonline.com/page/content.detail/id/541638/Prejean–Death-penalty-is-torture.html?nav=5010

(2) “Sister Helen Prejean & the death penalty: A Critical Review”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/05/04/sister-helen-prejean–the-death-penalty-a-critical-review.aspx
dudleysharp

REBUTTAL: Common Anti Death Penalty
Claims
Dudley Sharp

Very seldom do either academia or media give an even balance in death
penalty review.

Overwhelmingly, both take the anti death penalty position, even though US
citizens support the death penalty by 80%, for our worst murders, such as those
of 9/11, the Oklahoma City bombing case or the crimes of Saddam Hussein. 16%
oppose all executions, not matter the crimes.

This list, or others, will have to suffice, because balanced coverage is,
simply, not going to occur.

Give both sides a good look and fact check. Have an open mind, but
verify.

I contend that anti death penalty positions are either false or that pro
death penalty positions are stronger.

These are not the full range of topics within the discussion, but represent
common topics that are.

More topics upon request.

The Death Penalty: Saving More Innocent Lives
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2012/03/death-penalty-saving-more-innocent.html

“Sister Helen Prejean & the death penalty: A Critical Review”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/05/04/sister-helen-prejean–the-death-penalty-a-critical-review.aspx

Innocents More At Risk Without Death Penalty
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2012/03/innocents-more-at-risk-without-death.html

OF COURSE THE DEATH PENALTY DETERS: A review of the debate
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/03/of-course-death-penalty-deters.html

Saving Costs with The Death Penalty
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/02/death-penalty-cost-saving-money.html

RACE & THE DEATH PENALY: A REBUTTAL TO THE RACISM CLAIMS
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/search?q=racism

“Killing equals Killing: The Amoral Confusion of Death Penalty
Opponents”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/02/01/murder-and-execution–very-distinct-moral-differences–new-mexico.aspx

“The Death Penalty: Neither Hatred nor Revenge”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/07/20/the-death-penalty-neither-hatred-nor-revenge.aspx

“A Broken Study: A Review of ‘A Broken System’ ”
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2009/10/broken-study-review-of-broken-system.html

“The Death Penalty: Not a Human Rights Violation”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2006/03/20/the-death-penalty-not-a-human-rights-violation.aspx

“Physicians & The State Execution of Murderers: No Ethical/Medical
Dilemma”
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2009/10/physicians-state-execution-of-murderers.html

“Death Penalty Support: Religious and Secular Scholars”
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2009/07/death-penalty-support-modern-catholic.html

WOMEN & THE DEATH PENALTY:
ARE WOMEN OVER REPRESENTED ON DEATH
ROW?
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/02/women-death-penalty-are-women-over.html

Is there Class Disparity with Executions?
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2013/03/is-there-class-disparity-with-executions.html

Pro death penalty sites

VICTIMS’ VOICES – The Stories of the Innocent Murder Victims
http://www.murdervictims.com/voices/voices.html

http://homicidesurvivors.com/categories/Death%20Penalty.aspx
http://prodpinNC.blogspot.com

http://www.cjlf.org/deathpenalty/deathpenalty.htmhttp://www.cjlf.org/deathpenalty/dpdeterrencefull.htmwww.clarkprosecutor.org/html/links/dplinks.htm

Hosts Meghna Chakrabarti and Anthony Brooks introduce us to newsmakers, big thinkers and artists and bring us stories of relevance to Bostonians here and around the region. Live every weekday at 3.

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Dead Man Walking

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