Separation of church and state in Texas? No way!2009/oliver2.jpgbyline‚ Nov. 04‚ 2009The concept of separation of church and state apparently doesn’t have much meaning in the good old boy state of Texas. Consider the case of Khristian Oliver, found guilty of murder during a 1998 burglary. Oliver is set to be executed on November 5, despite appeals by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations. More people are executed in Texas than in any other of the 35 states that have the death penalty. Since 1976, 1,175 inmates have been murdered nationwide, 442 of them in Texas. In 2009 alone, 18 of the 39 executions in this country have been in Texas. Oliver’s case illustrates the travesty that is justice Texas style. According to the testimony of jurors, they used the bible to justify their decision to allow the state to kill Oliver. In fact, several copies of the religious book were present in the jury room during their deliberations. |