Politics and geography can mean the difference between life in prison or lethal injection.State-sanctioned death, it seems, is arbitrary.Some of the most infamous murderers of our time sit in prison while lesser offenders are sent to die.The Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, confessed to killing at least 48 women but struck a deal to spare his life.Juries sentenced Terry Nichols, accessory to the Oklahoma City bombing, and Lee Boyd Malvo, the "D.C. sniper," to life in prison.Eric… [read post]