Bush was quoted today as saying, "Those who live at the mercy of others deserve our special care and concern. It should be our goal as a nation to build a culture of life, where all Americans are valued, welcomed, and protected - and that culture of life must extend to individuals with disabilities. "
Isn't mental retardation considered a disability? Where was that belief in a culture of life when Bush was killing mentally disabled people in Texas?
Terry Washington, a thirty-three-year-old mentally retarded man with the communications skills of a seven-year-old was executed in 1997.
Washington's plea for clemency came before Governor Bush on the morning of May 6, 1997. After a thirty-minute briefing by Alberto Gonzales, Bush checked "Deny"— just as he had denied twenty-nine other pleas for clemency in his first twenty-eight months as governor.
Mental health experts have pointed out that the mentally retarded's characteristic suggestibility and willingness to please leads them to confess - sometimes falsely - to capital crimes.
How Many Innocent People Did Bush Execute?
