CABINET MUSIC IX I – III
The focus of this issue is the statement of a prisoner
on death row in Indiana State Prison.
Death Row Prisoner's Statement:
« I do deserve to be executed, bottom line
I ain’t goin’ t'candy coat it
I deserve to be executed
by the law of the State of Indiana
I deserve to be executed. »
“The condemned man’s speech is brutal and illusionless, an objective
representation of the senselessness of external life in its revulsion and
disgust. It is almost the realism of Hemingway or the existentialism of
Jean-Paul Sartre. The contrasting tones of Chanan Hanspal’s acoustic
guitar emphasize the urgency of this unusual statement and lead to the
question of what, if anything, could lead to redemption.” — Steff Signer
All the external voices against the death penalty create a self-righteousness choir. The only people who should decide on whether the death penalty should be used are the family of the victims. They are the ones who have been grievously hurt and have the only right to find emotional closure a they see fit.