Roomin' House Blues

Below is a letter from the Gov. of Illinois as to why he abolished the death penalty. Today I have signed Senate Bill 3539, which abolishes the death penalty in Illinois. For me, this was a difficult decision, quite literally the choice between life and death. This was not a decision to be made lightly, or a decision that I came to without deep personal reflection. Since the General Assembly passed this bill, I have met or heard from a wide variety of people on both sides of the issue. I have talked with prosecutors, judges, elected officials, religious leaders from around the world, families of murder victims, people on death row who were exonerated and people like you who have taken the time to share their thoughts with me. Their experiences and your words and opinions have made a tremendous impact on my thinking, and I thank you for reaching out to me on this matter. After this guidance, as well as much thought and reflection, I have concluded that our system of imposing th...