I'm with you, Amos. I don't believe this statistic. Too often statistics reflect the wording of the question and are predetermined to support a personl view.

Question: Would you rather see televised exectuions or be poked in the eye with this stick?

If anything, I see some small movement toward making the death penalty less common. Maybe I'll do my own survey.

Question: Would you rather see the death penalty eliminated or be poked in the eye with this stick?

Or, slightly more seriously, a question could be asked in the context of a statement that if we had televised executions, we could eliminate most of the murders that are committed in this country. If you have your hands chopped off for stealing a loaf of bread, it would reduce the likelihood that you'd steal one, but no one in American would approve of such a law.

Jerry