Vote life, and oppose death penalty

To the editor:

As a longtime opponent of the death penalty, I am appalled that the state of Georgia is poised to execute a man despite compelling evidence he did not commit the crime for which he has been imprisoned on death row. Since Troy Davis' trial, seven of the nine witnesses against him have recanted. Yet the Georgia Board of Prisons refuses to grant clemency, and so far the state will not give him a new trial. It is only by the grace of a last-minute stay by the U.S. Supreme Court that Davis' scheduled execution date passed earlier this week.

As I drive around Jackson and Cape Girardeau in this last week of September, I notice the lawn signs cropping up in preparation for the Nov. 4 election. Many people have simple slogans on their signs: Vote Life. I hope they'll join with me in advocating life for Davis and an end to the barbaric practice of capital punishment.

LINDA TILSEN, Jackson