With the media ghoulish death watch for the 1000 person to be executed, and then the execution of Tookie Williams (Sidebar: personally, I thought the 1000th person had more right to live than Tookie), we have had a lot of blogs on the death penalty.  Most people expressed strong opinions, but with compassion.  Then there was the errant troll that chanted "Burn baby Burn" or "The Night they Killed an Innocent man".  You always get kooks on both sides of the issue (Tookie was NOT innocent).

Now comes a very disturbing revelation.  Since the Death penalty was re-instated, a lot of advancement has occurred in the area of forensics, and many people once condemned to prison, have been saved by these advances.  Indeed, the original 1000th person was spared due to a clerical (for want of a better term) error.  Just because they could not retest the samples. (He is probably guilty of it, but that nagging doubt).  But 13 years ago, a man was executed that only now the technology exists to determine if he was really guilty!

And the outgoing Governor has the chance to find out.

Bombshell?  Hell yes!  If they do not test, then the endless debate rages on.  Was he really guilty or not.  And only he will ever know the truth (he and his victim, both since departed).  If the do test, then the world will know. 

There are of course 2 possible outcomes.  The test proves he was guilty.  This is the preferred outcome of most people (who wants to find out we put an innocent man to death?), as the death penalty advocates will say "see!  I told you so", and the opponents will then go on to the next person to try to get them off on a technicality, or start trying to change the hearts and minds of a nation.  Basically status quo.

The other outcome tho, is feared by most people!  By death penalty proponents as it will be a severe blow to their way, and perhaps be the catalyst to abolish the death penalty.  And that scares them a lot!

It will be a tragedy for the compassionate opponents of the death penalty as they will not be whooping and dancing and shouting "see!  I told you so", but mourning the fact that We, as a society, killed an innocent man.  And it will be a bunch of Whooping and Hollering for the extreme fringe of the anti death penalty movement that take a ghoulish delight in the fact that the Government was WRONG! (and in that bunch, I lump the press). (BTW:  This is not in Politics, so don't go there, cause you will be WRONG).

I am really hoping he (Mark Warner) will order the test.  Why?  I will be one mourning the fact we killed an innocent man.  But, I have an insatiable need to know the truth.  No matter how bad the truth is.