Barack Obama, Troy Davis and Martin Luther King

“Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,
And the sudden smell of burning flesh!
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for a tree to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.”

For years we have been waiting to see the fruits of Barack Obama’s presidency, hoping this man was the embodiment of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr’s dream, that he would be a peacemaker, that he would show solidarity with the poor and persecuted – yet gradually we have come to see the Obama Tree as barren and useless.

But lately the Obama Tree has burst forth with fruit, a fruit born of political expediency – and it is a strange and bitter crop:

The legal lynching of Troy Davis

Lack of moral courage and political expediency means Obama has kept silent over the execution of Troy Davis

According to the Death Penalty Information Center Troy Davis will be bound to a gurney and a member of the execution team will position several heart monitors on Mr Davis’ skin. Two needles (one is a back-up) will then be inserted in his veins, probably in his arms. Long tubes will connect the needle through a hole in a cement block wall to several intravenous drips.

Then, at the warden’s signal, a curtain will be raised exposing Troy Davis to the witnesses in an adjoining room. Then, Mr Davis will be injected with sodium thiopental – an anesthetic, which will put him to sleep. Next will flow pavulon or pancuronium bromide, which will paralyze Mr Davis’ entire muscle system and stop his breathing. Finally, the flow of potassium chloride will stop his heart. Death will result from anesthetic overdose and respiratory and cardiac arrest while Troy Davis is unconscious.

Medical ethics preclude doctors from participating in executions. However, a doctor will certify Mr Davis is dead. This lack of medical participation can be problematic because often injections may be performed by inexperienced technicians or orderlies. If a member of the execution team injects the drugs into a muscle instead of a vein, or if the needle becomes clogged, extreme pain may result.

Update: Troy Davis’ last appeal was rejected and the lethal injection began at 10.53 pm. He died at 11.08 pm.

The last words of Troy Davis were reported as:

I’d like to address the MacPhail family. Let you know, despite the situation you are in, I’m not the one who personally killed your son, your father, your brother. I am innocent. The incident that happened that night is not my fault. I did not have a gun. All I can ask … is that you look deeper into this case so that you really can finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends to continue to fight this fight. For those about to take my life, God have mercy on your souls. And may God bless your souls

The crimes of Barack Obama

We may never know whether 22 years ago, as a young man, Troy Davis committed a murder, but as for President Obama his responsibility is clear:

He has supported the rebels as they lynched black men in Libya

He has lent his full support to Mahmoud Jibril, the rebel leader, who has approved the commission of genocide against the black Tawergha of Libya.

and

he has pursued a war, based on propaganda, which is killing civilians daily in Libya:

Highly disturbing video

And more:

Highly disturbing video

And babies? And babies – Highly disturbing video

We know what Martin Luther King would say about Obama’s wars and we also know what Martin Luther King, a true moral leader and a worthy winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, said about capital punishment:

“that old law about “an eye for an eye” leaves everybody blind.