There's a furor over morality right now in Oregon. On November 22, Governor John Kitzhaber announced that he was issuing a moratorium on executions in that state, and that the first reprieve was going to Gary Haugen, a double-murderer. Haugen was scheduled to die on December 6, and had waived all appeals as he sought his own execution.
People are mad about this -- angry because what Kitzhaber did was contrary to the will of people of Oregon in passing (in 1984) a referendum in favor of the death penalty, and contrary to the verdict of a jury. Many in Oregon feel that one man's conscience is thwarting the majority will. They are right, and that is part of what makes this situation so interesting. It is rare in our nation that we so openly see individual conscience trump public consensus.
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