Frances

I have to say something about Frances Newton, who is about to be executed in Texas for a crime it appears she may not have committed. At the very least, it's not even disputed that her attorney was grossly incompetent—in fact, he has since been barred from representing capital cases. After spending all day listening to Roberts evade questions about what he thinks about the death penalty, it feels especially crushing that this execution is going forward. In fifteen minutes, she'll be dead.

For the record, I am against killing anyone for any reason except possibly self defense. State sponsored killings make me especially sick. I'm not religious but I do believe that life is sacred, and that the purpose of life is to learn and grow and enjoy the world and each other. Every life is precious, even the life of a person who's done terrible things. As long as a person is alive, there's always a chance that they may have a change of heart, find grace, feel love, connect with someone in a meaningful way ... Everyone deserves to have that opportunity to change. Especially people who have done terrible things.

God, the governor just said no to a stay. He said, "Do it. Kill her."

This is an example of a time when I really have to struggle to keep my heart open, because I feel so angry and violent toward the people who are killing this woman. I guess for right now I will just set all that aside and focus on Frances, sending her peace for her last few moments.