"Justice does not mean lowering ourselves to the same level as those who would take the lives of our loved ones."

-- N.J. Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo, Democrat from Newark leading the successful charge to outlaw the death penalty.

In other words, Mr. Caraballo is arguing that death penalty supporters are morally equivalent to murderers. That would mean that they have lowered themselves to the "same level" as Jesse K. Timmendequas, the man who raped and murdered 7-year-old Megan Kanka.

Such glib pronouncements of moral superiority are actually evidence of a rather stunning moral obtuseness.

There are decent arguments against the death penalty, but they don't include suggesting moral equivalence between cold-blooded killers of innocent children and those who believe the executing such cold-blooded killers is justified.

To say so, stands morality on its head.