In 2014 there were only 72 new death sentences nationwide. In fact, 80% of the 35 executions that took place in 2014 took place in just three states, Texas, Florida and Missouri. The Pew Research Center found in 2014 that public support for the death penalty is at a 40 year low at 56%, and opposition to the death penalty has increased to 38%.

 

Proposition:  Andy Silverman - Andy is the Joseph M. Livermore Professor Emeritus at the UA Rogers College of Law, where he has been on the faculty for 45 years. Officially retired, Andy still directs the Civil Rights Restoration Clinic, participates in the Wrongful Conviction Clinic and teaches Immigration Law. Andy has been working on the abolishment of the death penalty in Arizona for many years, and currently is co-chair of Sanctity of Life, People Against Executions (SOLPAE).  He was a long-time board member of Death Penalty Alternatives for Arizona (DPAA) and is now on the DPAA advisory board.  He has represented inmates – including people on death row – for many years through the Arizona Justice Project and the law school’s Wrongful Conviction Clinic.

 

Opposition:  Rick Unklesbay – Rick began working in the County Attorney’s office in 1981. He’s tried over 200 jury trials and more than 120 murder trials. Rick has prosecuted numerous death penalty cases, and has a number of defendants on death row in Arizona. He retired from the County Attorney’s Office in 2010, after serving as a deputy, supervisor of violent crimes, chief criminal deputy and chief trial counsel. However, he still keeps an active case load there, teaches a class at the UA Rogers College of Law on prosecution and criminal law, and gives lectures to undergraduate classes. Rick grew up in a military family and ended up in Tucson by way of the Philippines. He attended the U of A both as an undergrad and for law school.

 

Moderator:  Cathie Batbie-Loucks – Cathie is News Director of KVOA-TV, in Tucson, having held that position for five years. She got her start in TV news as a City Beat reporter in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1996. She moved to Tucson in 1998, and has been at KVOA ever since, as a producer, assignment manager, managing editor, assistant news director, content management center director, and finally, news director. She has long-standing relationships throughout the local, regional and national broadcast news industry, and believes that local media should be engaged in the community, not just report on it.

The meeting got off to a profitable start when BOB WEBB’s cell phone went off.  Wow, that is profitable!

 

We had a full head table celebrating the birthdays this week including ELLIE PATTERSON, PAULINE HECHLER, ELLEN WHEELER, MERLE HENKEL AND RICHARD WHITE. Happy Birthday to you all.

 

CHARLOTTE HARRIS and Norm Rebenstorf presented the Paul Harris Society award to LARRY ADAMSON.  Congratulations and thank you LARRY!

 

TED FORSBERG introduced the club’s newest member JAIMIE MUDD.  JAMIE has been visiting the club for nearly six years.  She introduced us to the word Lexophile – those that have a love of words.  JAIMIE attended both NAU and UofA.

 

IRENE DECKER filled in for ROBERT O’BRIEN as Sargeant at Arms, DAVE GALLAHER and MATT BLAIR teamed up to auction off two tickets to the Youth on Their Own Gala.  PAT WATTS reminded us of the Make Way for Books book drive, MIKE ORCUTT commented on the upcoming Home Hospitality event and sign up, and MARIANNE FREITAS reviewed the new Car Show Non Profit ticket sales program and referred the members to the detailed flyers provided on each table.

 

PAT DAVITT presented PATTY CARNOVALE with her Blue Badge.  Good job, PATTY!

 

CHUCK SAWYER introduced RCOT member, BOB SHAFF, who gave a presentation entitled “Remarkability: The Key to Business & Personal Success”.  The focus of BOB’S presentation was on his evolution in Rotary.  The presentation was incredibly thought provoking and filled with suggestions on how to live a more remarkable life and suggestions on how we can work together to build an even more Remarkable Rotary Club.  BOB also gave us some suggested reading material to further the quest for Remarkability.  The meeting was adjourned following a remarkable toast.

 

 

Rotary’s encouragement of the 4-Way Test does not say the four questions are in order of importance. Does that mean the four are always equally weighed? Could it depend upon the situation? Over the next several weeks, let’s talk about when one aspect or another might take precedence.

 

Applying the 4-Way Test to the US justice system, being fair can be viewed as more important than building friendships and spreading goodwill. In that there are a significant number of those penalized by the system who believe their actions were justified, part #4 of the test strictly fails in that they feel anything but benefitted (even as nearly all the rest of society may indeed benefit).

 

Truth can sometimes not be ascertainable. Other times, finding out the truth may only be possible by resorting to methods deemed unacceptable.  In both instances, being fair remains to be more important than that truth. To maximize fairness, some who are deserving of the consequences of committing an injustice will, instead, be spared because of lack of proof (lack of knowing the truth with certainty), or because we choose not to employ practices that might reveal the truth but be too unsavory to condone.

 

Imperfect as it always will be, our justice system puts fairness first. That minimizes erroneous outcome and maximizes public support of the process. The perpetual refinement of aspects of the system demonstrates the unceasing quest for fairness. Examples of these modifications include the length of sentences for a given offense, and the admissibility of evidence.

 

Services of government beyond the justice system reflect general acknowledgement that there are additional necessities best handled apart from the private sector. Not all those responsibilities bring direct benefits to all of the governed. They are generally not established to enhance friendship. That leaves truth and fairness are more crucial tests in the application of public authority.

 

Practical application of the 4-Way Test takes the concept beyond the theoretical. That not all four portions are of equal weight, or are not applicable, in a certain circumstance, does not lessen the ideal.