Very simple: The non-zero probability that we've executed innocent people.

In 1998 I wrote a series of pieces about the death penalty. It was Topic One on the net because Karla Faye Tucker was about to be put to death in Texas. The idea of a killing an attractive young born-again Christian woman seemed to be a problem for death penalty advocates. I thought that was interesting. And worth writing about.

"Everyone says over and over that it doesn't matter that she's a woman, but we know it totally matters. Why is it more of a tragedy for the government to kill a human being just because the person is female?"

My Uncle Sam: "The death penalty *is* cruel and unusual punishment. For me. What crime did I commit to deserve this punishment? This makes me angry! Very deeply angry."