For Those Still Seeking A Silver Lining
President Bush has overseen a dramatic reduction in the number of executions across the country. Of course, given that Governor Bush signed the death warrants for 152 of the 943 people executed since the death penalty was reinstated in the 70's, the decline should not be all that surprising.
Then again, 96 people have been executed in Texas in the four years since Bush left office, which suggests that Bush's departure has had little or no effect on the national numbers. It's remarkable when you think about it. 25% of all executions nationwide since 1977 have taken place in Texas during the past ten years. I realize there are a lot of factors involved in the number and timing of death penalty cases - appeals are long and each state has different standards for applying it (and on the subject of standards, did you know not a single incident among the 152 cited above involved a white offender killing a black victim?); but something just seems out of whack.
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