Thou Shalt Not Kill - Except......?

Is the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" a moral absolute?It seems to me that those who most ardently advocate moral absolutism (i.e. the Christian right) are also the most vociferous supporters of capital punishment.Is this not a contradictory position?Surely a straightforward commandment directly from the "mouth" of God is not open to interpretation or dependant on context? Surely this commandment decrees that the taking of human life in any situation at any time is just morally wrong?
If this simple command is open to interpretation in any way how can any moral absolutism be justified?Can any moral absolutists defend this seemingly contradictory position?

Thread copied to the Thou Shalt Not Kill - Except......? thread in the Faith and Belief forum, this copy of the thread has been closed.