Justice Clarence Thomas, the only African American on the United States Supreme Court, became the latest person to be blasted worldwide on Twitter after Troy Davis was executed in Georgia.

Thomas, a Georgia native, denied a petition sent his way to grant Davis a last ditch stay of execution. He was silent, giving no other explanation other than to say the petition was denied.

The Tweets came immediately, faster than the approximately 15 minutes it took Davis to die shortly after the court denied the petition:

@TheStereoEffect: “Justice” Clarence Thomas (what a joke of a title), you could have done ONE thing good with your miserable, pathetic life. And you didn’t.

@LUCINDAMOORE1: Judge Clarence Thomas denied an innocent man his life! I pray Judge Thomas dont suffer in the next year and be reminded of 2nite! #hardheart

Kimora Lee Simmons also Tweeted that Thomas had denied the petition.

@JoeMande: Clarence Thomas doing Georgia proud once again.

@DawudWalid: Clarence Thomas is just like the black overseers that would whip felllow slaves for their masters.

Dawud also knocked President Barack Obama: Obama was talking that ying yang at UN today & couldn’t say 1 word about #TroyDavis. That’s why I’ve always said that he’s WACK!

@willie_8 Yes, Clarence Thomas III is from Georgia, and also a person of color. But he hasn’t been black in 50 yrs.

The death penalty has always been a contested issue in this country. Does any body of power, elected or otherwise, have the right to take the life of someone that they find guilty of a harsh enough crime? Is there too much human error involved in the investigation process to properly say that a defendant is defiantly guilty? Is there any other fitting penalty besides death for the cold blooded murder of another human being? These are the many complicated moral and social comments to be made on this issue, but this being opinion piece we will voice our opinion.

We are for the death penalty in very few select instances, but not in the case of Troy Davis.

In August of 1989, Davis was convicted of the murder of Officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, Ga., based on the testimony of witnesses who claimed to have seen Davis shoot the on-duty officer and ballistics evidence. We was sentenced to death in 1991. After a series of appeals and retrials, the sentence was kept in 2010 with the execution scheduled being tonight at 7 p.,. It was delayed after the Supreme Court stepped in, but the High Court has now declined to stop the execution.

The main controversy over the decision comes from the fact that many of the non-police witnesses recanted their testimony through written affidavits, and many named a man named Sylvester Coles as the actual shooter.

The defense of Davis against the death penalty has been taken up by such figures as former President Jimmy Carter, civil rights activist Al Sharpton and Pope Benedict XVI. But despite these notable figures along with thousands of supporters running under the N.A.A.C.P and Amnesty International banners, all appeals for a stay of execution have been denied.

There were failures on both sides of this case. On the side of Davis’ supporters there are a great many accusations of racism against the Georgia court system (Davis is black). Whether or not this is true, it’s a play that weakens the defense of Davis by turning the case from “Has he been falsely accused” to the much more radical and hard to prove question of “He was found guilty because he is black.” This ignores the very real possibility (and we argue probability) that Davis is actually innocent and should not be executed.

An officer was killed in the line of duty, and Davis was simply the most likely suspect. The more-than-reasonable doubt cast by witnesses recanting their testimony is more than enough to stay the execution.

The second effect of the racism argument is it leaves the side that is pushing for his execution fighting against a split defense, with their side only having to defend “Is there enough evidence to find him guilty” and able to ignore the racial bias implications.

Meanwhile, the side that wants Davis put to death has failed in the way the capital punishment enthusiasts usually fail. They have taken the death penalty as an absolute answer and not as absolute last resort.

The evidence against Davis was strong, strong enough to prove his guilt in court and put him in prison for the rest of his life. But the evidence is not definite and certainly not strong enough to stake his life on it.

Signed affidavits, a second suspect, and lack of murder weapon open enough holes in the case where the death penalty seems too definitive of an action to take.

This action cannot be undone.

Barring any last minute and unexpected change of events, Troy Davis will be put to death by lethal injection at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison. In the hours prior, his supporters will make several attempts to save the man’s life and most likely will fail to do so. After his death, Troy Davis will become a name used in many future cases, both for and against suspects facing his fate.

But make no mistake: what really happened here is that a cry for revenge for the murder of a police officer in the south has outweighed a cry for reason in the face of doubt.

Whether Troy Davis actually killed MacPhail or not, the guarantee in the nation that any reasonable doubt must be removed has been betrayed by this outcome.

Trying to draw a clear line in the sand between Massachusetts Democrats and the oft-moderate Republicans, State Senator and US Senate candidate Scott Brown (R-Wrentham) launched a YouTube video emphasizing his support for capital punishment.

“My Democratic opponents Martha Coakley and Mike Capuano are having an ongoing debate over who’s more liberal,” Brown says in the video. “Each one is trying to be softer on crime than the other. Unlike both of them, I support the death penalty. Anyone who reads the newspaper or watches the nightly news knows there are some crimes that are so horrific that they shock our conscience.”

Brown sites acts of terrorism, murders with torture, and the killing of law enforcement officials as the types of crimes he feels deserve the death penalty.

“I believe a well-crafted death penalty law that relies on advances in DNA evidence and other forensic science to conclusively prove a defendant’s guilt will deliver the justice that the public demands,” Brown says, “and innocent victims deserve.”

Massachusetts is a non-death penalty state.

• The new head of the FCC is an internet expert who is a strong advocate for net neutrality and cheaper broadband access.

As anticipated, Julius Genachowski has been tapped by President Barack Obama to head the Federal Communications Commission.

The move is another indication that incoming leadership in Washington will move decisively to protect the free flowing Internet from those seeking to become gatekeepers to new media.

It also fulfills Obama’s promise made on the campaign trail to appoint an FCC chair who shares his support for Net Neutrality.

• Obama’s secret letter to Russia purportedly said if Russia helps with Iran, the European missile defense system will no longer be needed.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he wanted to work with Russia to resolve a nuclear stand-off with Iran but denied reports he had offered to slow deployment of a missile defense shield in exchange for Moscow’s help.

The New York Times reported that Obama had sent a letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggesting he would back off deploying a system in eastern Europe to intercept and destroy missiles, a move Russia sees as a military threat, if Moscow helped stop Iran from developing long-range weapons.

• Department of Justice halts a death penalty case.

SAN FRANCISCO — President Obama’s Justice Department halted the death penalty trial of an alleged San Francisco gang leader Monday by accepting a 40-year prison sentence that the Bush administration had vetoed.

The plea agreement for Emile Fort remained on hold after a federal judge heard a tearful plea from a murder victim’s mother for a life sentence and summoned prosecutors to a closed-door session to describe their case against Fort.

• The days of no bid government contracts are now over.

WASHINGTON “" President Barack Obama on Wednesday ordered an overhaul of the way the U.S. government awards contracts for private sector work, reversing a Bush administration policy that in some cases led to federal investigations of procurement practices and no-bid contracts.

Obama joined Republican Sen. John McCain, his presidential campaign rival, and other congressional figures to announce an executive memorandum that commits his administration to a new set of marching orders for awarding contracts. Obama said “the days of giving government contractors a blank check are over” and said changes could save up to $40 billion a year.