Unless the very highest value is placed on every human life, even the state can fail in its commitment to the sacredness of human life. For the size of its population, the state of Florida has a disproportionate number of persons in death row. We all decry the violence prevalent in so many ways in our society. We complain about the portrayal of violence on T.V. and in movies. The execution of a person is a particularly repugnant form of violence because it is officially sanctioned and is done with such deliberateness and methodical efficiency.
Execution serves to deepen the atmosphere of violence, rather than to diminish it.
What we all want is a life free from the threat of violence and crime and a life of peace and serenity, a life of creative possibilities for ourselves and for our families. We believe that peace and unity and brotherhood must be grounded in belief in God and the Fatherhood of God and in moral responsibility to God and to each other as children of God. The deliberate taking of any person's life casts a dark shadow over society. Our efforts should be for light and life. We sincerely believe that we can better protect ourselves and better provide for a free and safe society if we walk not in the shadows, but in the light.