I can't speak for the entire anti death penalty crowd, and it's not my main issue, but I'll tell you why I'm against it.

Killing is wrong. So, the Government killing is also wrong.

The same conservatives who say the Government does things poorly and gets things wrong, think the Government should have the power of life and death over some people, and never has made a mistake.

It has been shown to be ineffective as a deterrent.

I believe people who commit crimes such as the shooter executed in Virginia are mentally ill. Their actions alone convince me of that. I believe they should be humanely removed from society for the rest of their lives. They should not be killed because they have an illness we don't understand.

There are racial inequities in the application of capital punishment.

There are strong indicators that possibly innocent people have been put to death.

I do not think revenge is a proper reason to take someone's life, and I don't think killing a killer gives a healthy closure to the loved ones of the victim.

Sitting in a cell waiting for them to come and get you and kill you, is cruel and unusual.

It costs more than life imprisonment. The argument for streamlining the appeals to reduce the cost increases the chance of error.

I personally do not have a full understanding of the concept of punishment, anyway.

BTW, I'm not blindly aligned with the left, I am for 2nd Amendment freedoms.

-Chuck, Vegetarian fanboy