with almost mind numbing regularity, every case which attracts attention finds opponents of the death penalty, or at least their leadership, insisting that the person to be executed was really innocent, framed, was not well represented in court, was victimized by poverty and/or racism, and thereby makes it seem that it is okay to murder a guilty person who had a good lawyer or wasn't poor or black...
the sappy political argument is that it's easier to convince someone not to execute because of doubts about guilt, rather than to confront the issue head on, but that's as bad as the lesser evil choice on election day...
if what we oppose is the death penalty, that's the issue, and not someone's alleged innocence...our argument is that it's wrong to murder someone as punishment for murder...period.
the endless repetition of "he's really innocent", especially in cases that seem crystal clear to all but true believers, invites the kind of response from most of middle , left or right america, that we got here from wojo...
ie: (paraphrasing, not quoting) he's guilty, you're a woos in denial, etc....
fs