The only debate between the Texas gubernatorial candidates is scheduled for next Friday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m.

If you haven’t yet figured out which candidate you plan to vote for this will be a chance to find out more to help you decide. More than likely, there will be a question posed to the candidates regarding the Texas death penalty. A major difference in this election and past elections for governor is that in the last two years there have been reports in the media that Texas has probably executed up to three innocent people, Ruben Cantu, Cameron Todd Willingham and Carlos De Luna. The Bexar County District Attorney is conducting an investigation into the Cantu case. So, it will be interesting to hear what the candidates say they will do if elected to make sure that Texas does not execute any more innocent people.

The Austin American-Statesman reports that

“the four candidates — Republican Gov. Rick Perry, Democrat Chris Bell, Republican-turned-independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn and independent Kinky Friedman — gave Belo Corp. exclusivity with a load of limitations.

In Belo markets (Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston), only Belo stations can carry the hourlong debate live. In other markets, TV stations can pluck it off a satellite feed. But here in Austin, only KVUE Channel 24, which is owned by Belo, can carry the debate live. Other stations can use excerpts for their newscasts, but they cannot air the entire debate or stream it on their Web sites.

Why is there exclusivity for a political debate?

“We’re putting on the debate,” says Mike Devlin, station manager for WFAA, the Belo station in Dallas. “I’m spending lots of time on this, we —- the Texas Belo stations and The Dallas Morning News — are putting it on. We’re not going to go through all this time and expense to hand over our work and investment to competitors in the marketplace.”

If your organization would like to be listed as a sponsor of the 7th Annual March to Stop Executions, just email us.

The march is organized by people from many different groups working together as the March to Stop Executions Coalition. If your organization wants to be listed as a sponsor of the march, please let us know. The 7th Annual March to Stop Executions Coaliton includes:

Campaign to End the Death Penalty, Texas Moratorium Network, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Committee to Free Frances Newton, Inside Books Project, Texas Students Against the Death Penalty, Texas Death Penalty Education and Resource Center, National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Journey of Hope, International Socialist Organization, Democrats for Life, Death Penalty Reform Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party, Victims of Texas, Amnesty International, Texans for Peace, Austin Mennonite Church, CodePink Austin, El Pasoans Against the Death Penalty, Students Against the Death Penalty (the national group), Libertarian Longhorns, Catholic Longhorns for Life, the Social Justice Committee of the University Catholic Center, Howard Guidry Justice Committee, The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Friends Meeting of Austin, The Texas Civil Rights Project,
National Black Law Students Association, American Civil Liberties Union, Gray Panthers, peaceCenter, San Antonio, Dominican Sisters of Houston, Friends of Justice, TX CURE.

To get involved, email us at:admin@texasmoratorium.org Or call us at: 512-302-6715.

Bus tickets are $20.00. Call or email Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement in Houston to reserve a seat or buy a ticket for a student, a senior or a person on fixed income who wants to go. AbolitionMovement@hotmail.com or call 713-503-2633.

Rose Rhoton, sister of Carlos De Luna, will be one of the speakers at this year’s March to Stop Executions on Oct 28. “If God ever gave me a second chance,” Rhoton has said, “I would fight harder for Carlos.”

Other speakers to be announced soon. We are also asking members of the families of Ruben Cantu and Cameron Willingham to participate in the march.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Ex parte John Alba ordered the following:

We must consider whether a claim that the execution chemical protocol may violate the constitutional rights of the condemned is cognizable in a writ of habeas corpus. Before making the decision in this case, we invite, applicant, the State, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to present their positions on the following question: Is a claim that the lethal-injection protocol violates the Eighth Amendment cognizable under Article 11.071 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure?

All briefs on these issues should be delivered to this Court within 60 days from the date of this order.

IT IS SO ORDERED THIS THE 20th DAY OF September, 2006.

It remains to be seen whether this order will result in a temporary halt to executions in Texas.

The more important question in Texas is not whether the method of execution is constitutional, but whether Texas has executed innocent people, such as Ruben Cantu, Carlos De Luna and Cameron Todd Willingham.

Thanks to Capital Defense Weekly for spotting this.