I missed this last Friday, and think it’s worth repeating:
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine vetoed several bills Friday, including those that would have expanded the death penalty to criminals who assist in murders or who kill fire marshals or auxiliary police officers.
“Virginia is already second in the nation in the number of executions we carry out,” Kaine said in a statement. “While the nature of the offenses targeted by this legislation is very serious, I do not believe that further expansion of the death penalty is necessary to protect human life.”
The death penalty is an abomination, but it’s one that has become a fundamental part of this country’s psyche and politics. It won’t be defeated any time soon, yet the (slow) trend is in that direction. Credit to Kaine and other politicians who brave the cheap rhetoric of its supporters and do the right thing.