The Archive |
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"The Death Penalty" was the issue at the first session of the new Speakers Forum, held recently at the Milano Center. Some fifty Melrosians listened as the Rev. Charles Wilson, minister of the Marblehead Unitarian Universalist Church, spoke on why the death penalty should be abolished altogether.
It was, as he said in his opening statement, a volatile subject and there was a heated discussion thereafter. In supporting his premise, Dr. Wilson cited three major reasons for doing away with capital punishment: One, that it costs far more to put a person to death than it does to support him in jail, for life (his figures were two million spent in appeals, versus $400,000 to maintain a life sentence). Two, the proven cases of errant guilty verdicts, in which the accused was found to be innocent after his execution. And three, he referred to the belief that God is the only being allowed to give or take away life. The second of the series will deal with "the greenhouse effect" and global warming. It takes place on the third Thursday of the month, May 21, with a follow-up meeting for discussion on the following Thursday. All are invited to attend: 2:00 p.m., Milano Center on West Foster Street, Melrose. The programs are planned by a group of senior citizens with Jack Beckley, director of the Council on Aging.
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