«DEATH death 
Pronunciation: 'deth
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English deeth, from Old English dEath; akin to Old Norse dauthi death, deyja to die -- more at DIE
1 : a permanent cessation of all vital functions : the end of life


PENALTY pen·al·ty 
Pronunciation: 'pe-n&l-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
Etymology: Medieval Latin poenalitas, from Latin poenalis
1 : the suffering in person, rights, or property that is annexed by law or judicial decision to the commission of a crime or public offense


JURY ju·ry 
Pronunciation: 'jur-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural juries
Etymology: Middle English jure, from Anglo-French juree, from Old French jurer to swear, from Latin jurare, from jur-, jus
1 : a body of persons sworn to give a verdict on some matter submitted to them; especially : a body of persons legally selected and sworn to inquire into any matter of fact and to give their verdict according to the evidence


PEER peer 
Pronunciation: 'pir
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French per, from per, adjective, equal, from Latin par
1 : one that is of equal standing with another : EQUAL; especially : one belonging to the same societal group especially based on age, grade, or status


EXECUTE ex·e·cute 
Pronunciation: 'ek-si-"kyüt
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -cut·ed; -cut·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French executer, back-formation from execution
transitive senses
3 : to put to death especially in compliance with a legal sentence»

If you read each definition carefully, you will understand what I am eventually getting to. It doesn't really matter if there is a law in Puerto Rico banning the death penalty. There are plenty of laws in Puerto Rico, like just about everywhere else. Beating the crap out of your wife, girlfriend, loved one, acquaintance or total stranger was banned in Puerto Rico a long time ago. Driving through a red light or too fast or under the influence was banned in Puerto Rico a long time ago as well.

Murdering a human being was probably one of the first things that was banned in Puerto Rico -- long before traffic lights were even invented. Today, like in SO MANY countries, murder is legal as long as the life taken has not yet been delivered in the maternity ward of an accredited hospital.

Today, like in ONLY ONE country, murder IS legal -- just as long as the person is named Terri Schiavo.

Today, like in ONLY ONE country, many are grieving for the eight people, mostly children, murdered in Minnesota this past week. The 16-year-old gunman, Jeff Weise, who became his own ninth victim, has had a much younger photograph of himself chosen by the media as to almost suggest a baby is responsible for the carnage. He isn't being vilified in the media like the Columbine shooters were, nor did Katie Couric, or anyone else like her, this time, rush out to Kennedy to get on the first available flight to begin a few days of live programming from the scene of the crime. All of the victims in this, the second-deadliest school massacre in U.S. history, were Native Americans.

Maybe if a simple "LIVING WILL" section was added to a drivers license -- similar to an ORGAN DONOR section -- this week's GLOBAL NEWS OVER-COVERAGE would not have occurred and the REAL WORLD issues of the day could have been adequately addressed.

Almost every day in Puerto Rico, at least one person receives the death penalty and it is usually carried out by a "jury" of their peers. Usually a jury of one. In ALL cases, the death sentence can NEVER be appealed -- it's automatic an irrevocable. Sometimes the death penalty is self-administered.

People of all ages receive the death penalty for all different crimes. Sometimes a woman might commit the crime of arguing with her husband and will receive the death penalty by him in their kitchen or bedroom. Sometimes a few members of the same family will receive the death penalty by unknown "jurors" after committing the crime of traveling home in their car after a concert. Sometimes a baby will receive the death penalty administered by a parent after committing the crime of crying too often. You probably remember the twin 10-year-old brothers who received the death penalty by a drunken soldier. Their crime? Being 10-year-old twin brothers.

There used to be an official journal of these jury-of-one executions, that included the gruesome details -- and the even more gruesome photographs of each execution. The photographs were always displayed more prominently than the accompanying details. This journal was seen every day by many, including many children. With its graphic images, it conditioned a generation into more or less accepting what has become Puerto Rico's current daily reality. This journal, today, offers more family-friendly "portadas" as it continues to claim that it's "el vocero" of Puerto Rico.

While I couldn't possibly list the names of everyone in Puerto Rico who has received the death penalty since I began visiting the Island as a child 45+ years ago, things have NOT gotten so bad yet where it would be much easier to list those names who have not been executed.

What I can do is list four people who have received the death penalty. Four people I knew. Four kids who knew each other. Four kids who lived within a one-mile radius of the old Calle Montreal in Caguas Norte. Four kids who, while not murdered by their own fathers -- had fathers who were and are equally as responsible for their executions as if they actually pulled the trigger themselves.

The first execution occurred in 1993. A boy, abandoned both emotionally and financially by his "dad," left to be raised along with his younger brother by their single-mom received the death penalty at a gas station as he attempted to rob it. The owner of the Esso station shot and killed him.

The second and third executions occurred in 1996. Two brothers, abandoned emotionally by their "dad," left to be raised with their two younger brothers by their single-mom received the death penalty as they left Amigos supermarket. These two had only been abandoned emotionally. Their "dad" was nice enough to employ them in his thriving drug and la bolita businesses from the time they were young teens. He had taught them everything they needed to know about making it really big, right up until their death sentence was carried out. They were enticed into a career by the one person who should have guided them in the right direction -- a career where you never have to worry about things like paying social security taxes -- and rarely live long enough to benefit from them.

The fourth and -- luckily -- final execution occurred in 2003. A boy, abandoned both emotionally and financially by his "dad," left to be raised along with his younger brother by their single-mom received the death penalty while he was at work supporting his family like the man his father never was. Although it is usually the custom to grant someone on death row their last meal, this kid was actually serving his last meal -- possibly an Italian BMT Combo -- to a loyal customer at the Subway he managed. Coincidentally, he was related to the second and third kids executed. They were cousins. Luckily, our current governor is familiar with Subway, has most likely eaten there and could easily supersize his meal if he wanted to -- without needing to have the process explained to him.

A governor who lives in the REAL WORLD can better solve the many REAL WORLD problems we all face.

Now, while these executions may seem tragic to you -- as they definitely are to me -- the REAL TRAGEDY is that there are literally thousands of people just like me -- all with their own tragic stories and memories.

Having 2,900 police on duty this long holiday weekend is a GIANT STEP in the right direction -- but it will only manage the current situation this particular weekend. SO MUCH MORE has to be done in the areas of PREVENTION and EDUCATION in order for all of this BS to become a thing of the past.

Hopefully, if and when Lorenzo Catalán Román and Hernando Medina Villegas are sentenced to death, the number of protests held and/or commentaries written will be EQUAL to the protests held and/or commentaries written for those who are sentenced to death on a DAILY basis.

So the next time you hear or you read that there has not been an execution carried out in Puerto Rico since 1928 - DO NOT believe it -- DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Well, that's all folks! Until next Friday.

Keith


For motivational speeches, conferences, media requests and other things such as eating disorders, you'll have to contact someone else. My only qualifications for writing a weekly column are based solely upon having a lot of free time, unlimited Internet access and very little else.