The Death Penalty

March 9, 2011

Today is an historic day in the State of Illinois as Governor Quinn abolished the death penalty affecting the reported 14 to 15 prisoners currently on Death Row. This following Governor Ryans 2000 moratorium and commuting 156 death sentences, eventually ending in 167, citing his reason as the law being arbitrary and capricious.*

I have always been opposed to the death penalty, believing that the law compelled the executioner('s) to break the law themselves. The first commandment is "Thou Shalt Not Kill".

I have always believed that to be truth, but in more recent years hearing of the molestation, murders and desecration of the little bodies of children, I have come to question and even oppose my previous thoughts on the subject.

Then other considerations are the convictions on circumstantial evidence, when in some cases a judge will rule out any contradictory evidence be heard. And although we have the newest tool in the tool box, DNA, it could be contaminated, improperly analyzed or in fact planted. Many death penalty cases have been overturned after conviction with the use of DNA.

Politically speaking, the Republican Party, the most Conservative Party seem to have the majority of Death Penalty Proponents.

Killing another person, taking the life of any person seems to me to conflict with the First Commandment, although the Apostle Paul has wavered to the side of custodial law. He might have a lot of 'splanin' to do on that one.

*Governor Ryan is currently serving time having been convicted on 18 counts of coruption in 2006. And the last Governor Rod Blagoivitch is now asking to be sentenced on the one count he has been convicted of, while a retrial for the numerous other counts are pending:)