We killed someone who might have killed someone. Feel better?

Troy Davis at his graduation

So we murdered a guy for possibly murdering a guy.

The ghouls running Georgia’s justice system executed Troy Davis at 11:08 p.m. last night, and ex-presidents and prison wardens and people all over the world who just wanted everybody to slow the f*ck down and take a breath be damned. Reasonable doubt still existed? So what? And? What’s your point?

Facebook’s all abuzz today, with its “What does this mean for the future of capital punishment?” essays and all the “OMG! It’s so sad…” and “We are all Troy Davis” status updates. The ACLU and Amnesty International and the NAACP have authored post-execution press releases. People are arguing about whether or not Mr. Davis killed that cop, Mark MacPhail, in the first place and disagreeing about how many appeals he was entitled to and approving or refuting the inevitable comparisons between his fate and that of Casey Anthony, who some believe killed her little girl but got off scot-free because the prosecution in her case sucked and anyway, she’s white.

Of all the Davis-related Facebook and Twitter messages, I liked the following two quotes the best:

“To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice.” ~ Desmond Tutu

"You can say they deserve to die, but the key moral question is 'Do we deserve to kill?'" ~ Helen Prejean

And I liked how Melissa Harris-Perry, the Tulane University professor and frequent talking head on MSNBC, tweeted, “Do you need something to do with the pain? They killed Troy Davis at 11:08. Donate $11.08 to the Innocence Project.”

Speaking of the Innocence Project, it claims there have been 273 post-conviction DNA exonerations in US history, 432 of which have been in Texas and eight in Georgia. Interestingly, 70 percent of those exonerated have been people of color. (Someone alluded to the racial element of the Davis case last night in a particularly pointed tweet: “They don't have to get us by wearing white sheets; they get us by becoming officers, judges and lawyers.”)

Think about that. Makes you sad, huh?

I’m not just sad. I’m thoroughly disgusted. I’m morose. I’m queasy and fearful and irritable and depressed – not only because it’s possible that an innocent man was executed last night, but because I live in a world where capital punishment is cheered and politicians pander to the lowest common denominator and Ayn Rand disciples in Facebook dismiss the significance of Mr. Davis’ plight and fate because no one can really know the truth anyway so let’s just move on and not become emotional about it. I still can’t understand why unborn babies are sacrosanct in this country but once you exit the womb, you’re on your own.

The Associated Press reports Mr. Davis’ final words as the lethal injection was administered as follows:

"I'd like to address the MacPhail family. Let you know, despite the situation you are in, I'm not the one who personally killed your son, your father, your brother. I am innocent. The incident that happened that night is not my fault. I did not have a gun. All I can ask…is that you look deeper into this case so that you really can finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends to continue to fight this fight. For those about to take my life, God have mercy on your souls. And may God bless your souls."

Interesting that he still believed in God, isn’t it?

Howard University students protesting the Davis sentence at the White House