1. Also, with the McVeigh execution, he became the first president since John F. Kennedy to preside over a federal execution. 2. An array of religious, civil rights and political leaders are appealing to President Clinton to declare a moratorium on federal executions in the closing days of his presidency. 3. And white, middle class and well brought up, he spared the restart of federal executions any immediate second thoughts about racial or social bias in the system. 4. As she weighed her recommendation on the Garza case, Reno said earlier Thursday that she opposed a broad moratorium on federal executions. 5. At the very least President Clinton needs to order a moratorium on all federal executions until glaring inequities of race and geography can be eliminated. 6. But he should not consider a moratorium on only federal executions. 7. But now, under a subsequently enacted death penalty statute, we are drifting backward and resuming federal executions by putting to death McVeigh. 8. But those opponents were displeased that the president stopped well short of their call for a complete moratorium on federal executions. 9. Federal executions have always been relatively rare. 10. I expect there will be more federal executions after McVeigh. |