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.

Not too long ago, Ben Lovett spent a number of years living what he describes as a “rambling” lifestyle. The expense of the Georgia native’s college tuition paid for him to travel as far as Greece, with some money left over to spend on recording equipment. There, he began to land occasional work composing film scores and producing records his friends were working on. This, somewhat accidental career move developed along with Lovett’s technical skill as a composer and producer. After returning to the States, the Georgian established himself within the independent film scene, creating scores for a number of well-received festival productions. As a producer, he continued to work and collect friends throughout the industry. After almost a decade of helping other artists realize their visions, Ben now prepares to unveil his own, in the form of his debut album, “Highway Collection.” The record showcases Lovett’s distinctive falsetto vocals over a number of richly produced tracks that signal a wide range of influences, from Broken Bells to The Beach Boys. When the LP is released next month, his “rambling” career will have arrived at a surprising destination. A few days ago, Lovett (he’s now dropped the “Ben”) spoke to Blast about the journey that brought has him to this point.

Speaking from Asheville, N.C., after some matter-of-fact acknowledgment of his background in production and film composition, Lovett moved on to explain how his transition from soundboard controller to songwriter came about. Still in possession of his southern drawl and polite mannerisms, the thirty-two year old explained:

“In some ways, that was always where it (my career) was heading. I didn’t come to a conscious decision to make that change. I was always doodling sketches of songs and having different ideas, and cataloging and recording them. It was just a case of being so busy with other things. But, like with anything creative, you eventually hear the knocking on the door. You have to make a conscious decision to stop and create time. I reached the point in my life that I was ready to make more time for myself, and it all naturally evolved from that.”

BLAST: Do you consider this album to be a culmination of everything you’ve been working on individually, so far?

LOVETT: “I do. I think that all of those experiences have informed the process of writing these songs. I haven’t always, necessarily, been writing songs; I’ve always been making music. A lot of the stuff I was really interested in doing, earlier on, was to deviate from any sort of song structure as much as possible. So, the idea of writing in a ‘chorus/verse/chorus’ structure: I couldn’t have been less interested that. But, eventually, I came around to it. It became an interesting challenge, after I’d explored away from it for a while.

When I started the record, every part of making it was already familiar to me, except the role of being the lyricist and the singer. I had shared those roles in collaborations, but it was a kind of new adventure to take on the role as the sole songwriter.”

BLAST: The album was recorded in a number of locations all over the country, and there are a number of collaborations. Are those things related?

LOVETT: “I went through a period of a couple of years where I didn’t really live anywhere. I just, kind of rambled around in my car, visiting people and going places to work on particular projects. I’d work on something for a while and stay with friends, and then, I’d ramble on somewhere else. During that time, I’d see friends and musicians who had studios. I started tracking people down who I wanted to collaborate with on these songs. When you’re working on music for films, it comes be, that you spend most of the time alone. I didn’t really have any intentions of making an album full of me playing twenty different parts of a song. I think the fun of recording a song is, simply, playing with other people you enjoy playing with.”

BLAST: Of those collaborations, were any particularly meaningful for you?

LOVETT: “One person who really made a significant impression on the thing was Chris Wollard. He was the singer and principle songwriter in a band called Hot Water Music. He was always a songwriting hero of mine and became a good friend over time. He plays guitar on a few songs on the record. At certain points, when I had somewhat lost my way, or when I was nearly finished with some songs and couldn’t figure out how to unlock certain things; he (Wollard) was really instrumental in just not letting me give up and finding simple ways to alter my perspective. His experiences and advice were tremendously valuable to me.”

BLAST: The album has a pretty eclectic sound in terms of styles, tempos, and sounds. Is there an overall feeling or focus that runs through the record?

LOVETT: “I don’t think so, in terms of an overall musical tone. That’s just because, I’m not a band. So, each song has a different group of people involved. Song by song, story by story, thought by thought, it was a question of how to best capture the mood of the song’s content. I think that approach comes from having worked on other peoples projects and helping them create a vehicle for their ideas, and also doing things with film that create the texture and mood of a scene. I feel, as I continue, it will always be about what choice feels best for that song. Its not really about me, I’m just trying to help get the idea across.”

BLAST: Do you have a favorite song on the record?

LOVETT: “Oh, you know, which ever one’s playing. I’ll say it like this: (the album) evolved with so many different people. A combination of friends, musicians that I admire, and on almost every song there’s a collection of random people I didn’t even know. I couldn’t get everyone’s name; we’d have sessions where we pulled people from the bar next to the studio to do some stomping and clapping. There was an atmosphere of old friends and new friends, infusing the feeling into the record. Because of that, its easier for me to enjoy it as a thing I was a part of, as opposed to a highly detailed masterpiece ship in a bottle that just I created.”

BLAST: Given your somewhat nomadic background, a tour seems appropriate. Do you have plans to go on the road?

LOVETT: “Sure, we’re going to South by Southwest to play some parties happening at the festival. I’ll probably get people playing in the park or in the street and through our own party, too.”

BLAST: What can audiences expect to see at a Lovett show, given the wide spectrum of musicians who’ve contributed in the past?

LOVETT: “Well the first show that we played was in LA and there were thirty people in the band, the next was in Atlanta and there was about eighteen people and they were all completely different. So, who knows? Its fun though.”

Lovett’s Highway Collection will be released on March 15. Ahead of the album’s release, a free download of the romping opening track “The Fear” is available at benlovett.com. The debut single from the album, “Heartattack,” was released on Valentines day.

This is a Blast Magazine special report with senior editor, Daniel Peleschuk, in Eastern Europe.

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces have advanced further into Georgian territory in the country’s northwest separatist enclave of Abkhazia, where reports say their forces have crossed the breakaway republic’s border and are occupying a town in Georgia proper.

Now pressuring the small country from two sides, Russian forces are raising the question of whether or not they will push further into Georgian territory.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said on August 11 that his country has been cut in half by Russian forces, citing the Russian occupation of the central Georgian town of Gori, through which passes the only major roadway connecting the eastern and western parts of the country.

Saakashvili also appealed to the international community’s attention in what he called an “ethnic cleansing and annihilation of the ethnic Georgian population in Abkhazia.”

Video courtesy of The Boston Globe