Do aesthetics and anniversaries matter in DP debates?

Over at my home blog, I ask here whether execution headaches impact where capital debates are headed.  I would be interested in student input on this question.

I also note here that today marks a notable death penalty anniversary: the first "modern" US execution took place exactly 30 years ago today.  This factoid, in turn, prompts a similat query from me: does the marking of a notable anniversary have any real impact on capital punishments debates or developments?