Steven Taylor is troubled by Gallup noting that "use of the death penalty has been declining worldwide, with most of the known executions now carried out in five countries — China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United States":
When dealing with issues of justice and human rights, that isn’t exactly the company I would think that the US would aspire to keep. We are talking about three authoritarian regimes with questionable human rights records (China, Iran and Saudi Arabia), a pseudodemocracy in the context of an ongoing conflict (Iraq), and the country that sees itself as a beacon of liberty and democracy (the US). One of these things is, theoretically, not like the others. At a minimum this comparison ought to give us all pause for thought.
The Dish 