The Death Penalty Returns

The New York Times
Author: Unknown
May 7, 2008

After reading this article, I still could not tell if the author was for or against the death penalty. He did a great job of explaining the number of deaths coming about and the statements from the Supreme Court, but he really did not point the readers to a conclusion. He explains the nearly 15 death row prisoners are scheduled to be put to death between now and October. He states, "This flood of executions is the result of the Supreme Court’s ruling that upheld the constitutionality of a troubling form of lethal injection. The next few months, as states put their machinery of death into overdrive, are an ideal time for the nation to rethink its commitment to capital punishment." These are the only two sentences that almost tell the reader what he thinks about the situation, but he never comes out and actually makes it clear. Throughout the rest of the article, the author explains the death penalty and the lethal injection, along with the explaining the Supreme Courts decision and the amendments. He ends the article without a solution to the problem, which I think is very important to do when writing an opinion peice.