'Echoes of Many', a letter-writing campaign against the death penalty

The lethal injection room
at Parchman, Mississippi

THE DEATH PENALTY. We do not need it as a form of punishment in our modern world. Who are we as a people and a society to decide who lives and who dies? Many countries and states in the USA have found other ways to deal effectively with crime and violence without killing people to show that killing is wrong. Children of today and the future need to learn that all human life is precious and no one should ever allow their actions to end someone else’s life because of greed, jealousy, anger, disrespect, revenge, hatred, or any other reason not mentioned here.

We have the power to swiftly bring a stop to the death chambers and killing machines if we work together and use our pens, computers and voices to speak out and speak up. Tying men and women down to tables and pumping poison into their veins until their blood no longer dances to the beat of their hearts is immoral and not right no matter how you look at it. We are not defending or excusing the actions of murderers; we are defending life, all human life. Death is irreversible. Since 1973, 130 people in 26 states have been released from death row with evidence of innocence.

Echoes of Many is a letter-writing campaign aimed at eliminating the death penalty one–state-at-a-time in the USA by using mostly old fashioned snail mail. We need many to join us on this journey to enlighten others to a greater respect for one’s self and all human life.

The targeted state is the poorest state in the nation: MISSISSIPPI

All citizens of Mississippi who want the death penalty abolished because of moral, ethical, religious, economic or any other reason, this is the time to let your state lawmakers know how you feel. There is now a great deal of national support aimed at your state because of Echoes of Many’s new strategy and other anti-death penalty organizations and groups participating as well.

Here are two things that can be done by those who wish to be more active:

1. Contact newspapers in all parts of Mississippi and make them aware of your opinion regarding the death penalty and aware of your pledge if you don’t live in Mississippi.

2. Contact Mississippi businesses and churches to make them aware of your support to help eradicate the death penalty. Student Presidents of colleges and universities in Mississippi and other states can be contacted also.

Sending any of these mentioned places or individuals a copy of this letter and saying that you support Echoes of Many and hope that they would also is just as good.

For those of you who have creative ideas of your own, please put them into action so that the echoes of many others can join in to let the lawmakers feel our strength, unity and determination.

There’s a new campaign in Mississippi called (EENJ) End Executions Not Jobs. They are inviting everyone to come to Smith Park in Jackson across from the Governor’s Mansion sometime during the entire month of November 2010 if you wish to be a part of a historic peaceful assembly that’s trying to make Mississippi the first southern state to abolish the death penalty for economic reasons. There will be people there of all religions, ages and ethnic backgrounds. (EENJ) wrote that “If the voices and the will of the people are ignored in the November assembly, April and May of 2011 will be even a larger assembly for the lawmakers to deal with.” Things such as what (EENJ) are doing will help our one-state-at-a-time strategy a great deal. Now let us get busy in reminding lawmakers to get it right.

For those who do not live in Mississippi, send your protest letters to one or both addresses.

Mississippi Tourism

P.O. Box 84

Jackson, MS 39205

USA

Phone: (601)359-3297

Website: www.visitmississippi.org

Mississippi Religious Leadership Conference

9 P.O Box 68123

Jackson, MS 39286

USA

Phone: (601) 924-7430

Email: mrlc@netdoor.com

We do not ask for donations because we are not set up for that. You could take that same money which you may want to send us and use it yourself to send copies of this letter out to places of worship, universities, organizations, individuals and other places like we are doing.

A victim’s family and friends have a right to be angry when their loved one is suddenly taken away by a senseless act of violence. Unless you have lost a loved one to violence, you don’t know what the victim’s family and friends are having to deal with inside. In no way should we ever have anything negative to say about them while we work to erase the death penalty from our society because we cannot fully feel their grief.

There are many people on this planet who are thirsty to get involved and take a productive stand against a barbaric practice. We need this letter to spread like an out-of-control wildfire in order to locate those thirsty people.

If you live in the targeted state, send your protest letters to the state representative of your district. Inform them that you want a moratorium placed on all executions until the death penalty is abolished and why.

If you do not live in the targeted state, send your protest letters to the appropriate addresses listed on the last page of this campaign letter. Make them aware that you are pledging to boycott their state by refusing to purchase items made or grown in that state and will not visit that state to spend money as long as the death penalty is there. Let them know that you are also advising your friends and others to make the same pledge and to spread the message.

Feel free to contact Robert Simon Jr. (ex-prison guard now death row inmate) and let him know of what actions you have taken or plan to take. This would allow Echoes of Many to know where they need to strengthen their efforts. Since Robert has become a creative thinker and is at ground zero, he will work harder than anyone to succeed because he has the most to lose and the most to gain. You cannot send him stamps and you must put your full name and complete address on the envelope.

Robert Simon Jr.

46380

Death Row 32-B

Parchman, MS 38738

USA

Email: echoes_of_many@att.net