Bernie shows real leadership on the Death Penalty

It's easy to say all the popular things. Some politicians go to great lengths to make sure they are doing exactly that at any given point in time. They hire pollsters and people to run focus groups to find out how it's gonna play in Peoria – whatever 'it' may be. Speaking out for what is right without regard to what is popular takes rare courage. The kind of courage we don't see much of anymore. Leave it to Bernie.

"I believe it is time for the United States of America to join almost every other Western, industrialized country on Earth in saying no to the death penalty."

Bernie Sanders Speaks Out Against The Death Penalty After Hillary Clinton Stands By It

I have been an anti-death penalty advocate for many years and I know how unpopular it is to suggest that we should do something other than kill people for committing grave offenses against the state. Many Americans figure that people who commit horrible crimes deserve no mercy. It can be very difficult to get people to see that it's not about what criminals have done or what they deserve and very much more about what we deserve as a society.

We deserve to live in a society that is civilized, thoughtful, just, magnanimous and yes, merciful. It's tragic when individuals kill. It's a travesty when the deliberative power of the state does so. We should be able to expect more from the state. We should be able to hold the state to higher standards.

The fatal flaws in the death penalty are these: it is applied in a racist manner, it is based on certainty of guilt which is beyond our human capabilities, it is not a deterrent, it is more expensive than the alternative of life in prison and it goes against virtually every religion on earth.

The only arguments for it are based in anger, ignorance and fear.

It is time, as Bernie so courageously suggests, for us to join the enlightened nations of the world and outlaw the national disgrace of state-sanctioned murder.

It's time for all Americans to stand up and be as brave as this man, right here: