The issue is not whether there are horrible cases where the penalty seems "right". The real question is whether we will ever design a capital system that reaches only the "right" cases, without dragging in the wrong cases, cases of innocence or cases where death is not proportionate punishment. Slowly, even reluctantly, I have realized the answer to that question is no- we will never get it right.

For thousands and thousands of American kids, libraries are the only safe place they can find to study, a haven free from the dangers of street or the numbing temptations of television. As schools cut back services, the library looms even more important to countless children.

I count myself as one of millions of Americans whose life simply would not be the same without the libraries that supported my learning.

At the end of the day, perhaps the best argument against capital punishment may be that it is an issue beyond the limited capacity of government to get things right.

The purpose of narrative is to present us with complexity and ambiguity.

Who are we but the stories we tell about ourselves, particularly if we accept them?

The Guild is the authoritative voice of American writers.