Lariat Letters: Death penalty hurts Texan families

I don’t know what’s different about the Lariat from my freshmen year, but this year I don’t go a day without picking up a copy of it. I find the stories to be varied and very interesting. Though I’m not a grad student, I also really love the grad-student comics as well as the political cartoons that come with the editorials.

I found the “Death sentence raises questions” column by Caroline Brewton on Sept. 21 really interesting, and I’m in agreement that the eye for an eye and a life for a life mentality isn’t helpful in the least.

Your article did remind me of something from the Republican candidates’ debate. I’m sure you probably already heard this, but at the debate, moderator Brian William posed a question to Rick Perry saying, “Governor Perry, a question about Texas. Your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times. Have you…”

It was then that he was interrupted by whistling and applause from the audience.

I find it both interesting and a bit disturbing that we as Baylor students live in a state that executes more inmates than any other state in the entirety of the U.S.

It left me wondering how many possibly innocent inmates have their lives hanging in the balance as well as how many Texan families suffer from the grief that the death penalty brings.

I look forward to reading my next copy of the Lariat.

–Raymond Bravo
Houston sophomore