[FADPUpdate] Hatred in our midst

Tue Sep 18 11:27:25 EDT 2007

Friends,

I am forwarding a message from exoneree Ron Kleine with an introduction 
by Abe Bonowitz.  Founder and long-time Director of FADP, Abe worked 
tirelessly in the struggle to abolish Florida's Death Penalty.  He is 
now Field Manager for New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death 
Penalty, where working together for a common goal, a diverse coalition 
of concerned citizens has successfully gained a state moritorium on the 
Death Penalty and now stand on the threshold of abolition.  Former 
Abolitionist of the Year, Abe is Founder/Director of CUADP, Board 
Member of the Journey of Hope and the NCADP, and is active in abolition 
movements across the nation and around the world.

Shine the light,

---Mark

Please excuse cross-posts...

Greetings All,

My friend Ron Keine read a message I copied to my list because it was 
an on-the-ground report from one of the protesters in Texas in the wake 
of the recent commutation there.  He asked if I would consider sending 
out his thoughts on something that was said in that message.  I have to 
admit that the following is not quite what I expected.  I'm used to 
Ron's rants, and I always appreciate and enjoy them, but I have never 
seen him be so eloquent and so SPOT ON.  I hope you take a few minutes 
to read this.  And while he did not mention it, I want to add a group 
that is also often demonized by some abolitionists - prison workers and 
other government employees, including politicians.  The following 
message really applies to all of us.

Here's wishing a peaceful and meaningful holiday season to our Muslim 
and Jewish brothers and sisters, with Ramadan starting up last week, at 
the same time as Rosh Hashana - the Jewish New Year.  May we all be 
sealed in the book of life....

paz!

--abe

HATRED IN OUR MIDST
a message from Ron Keine
<ronkeine at yahoo.com>
http://www.ronkeine.org/

Sometimes I am amazed by some of the things I have heard come out of 
the mouths of my brother and sister abolitionists.

It was a wonderful but stressful morning. I had given a short welcome 
speech to the general assembly at UCLA. The subject of the speech was 
how happy I was to see so many concerned people in attendance joining 
together to stop government killing. Later I poured my heart out 
telling my story of how I was wrongfully convicted and sent to Death 
Row.  As many of my fellow exonorees can tell you, this is not 
easyespecially for a then fledgling speaker like me. After the speech, 
you are both physically and emotionally drained.  The 
question-and-answer period was pure torture as the audience touched on 
some of the very subjects I did not want to talk about. Some of the 
aspects of my ordeal are still very sensitive to me. Still I complied.

As I walked outside to the patio for lunch, I saw many large tables 
full of people. One group beaconed to me the availability of an open 
seat.

The table chat was friendly until a man said that he had read a news 
article about me and wanted to know if I was indeed the past Chairman 
of my local Republican party. “Yes” I proudly replied. “Are you still a 
Republican?” he queried, to which I again said, “Indeed.”

The woman sitting next to me blurted out loudly that she hated 
Republicans. I politely thanked her for that information.

She again reiterated her statement but louder this time.

She went on to say that she couldn’t believe that she was even sitting 
at the table with Republican scum. She looked at me with a face that 
blared of hate and anger.  This woman was not only a lawyer but also 
the wife of a prominent doctor who had authored books speaking out 
against the death penalty.

I was floored. I said, “ Ma’am, I come from Michigan, and in Michigan 
it is the Republicans that keep the death penalty off the law books.”

She then said that she couldn’t eat any more with a Republican at the 
table. In fact she might be getting sick if she stayed any longer. I 
said “No problem,” and I left the table. This is not the way an honored 
guest and exonoree should be treated.

As I stood by the building, finishing my lunch, I felt devastated. I 
had come all the way to California, with no pay, to help fight the 
death penalty. We are all here for a common causea cause I have 
dedicated my life to. I had received a standing ovation for my speech. 
Now I just wanted to go somewhere and hide. 

I then spotted my fellow exonoree, Shujaa Graham, and went over to talk 
to him. I told him what had happened. Those of you who know Shujaa know 
that it didn’t take long for him to talk me into a lighter mood.

Another time I was in Chicago at a North Western Wrongful Conviction 
seminar. Sitting at the breakfast table I witnessed a lady bad mouthing 
Catholics as the Catholics at the table sat flabbergasted. This woman 
is a devout Christian but hates Catholics. I couldn’t help wonder, 
“What kind of religion is this that teaches her to hate other 
Christians?” She went on to say that Catholics worship plaster idols 
which finally got a verbal war going at the table.

These are all abolitionists. They are all there for a noble cause: a 
humanitarian effort to rid our land of its worst atrocity. Where does 
all this hate come from?

At that same meeting in Chicago, I and several of our exonorees  gave a 
speech in a standing room only auditorium. The last speaker was Jesse 
Jackson Jr. I was totally horrified at what he said. He talked about 
many troubles in the world today and blamed them all on Republicans and 
white people. It was supposed to be a speech against capital punishment 
(which he did mention), but it was a campaign speech instead.

I followed him off stage. As I approached him, in anger, his security 
thugs stepped up to make sure I didn’t violate him. As I looked around, 
it reminded me of what comedian Ron White said. “I didn’t know how many 
of these bouncers it would take to kick my ass but I could see how many 
they were going to use.”

Being careful not to transgress the line, I stood two feet in front of 
the Reverend and told him that I have never, in my life, heard such 
racism, bigotry and hate spewing from the mouth of a man of the cloth, 
especially a congressman with a master’s in Theology. “You were 
supposed to be here to help our cause. Instead, you set us back.”

He just looked at me. He was speechless. He turned and walked away with 
his entourage in tow.

While lobbying in New Mexico I was able to talk to several Republican 
house legislators whose votes were crucial. They refused to even listen 
to coalition people because they were “fuzzy headed liberals.”  We won 
that vote, but the bill was shot down in the senate committee.

One woman recently published a letter proclaiming her distaste for rich 
people. Rich people give a lot of money to our anti-death-penalty 
coalitions.

I was at the fast and vigil at the U.S. Supreme Court last year. Among 
our own peace loving, understanding and humanitarian anti-death- 
penalty activists there was all too much of this bigotry going around. 
When I gave a private speech to this group I dumped my planned oration 
to address this problem. I might have hurt a few feelings, but most 
agreed with me.
Not wanting to let this simple letter become a tome, I’ll cut to the 
chase.

I have seen so many instances of this bigotry, racism, bias and hate 
among our own abolitionists that it makes me sick. Democrats hating 
republicans, Republicans hating Democrats. People hating other people 
because of their religious or political preference, ethnic origin, 
race, and human status in life.

This kind of behavior does not belong in our midst. This may be the 
status quo to many groups of people in this world.  This may be 
commonplace to the pro death penalty vultures, but it should NOT be 
evident in our abolitionist movement.

We are a unique people. We are all working to better this world and end 
the killing of our citizens. Why can’t we all just get along? Why can’t 
we accept that other people may have differing opinions without hating 
them for it? Remember that WE are supposed to be the good guys.  We can 
expect this kind of treatment from our foes, but when it comes from 
within our own midst, it is truly shocking.

What we must remember is that whatever we do, however we act, reflects 
directly on our fellow abolitionists and the groups or coalitions we 
represent.  We must stand out as an example of what is right. We cannot 
let a few bad apples tarnish our image and circumvent our credibility

The following is what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Had to say on the 
subject.

“Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our 
nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.
All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should 
be undertaken with painstaking excellence.

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the 
narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns 
of all humanity.

"Hatred paralyses life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love 
harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as 
fools.”

--Ron Keine

**************

Sent by:

Mark Elliott, Director
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, FADP.org

2840 W. Bay Drive, #118
Belleair Bluffs, FL 33770
(727)215-9646
mark at fadp.org

________________________________________________________________________
Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - 
http://mail.aol.com