Mini book review

Hey, y'all. I just found notes I wrote way back in August, back when I should've posted for Bill Clinton's birthday. (I ended up starting over on notes for him, forgetting that I had written this.) Though it starts out with Bill as its subject, I realize that the real subject was the death penalty and a must-read book by Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy.
-CT

JUST MERCY

 

We are all very familiar with the highlights of Bill Clinton's years in office... the attempt to get health insurance to the masses, the economic bubble that grew from the internet boom (only to pop early in the following administration), and of course his taste for cigars and White House interns.

Clinton was a savvy politician, known for sending out 'leaked' balloons of possible courses of actions, checking to see way the political winds would blow said balloons. One need only to look at his waffling on the subject of the death penalty to see how true that was.

In his early days, as law student, young lawyer, and even in his first days as Arkansas governor, he was an outspoken critic of the death penalty. That changed suddenly when he started his bid for the White House. He observed how Michael Dukakis torpedoed his own run when, in a debate with Bush I in 1988, he said, even should his wife be raped and murdered, he opposed death as a punishment.

And that served as a political test balloon for Governor Clinton. When he went up against Bush in 1992, he took time from the campaign trail to be present in Arkansas for the execution of a mentally compromised man.

Enough about this guy. I think he did some good as president, but I recognize a certain 'smarminess' in his being.

On the subject of the death penalty, no matter where you stand on its need in our society, a must-read is Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson. It is an eye-opener, difficult to digest at times. Yeah, I know there's a movie, too. I haven't seen it, but I believe the book should be read by all, and I feel that most endeavors by Hollywood take too many liberties in interpreting the printed word for the casual viewer. Far better to put in the effort of wading through a few hundred pages, rather than being spoon-fed two hours of images put together by Lord-knows-who.

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And let me add this, an update on
the Farewell to Instagram post:

Feelings of relief and freedom as I cancelled my Instagram account and deleted its app from my phone today. All day long I've felt a great weight lifted from my being, so addicted to clicking on that crazy little icon every half-hour or so.

Didn't realize just how addicted I was.

Thank god almighty, free at last.

Peace to all, and let's hear a Hallelujah!