Unlike our Criminal trials in civilian courts the death sentence in a Military Court-Martial cannot be carried out unless the President of the United States signs the papers to execute. They cannot execute a person without that signature. On the other hand, in civilian trials, it can and will be carried out when all appeals are exhausted and nothing has changed the courts ruling unless the Governor of that state grants clemency.

I have never been, nor will I ever be in favor of the death penalty no matter what the case. What is rather disturbing about this case is that there is further litigation pending which will take years to resolve. It's been over 50 years since a member of the military has been executed. The last president to sign an order of execution was Dwight D. Eisenhower (R). President John F. Kennedy (D) commuted the death sentence of Navy seaman Jimmie Henderson to life in prison.

Pvt. Ronald A. Gray has been incarcerated since April of 1988 for a 4 murder/8 rape spree that took place over 8 months in April 1986 through January 1987. Gray was tried in both courts. The civilian court in North Carolina sentenced him to three consecutive and five concurrent life sentences for pleading guilty to two murders and five rapes. The general court martial unanimously sentenced Pvt. Gray to death for two murders, one attempted murder and three rapes.

No matter what the charges and the decisions were, I believe the civilian ruling should prevail. I cannot fathom President Bush signing the order of execution before all the litigation and appeals are exhausted. Can he possibly see this as his last great accomplishment of a seriously botched presidency? I already know what kind of president he is but what kind of man is this that just must hurry to dot the last "i" and cross the last "t" before he empties the shredder in the oval office and disappears behind the door of Marine 1?