"The death penalty remains fraught with arbitrariness, discrimination, caprice, and mistake."
- Justice Blackmun, after years of attempting to constitutionally justify the Death Penalty

June 29, 2007 marks the 35th anniversary of Furman Vs. Georgia, the landmark Supreme Court case abolishing the Death Penalty.
July 2nd, 2007 marks the 31st Anniversary of Gregg Vs. Georgia, the Supreme Court case reinstating capitol punishment.
And the four days in between are reason for protest by a group calling itself the Abolitionist Action Committee. For the past 14 years, this group of concerned citizens has been holding their annual 4 day "Starvin' For Justice" fast and vigil at the front steps to the Supreme Court building. The Fast and Vigil is a four day protest-in-residence at the Supreme Court including a rally, and daily vigils and teach-ins.

Father Beck from the Passionist Retreat Center in New York attended the DC action as a result of his religious beliefs - "As a Roman Catholic, I am opposed to the Death Penalty" Beck began, "It is the official church policy so I have broad support from my congregants for being here." Beck explained that "since God gives life, only God should take life away, not the government. Many people of faith oppose the Death Penalty because even one wrongful execution is reason enough to ban them all."

Bill Pelke, a leader of the Murder Victim Families for Reconciliation, and a self identified Christian (raised Baptist, and attends a Methodist church) remembers when his grandmother was Murdered, He told the audience that he opposes the Death Penalty, as a Christian because Jesus was all about forgiveness -- forgiveness leads to healing. A lot of people who support the Death Penalty talk about revenge - but Jesus talked about forgiveness." Pelke, and others who have seen their loved ones murdered have taken part in a "Journey of Hope" to learn to forgive the killer of their loved one in order to give them healing.

Christians aren't the only ones to oppose the death Penalty (and for the record, not all Christians do). Since 1959, the Central Conference of American Rabbi's, the rabbinic arm of Reform Judaism, has passionately fought against capitol punishment every step of the way. Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union For Reform Judaism stated in March of 2000: "When it comes to the death penalty, we cannot afford a system of justice that is inconsistent and arbitrary; we cannot afford to fall short of the absolute integrity that God demands of us in such matters. Nothing could be more of a nightmare and a miscarriage of justice than for the American people, through its government, to execute an innocent person."

Justice Blackman is joined by Rabbi Yoffie, and the URJ; the Roman Catholic Church, the Mennonite Central Committee, the United Methodist Church and many other organized groups of faith in opposition to the death penalty. All of whom believe in Blackman's assertion that it is still and always will be "Arbitrary and Capricious."