Testing a Hypothesis

Recently I went off on one of my traditional bi-weekly rants about some social issue that nobody seems to care about. This time, it is about how morality does not seem to be playing a part in the decline of public support for capital punishment. I am sure that I am going to get an earful over this, so, by way of testing my hypothesis (and also, by way of possibly making a royal ass out of myself), I want to notify you of a rather interesting event occurring on Tuesday, January 18th:

As you can see, some rather heavy hitters are going to be participating in this discourse. (At the same time, it is also interesting to note which Houston religious leaders are not involved, like, oh, I don’t know, “Dr” Ed Young and Joel Osteen.) Given the immense number of congregants that regularly attend Sunday services in the various churches managed by these leaders, one would think that such an event would be packed. I will freely write an entry praising the moral courage of these leaders if they manage to fill up half of Zilkha Hall. I will also pontificate at some length about what a pessimistic jerk I am, and how I need to be punched directly in the brain, sometimes. (Whether they fill up the place or not, I still definitely need this.) If you would like to help prove me wrong, consider attending. You will seldom have the opportunity to participate in anything similar, and, besides, NCIS is going to be a rerun anyways.

If you do decide to attend, please consider taking note of a few key demographics for me. I would be interested in knowing what your estimate of attendance was, and also the mean age of the attendees. Any additional data that you notice would also be helpful (race, socio-economic level, etc.), as I am very curious to learn the type of person who attends this sort of thing. You can report these figures to me either via anonymous letter, or by posting something here or on Facebook. Someone will eventually send these comments to me. If I turn out to be wrong on all of this, you are in for a real treat. Have a great 2011!!

As the investigation continues for my federal writ, it is within the realm of possibility that a few of you reading this site may be contacted by my attorney. If this happens, it will probably happen in the next few months. I have considered the best way of discussing this with each of you, though that was proven to be quite difficult, without telecasting my intentions or risking your co-workers suspicions. I think one of you in particular understands that I would really love to be able to sit down and have a real conversation with you, but I always end up biting my tongue over the fear that I could get you fired. For now, I am simply going to say that I understand if you decide not to write the affidavit I am looking for. I get it. If you do, know that everything that can be done will be done to ensure that no one knows about your participation in this project, besides the judge and the attorneys from the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Still, it is your call, and my opinion of each of you will not be altered by any refusal to participate. I put myself here, and I do not expect any of you to save me.

HERE you will find an excellent summation of the events surrounding the death penalty in Texas for the year of 2010. Keep up the good work, TCADP: you guys are on a roll!