I don’t believe in the death penalty.
Forgive me if the title of this article initially appears misleading, but I assure you that all will be made transparent once ramblings have ceased.
I don’t believe in the death penalty. Not out of some saintly consideration for all living beings or a desire to live by a Biblical edict to “love thy neighbor.” I have neighbors, I can’t stand them. And my sense of justice is bred of a lifetime of watching Charles Bronson movies and caring so deeply about the ones I love. If someone were to harm my loved ones, you had best believe retribution would be swift and only administered by law enforcement if they sped to find the guilty parties before I did.
No, I don’t believe in the death penalty because of the corruption and/or completely apathetic ineptitude of our criminal justice system. Too many innocent people are executed in this country every year simply because they cannot afford to pay for the DNA testing that could exonerate them; oh yeah, the burden of that expense falls on them under the law. That, along with racial bias and bureaucratic nonsense strips away any sense of absolute justice and therefore renders a death penalty unacceptable. The system is broken.
So why would I support the documentary There Will Be No Stay? Is it not a chronicle of the lives of the “men and women tasked by society with carrying out the death penalty?” You bet. But I do support this doc, and after you’ve had a chance to watch the trailer below, and examine the Kickstarter page, I’ll tell you why I support There Will Be No Stay.
I believe in documentaries.
I believe in the power of strong documentaries to transcend the limits of individual interests and circumvent esoteric value sets. I also believe understanding is impossible without confrontation, without contextualization. Documentaries pull back the curtains and shine a light into even the most obscured or infinitesimal corners of the human existence; sometimes triumphantly, sometimes to our great horror, but always for our benefit.
But most of all, I believe in Arcanum Pictures. Arcanum is a local production company that was started by two of my very good friends, but their friendship alone does not purchase my endorsement. I have seen how tirelessly they work, and I know the raw potential of the talent they are currently cultivating. I believe that their efforts will continue to bring the best possible content to the forefront when, much as in the cases of revealing documentaries, most of the world seems not to notice.
For these reasons, I believe you should support this Kickstarter and help fund this documentary. Watch the trailer again, consider contributing, or if not, help spread the word so that those with the means can navigate to the cause.
I believe the guys at Arcanum would appreciate it.