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Berlow's article makes it clear that in America, capital punishment isn't a punishment so much as a politicized ritual of human sacrifice. It allows our politicians to establish their "toughness" at the cost of human life. It also makes the American electorate complicit in a blood rite. In Louisiana we know a little bit about the costs of such a cycle. Warner has an opportunity to further the education of the American people about what our justice system is meant to accomplish -- justice -- and what it isn't meant to accomplish -- vengeance and the infliction of ritualistic suffering on those poor, mentally ill, and/or unfortunate enough to get caught in the gears of this dysfunctional machine. Thanks for keeping this case in the public eye, Mr. Berlow.
