To the editor:

In his Feb. 24 column “Death penalty ugly, vindictive,” Elton Wong addressed the extremely controversial issue of the death penalty. I dislike the way he attacked politicians and other people in favor of the death penalty.

To set the record straight, I am indifferent on this notorious issue. But my neutral position does not prevent me from being angered by Wong’s statement about supporters of the death penalty, which is “You can’t help but perceive the ugly vindictiveness that hangs around supporters of the death penalty.”

Wong makes it sound as though everyone who is in support of the death penalty is ruthless and barbaric. I know several people who are in favor of the death penalty, and I can undoubtedly say they are not the revenge-seeking people that this implies they are.

Then there is the All-American attack on the politicians. I am not sure which point he is trying to attack more, George W. Bush or the death penalty. Wong poses the question: “Why are so many people enamored with the death penalty?” My answer to that is “I don’t know, you tell us why you are interested in it.”

Everyone would like to think their logic will change the opinion of the opposition.

This debate has been ongoing for years with the same “key” points used time and again: capital punishment is too expensive, it does not relieve suffering of victim’s families and the justice system makes mistakes.

Yes, these are all good points, but the American public has beaten them to death.

I think Justice Thurgood Marshall said it best: “The question with which we must deal is not whether a substantial proportion of the American citizens would today … opine that capital punishment is barbarously cruel, but whether they find it to be so in light of all information presently available.”

Jason Kaiser

Freshman

Horticulture