State Executions

As a registered Democrat who is opposed to capital punishment, I am saddened and disappointed by the treatment of this issue by the three candidates for California governor. On one side is Democrat Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp, a self-proclaimed opponent to the death penalty who has allowed his political ambitions to turn him into a hypocrite calling for a renewal of executions in the state. On the other side are Democrat Dianne Feinstein and Republican Sen. Pete Wilson, both strong advocates of the death penalty on the grounds that it will make California safer from criminals.

Unfortunately, there is no evidence to support the idea that capital punishment is a deterrent, and in fact there is strong evidence to support the theory that it serves only to brutalize society and make us more tolerant of violence. I am sickened and appalled by cowardly or ignorant politicians who continue to take advantage of growing public frustration about crime to encourage state-sanctioned killing in order to obtain votes. Having to choose between three such candidates in the upcoming gubernatorial elections is truly disheartening.

KATHLEEN M. BROWN

Los Angeles