I am opposed to the death penalty... The truth is that there is no way of ever knowing whether or not the death penalty deters... Because of the growing number of reversals, new trials and exonerations, the appeal process has become slow, long and expensive... Race plays a role in who becomes eligible for the death penalty and against whom it is imposed... After a lifetime of watching the death penalty at work, I believe that despite our understandable desire for revenge, retribution and even death for the most horrendous of crimes, the state should not be the carrier and enforcer of those emotions. I recognize and respect the opposite view, but I just cannot accept that the intentional killing by the state of an individual is moral... However, the most compelling argument for me is the fact that we have executed innocent persons and others are scheduled for execution and others undoubtedly will be in the future... The time has come to execute the death penalty!