Adre’my Dennis - Executed by the State of Ohio October 13, 2004
The following excerpt is taken from his funeral service. Special thanks to his cousin Ynez Jones for her continued efforts to end the death penalty in Ohio.
Adre'my Armond Dennis was born January 23,1976 to Marquita C. Dennis. Adre'my was born to die at a young age. At the age of 18, he committed a crime of murder and without mercy from his accusers his life was taken by the State of Ohio on Wednesday, October 13,2004.
His last statement was God...God I'm in God’s hands now. Everything is going to be just the way it was intended. I’ll see everyone when they get there. He winked at his mom, gave her thumbs up, told her he loved her, laid down, stretched his arms out and waited for God to take him into his Kingdom.
Adre’my left this life and began his eternal life at 10:10 am October 13, 2004. Man meant it for justice but God had the final call. Adre'my accepted the Lord in 1994 after receiving a guilty verdict. His spiritual advisor Pastor Brent Richards who counseled with Adre`my said that during the trial Adre'my was as if he were carrying the world on his shoulders slumped down in his chair and never smiled as he endured his trial. But when he came into the court to receive his sentencing Pastor Richards noticed a difference in Adre'my, he was a totally a different person. Pastor Richards asked him what happened and he said; l fell on my knees and cried out to God to help me. I accepted the Lord.
Although Adre`my wanted to live for his family’s sake, God had already prepared Adre`my to bear his cross. Adre'my displayed the type of faith that we as believers should display daily. He was not a sociopath like his accusers tried to say he was. He made a positive impact on many who came into contact with him. Now his persecutors have to wonder whether they will come into God’s glory.
Adre'my was preceded in death by his great grandparents Dock and Gussie Donnie, grandmother Annazelle Donnie-St.Andrew, great uncles Ivyson and Ernest Donnie, great aunt Agnes Donnie. He leaves to carry on his memory, his son, Shakeez, daughter, Champagne, loving and devoted mother, Marquita Dennis, stepfather, Don Wilcher, brother and best friend Brian, brother and sister, Leroy Dennis, Jr., Tina Dennis, great aunts, Reinetta Knight, Irene Donnie, grandfather Clifford St. Andrew, aunts Querida, Lisa, Crystal, Darnise, uncle Andre, Dorothy Dennis-Campbell and a host of nieces, nephew, cousins, family an friends. (Special friends Pastor Brent Richards and Chaplain Nic Roberto)
ABSENT FROM THE BODY, PRESENT WITH THE LORD. II Corinthians 4:1-18 ...persecuted, but not forsaken: cast down, but not destroyed:...
|
Reflections on a New Year |
The darkest night of the year has past. A new year – 2005 - is upon us. The time of light is growing longer each day! The calendar tells us this is true – but what do our hearts and minds say?
Each of us views the events of 2004 through the lens of our own experiences. Certainly the year was busy. We remember back. We had nearly a complete year of election events – not particularly enlightening times.How we wish for a Year of Light! Surely there are reasonable doubts about the future. If 2005 is to be a time of enlightenment, of light spirits and of lighting te way for the creation of a world that reflects our hope for peace and justice there’s work to be done.
We may need to start with ourselves but, of course, not end there. Do we each have light within us to shine out over the bleak prospects of continuing war and violence, inequitable trade agreements, more executions, the creation of an even larger number of “enemies”...? A new year urges us to refocus. Where the light has dimmed, we dust off the source or change to greater wattage. A new year challenges us to remind ourselves that light is more powerful than darkness, and to resolve to make the choice to be light in 2005.
Fear can snuff out light. There are real events and attitudes to fear. Political leaders seem to encourage us to embrace fearfulness and to view each other from that perspective. People who have a different heritage, faith, ethnic background, economic situation don’t need to frighten us. Each represents a wonderful opportunity to learn and experience something more of what it is to be human. An open mind collects light. An enlightened mind has wisdom to share with family, nation and world.
Fear separates us. It closes our faces and hides our beauty. Saying “hello” to someone who passes on the street, shares an elevator, waits with us can open us to the brightness of a smile. Children often do it naturally until someone teaches them otherwise. What a gift! A heavy heart may be lightened. A moment of human connection reminds us that most of us are good. Very, very few of us are bad. Some may be having a bad day but that’s OK. The sparkle in our eyes just could be what is needed to rekindle the spirit.
Fear creates enemies. None of us needs enemies. In reality, most of us don’t have many, or any, real enemies. An evening of TV watching could easily convince us otherwise. The worst side of human experience is highlighted. It’s not that we want to hide from reality or truth. No, we need truth. We just don’t need a distorted view of the family, neighborhood, world we live in. People who see enemies everywhere act like they are surrounded by enemies. When they get into a position of power they create enemies.Then there is darkness and the temptation to eliminate the enemies. Violence and war come to our world.
Each new year is another chance to change ourselves and our world and we can do it. Research shows what we probably have experienced. One person with positive energy, with a belief that light is more powerful than darkness can influence many people in a positive way. We think of the prophets of all faiths, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, Dorothy Day and Wangari Maathai, the most recent Nobel Peace Prize Winner. They have influenced many and continue to be a shining example. They have influenced people and nations. Their light is so much stronger than that of a Hitler or other negative powers. We read the words of Jesus, “Love your enemy. Do good to those who hate you.” and recognize a message that shows us the way to true happiness and peace individually and as a world. Jesus saves us and radiates light and peace through us if we are willing.
As 2005 begins let us resolve to be beacons of hope, to let our light shine in darkness. Let us be purposeful about bringing the energies of love, compassion, understanding and gratitude to our world. They are the opposite of fear and hatred. They are stronger than fear and hatred. If everyday we make time to empty ourselves in meditation and prayer of our fear and accept the light of love and then send that positive energy of love to all those who we have learned to fear and see as enemy what a different world we could have by next year. Yes, we will continue to study, and organize, and rally and march and write letters and all the other actions we know we must continue. We will do it with a new spark and determination. No one will turn us into that which is really dangerous. We will not become that which we protest. 2005 can be a Year of Light for each of us and our world. It is worth a try, isn’t it?
|
CAFTA Update |
CAFTA (Central Ameica Free Trade Agreement) was signed on May 28 by Trade Representative Robert Zoellick representing President Bush. Many people expected the President to send the agreement to Congress during the lame duck session. That didn’t happen. The best guess now, is that Congress will not receive the agreement until late February or early March. There is still time to let your Senators and Representatives know of your concerns. Remember CAFTA is on fast track. This means the vote will be straight up or down, no admendments.
The longer the ratification is delayed the more time there is for people to read the agreement and the more questions arise. Why not make your first letter of 2005 be to Congress asking:
* In what ways are labor and environmental standards protected under CAFTA?
* Does CAFTA allow developing countries in Latin America sufficient flexibility in using tarrifs, substidies, et. to make sure farmers can produce enough food for their people and have economic stability?
* Has there been sufficient dialogue and discussion involving a wide range of people who will be effected by this agreement-both here and in Central America?
| |
|
2004– A difficult year in many ways. Abu Graib, continued Iraqi civilian death, U.S. military casualties mounting , record number of executions in Ohio, gap between rich and poor continues to widen . . I don’t need to go on. I’m sure you can recite bad things & problems in your sleep. Afterall we are bombarded on a daily basis by our media by what is wrong in the world . Of course that is not the whole story either. Reality is far more complex than that. Throughout the year, and even as I write this very minute, people have been and are resolving conflicts, finding local solutions to environmental and economic woes, effectively and creatively resisting large corporations, bringing life to bold new alternatives like the Nonviolent Peaceforce to ultimately make war-making obsolete. . .We need to remember these folks, these efforts, these movements, too. We need to remember the power we have when we come together and organize, the possibilities for change. And we need to celebrate them! To name just a few...
INDIGENOUS TRIBE TAKES ON BIG OIL As reported by Marissa Handler on August 13 in the San Francisco Chronicle, “Sarayacu, Ecuador -- This community of 2,000 Quichua Indians is mounting a groundbreaking and -- so far -- successful campaign to prevent oil exploitation on their ancestral lands in the southern Amazon region of Ecuador. . . .Offers of money haven't swayed them. . . .When CGC tried to enter their land to explore for oil at the end of 2002, Sarayacu mobilized into 25 "peace and life camps," which they strategically placed along their territorial boundaries. The standoff lasted for 3 1/2 months, until frustrated CGC workers left the area. . . . "It's been seven years and $10 million, and we haven't been able to get started," said Ricardo Nicolas, a CGC spokesman. . . .Last month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica, ordered the Ecuadoran government to protect the Sarayacu residents from the "grave risk from oil exploration."
GO FLOC GO! (Note: There is a very active chapter of FLOC in Cincinnati. See Calendar for info about victory party!) After five years of a public action boycott by the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO (FLOC) reached a precedent setting agreement with the North Carolina Grower's Association (NCGA) and the Mount Olive Pickle Company. On September 16, 2004, over 8,000 "guest" farm workers in North Carolina became the first such workers in the history of the U.S. to win union representation and a contract! www.floc.com
WATER AS HUMAN RIGHT In Uruguay, more than 60% of the people just passed a constitutional reform that defines access to water as a human right and prevents water from being privatized.
ANTI-NUCLEAR VICTORY *On November 20, Congress said 'NO' to new nuclear weapons! The omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005 deleted all funds for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) and advanced concepts for nuclear weapons. www.fcnl.org together with al Odah v. Bush. The arguments were heard on April 20, 2004; in a historic ruling on June 28th, 2004, the Court ruled that the detainees have access to U.S. Courts to challenge their detention.” Source: www.ccr-ny.org
DU REPLACEMENT? Germany is proposing that NATO ban Depleted Uranium . US is quietly working on an alternative to DU, awarding million dollar contracts to Liquid Metal Technologies to develop a replacement for DU using a tungsten alloy, which is nonradioactive. visit: www.yesmagazine.org.
COURTS SAY NO TO IMPUNITY This week, Pinochet has been indicted on for murder and kidnapping, deemed healthy enough to stand trial, and placed under house arrest as part of ongoing investigation into “Operation Condor “ by Judge Juan Guzman. Also, this past September, a federal judge in Fresno, CA, found a retired Salvadoran air force captain liable in the 1980 assassination of Archbishop Romero and ordered him to pay $10 million in damages.
YES TO TRUTH & RECONCILIATION Greensboro Truth & Community Reconciliation Project What if America’s cities stopped ignoring the skeletons in their closets? What if they were inspired by the potential of the truth & reconciliation model as demonstrated in South Africa, Peru, and elsewhere, to help them seek life-affirming restorative justice and constructively deal with past incidents of injustice? Greensboro, N.C., an all-American city with a proud legacy of civil rights leadership, is finding out through the Greensboro Truth & Community Reconciliation Project’s historic effort to honestly confront its tragedy of November 3, 1979. This past summer 7 commissioners were sworn in and have begun their work. http://www.gtcrp.org/
UN HIGH COURT DECLARES ISRAEL’S WALL ILLEGAL In July, The International Court of Justice in the Hague declared the 370 mile wall, about a quarter of which has been built, violates international law and should be dismantled.
PROTECTING CIVIL LIBERTIES “In early 2002, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed two habeas corpus petitions, Rasul v. Bush and Habib v. Bush, challenging the U.S. government’s practice of holding foreign nationals captured in connection with its war on Afghanistan and al-Qaida in indefinite detention, without counsel and without the right to a trial or to know the charges against them. The Supreme Court, over the administration’s objections, agreed in November 2003 to hear the cases of the Guantánamo detainees together with al Odah v. Bush. The arguments were heard on April 20, 2004; in a historic ruling on June 28th, 2004, the Court ruled that the detainees have access to U.S. Courts to challenge their detention.” Source: www.ccr-ny.org
COURT REJECTS MEDIA DEREGULATION A July ruling by the 3rd Circuit Court effectively nullified the Federal Communications Commission’s June 2003 decision to weaken a set of media ownership regulations. It remanded the entire decision to the FCC for reconsideration. www.reclaimthemedia.org
RECLAIMING THE MEDIA “When Sinclair Broadcasting planned to force their 62 TV stations to play an anti-Kerry movie days before the general election. More than 200,000 people protested. Advertisers pulled out, Sinclair’s stock plummeted; and the network aired more balanced coverage.” (See A Media Movement is Catching On . . www.yesmagazine.org)
GENETICALLY MODIFIED WHEAT SHELVED After strong opposition (including potential boycott) by Europe and Japan to purchasing GM wheat, Canadian and US farmers joined the opposition to Monsanto’s GM wheat. In the spring, Monsanto, the largest seller of GM seeds worldwide, announced that it was shelving plans to market a strain of GM wheat. (For more info see www.yesmagazine.org)
ANTI-DEATH PENALTY EFFORTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE • Executions down in 2004. We’re going to wind up 2004 with 59 executions – that’s down slightly from the 65 executions in 2003 and the 71 executions in 2002. • Dec is first month, in more than a decade with zero executions. • In June 2004, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that the state's death penalty law was unconstitutional, The Court action effectively wiped New York’s death penalty off the books, but the three most powerful elected officials in New York immediately promised a "quick fix" that would reinstate the law. Fortunately, New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty and Equal Justice USA/Quixote Center seized the opportunity and mounted an emergency campaign to stop the "quick fix" in its tracks. Abolitionists thus far have been successful in staving off attempts to reinstate the death penalty! • In New Jersey, the acting governor has endorsed a moratorium on the death penalty while a proposed study commission examines the issue. Legislation approving the study commission (and perhaps implementing the moratorium) is expected to pass any day now. • Kansas Death Penalty declared unconstitutional.
|
|
|
|
