Think about McGuinn if abolishing death penalty

When Maryland’s death penalty commission issues its inevitable conclusion that capital punishment should be abolished in this state, maybe some astute citizen will ask why legislators bothered to waste taxpayer money to even go through the motions.

Such commissions — the hearings for Maryland’s ended this week — are NOT formed with the intent that its members come back with a ringing endorsement of capital punishment. They’re formed to do precisely the opposite. But in order to make it look like the fix wasn’t already in, commission members have to go through the motions.