US Death Penalty Support Is Embarrassing

And look at our allies in this one.

In a vote that made for unusual alliances, the General Assembly passed, 104 to 54 with 29 abstentions, a nonbinding resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty. Among the countries joining the United States in opposition to the European-led measure were Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Sudan and Zimbabwe.

Good company, America! Let's keep our human rights beacon shining brightly for the rest of the civillized world to see, because God knows, those other five countries are doing their part.

And let's disregard the fact that executions in the US are at a 13-year-low.

On Dec. 17, Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey, a Democrat, signed legislation abolishing the death penalty in the state, a development the report said exemplified a trend of states shifting away from the death penalty. Legislatures in other states, including New Mexico, Montana and Nebraska, came close to abolishing it this year.

Meanwhile, 40 of 50 states had no executions this year, while 86 percent of executions occurred in the South, the report said. Texas had by far the most executions, with 26.

But I still have a reason to be a proud resident of Texas. I'm quite sure we'll keep knocking them off in order to remain numero uno.