Rethinking the dea th penalt y The death penalty is in the news. The vicious murder of Ukrainian war refugee Iryna Zarutska and political pundit Charlie Kirk has citizens calling for retribution. For much of my political life, I supported the death penalty. As a conservative activist, m y instinct was to affirm the rule of law, to insist on accountability, and to recognize society’s right to execute those who commit the most heinous crimes. The death penalty, I believed, was a just response to cold - blooded murder. https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2025/11/18/rethink ing_the_death_penalty_1148153.html