Perhaps you are misunderstand me:

In the Old Testament, the death penalty was used liberally and God did command the deaths of people.  In the New Testament, we do not see this.  This has lead people to jump to conclusions and claim that the God of the OT and the NT God must be two different gods, etc.  

I don't see it that way--but my position is not that God is commanding us to use the death penalty.  My position is that the death penalty can be morally justifiable in certain cases.  We are commanded to love, indeed.  God is, indeed love.  However---love of enemies must be balanced by the need to protect society as well as bring some semblance of justice to the victims of horrific crimes.  

You don't mean to tell me that you believe that Osama Bin Laden should not have been put to death do you?  You don't mean to tell me that God holds us in contempt for putting him to death, do you?