Executions do not make society safer

Ritual Human Sacrifices (RHS) were made to appease the gods in hopes of brining rain, crops, or victory over enemies. Twenty-five countries today still practice RHS to satisfy the population's perceived psychological need for closure and justice.

While governor of Texas, George Bush performed 152 ritual human sacrifices in the name of justice; this included the execution of a mentally retarded man with the IQ of a seven-year-old. Last year 91% of all the RHS were committed by just six countries: China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, and the United States.

The United Nations is voting on a resolution to put a moratorium on state sanctioned murders with the goal of abolishing it. The U.S. is one of the countries objecting to the resolution, despite the fact that more than 200 Americans from death row had been exonerated thanks to latent DNA evidence. The U.S. knows that its system of justice is flawed, yet it prefers to knowingly sacrifice a percentage of innocent men to bring closure to a crime.

Ritual Human Sacrifices does not make it rain, does not guarantee a good crop, and does not make our society safer. It is time to put this barbaric practice behind us.

John D. Morgan

Arlington Heights