Death Penalty
While I sympathize with the plight of Texas inmate Calvin J. Burdine (June 6) and his quest for a new trial, it seems that the real story is buried at the end of the article. Apparently, in Texas, being Latino or black is a serious crime worthy of the death penalty. I find it almost inconceivable that in this day and age a defendant can explicitly be given a tougher sentence by virtue of his ethnicity.
It is these sorts of miscarriages of justice that should urge all conscientious individuals to work to put an end to the barbarity that is the death penalty and to question George W. Bush’s effectiveness as a future leader of this country.
IAN M. DUCKLES
Long Beach
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