An Anniversary

Well gang. I missed the official date, but as of this week, the Lonely Abolitionist has been on the e-waves for one full year. My first post was on May 2, 2004. In that time, I've posted obits on almost all of those executed (54 in total). The first execution after the blog started was of Kelsey Patterson, a mentally ill man in Texas who's lawyers unsuccessfully attempted to save his life with last minute clemency requests and appeals. We've also seen several changes in the law through state legislation and Court intervention (including the U.S. Supreme Court's decision regarding execution of juveniles).

During this year, there have been over 5000 visits to the blog. People find it through links to other anti-death penalty websites or via searches or particular topics or individuals (John Lotter is a common search, and a lot of people found the blog during the first round of Michael Ross appeals). In the meantime, several other anti-death penalty blogs have sprung up. At the time I started this venture, I couldn't find any blogs dedicated to death penalty work.

Thanks for helping this be a terrific year. Its been a great ride so far.