The Senate just passed the lethal injection secrecy bill. Like in the House, there was a fierce debate, but only by a handful of Senators who stood for justice. They thought they would pass the lethal injection secrecy bill and no one would notice. They were wrong. We noticed. You spoke up. And together, we made sure their vote wasn’t easy. When we look back at the turning point moments that led to abolition of the death penalty in Florida, I believe this will be one of them. But only if we make it one. It will be a turning point if the 41 legislators who voted no on the lethal injection secrecy bill hear from you that they did the right thing. It will be a turning point if the legislators who voted for secrecy – especially those who spoke out in favor of hiding the truth, some even distorting the truth – hear from you that they did the wrong thing. Take these two firm but respectful actions today and tell Florida legislators who voted for and against the lethal injection secrecy bill how you feel. Action 1 – Thank the legislators who voted against lethal injection secrecy. Action 2 – Tell the legislators who voted for lethal injection secrecy that they did the wrong thing. Don’t forget to take both actions. But please, please be respectful. One of their claims was that without this law, people who oppose the death penalty will harrass pharmaceutical companies. That’s outrageous. Don’t feed that lie. Every state that has won abolition had strong legislators championing the cause. Many didn’t start out that way but when they realized they had support – when they were thanked for their leadership – they brought others along. Others, when they realized the death penalty abolition force was strong, changed their minds and voted the right way. We have to educate, as we’ve done for many years. But we also have to speak up. I’ll be back in touch soon to share some lessons from the legislative session and next steps on the SMI bill. For now, please send the action. Today. Show them they did the wrong thing today. Onward, Mark |