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How To Execute People In the 21st Century
HughPickens.com writes Matt Ford writes in The Atlantic that thanks to a European Union embargo on the export of key drugs, and the refusal of major pharmaceutical companies to sell them the nation's predominant method of execution is increasingly hard to perform. With lethal injection's future uncertain, some states are turning to previously discarded methods. The Utah legislature just approved a bill to reintroduce firing squads for executions, Alabama's House of Representatives voted to authorize the electric chair if new drugs couldn't be found, and after last years botched injection, Oklahoma legislators are mulling the gas chamber.
The driving force behind the creation and abandonment of execution methods is the constant search for a humane means of taking a human life. Arizona, for example, abandoned hangings after a noose accidentally decapitated a condemned woman in 1930. Execution is also prone to problems as witnesses routinely report that, when the switch is thrown, the condemned prisoner "cringes," "leaps," and "fights the straps with amazing strength." The hands turn red, then white, and the cords of the neck stand out like steel bands. The prisoner's limbs, fingers, toes, and face are severely contorted. The force of the electrical current is so powerful that the prisoner's eyeballs sometimes pop out and "rest on [his] cheeks." The physical effects of the deadly hydrogen cyanide in the gas chamber are coma, seizures and cardiac arrest but the time lag has previously proved a problem. According to Ford one reason lethal injection enjoyed such tremendous popularity was that it strongly resembled a medical procedure, thereby projecting our preconceived notions about modern medicine—its competence, its efficacy, and its reliability—onto the capital-punishment system. "As states revert to earlier methods of execution—techniques once abandoned as backward and flawed—they run the risk that the death penalty itself will be seen in the same terms."
The driving force behind the creation and abandonment of execution methods is the constant search for a humane means of taking a human life. Arizona, for example, abandoned hangings after a noose accidentally decapitated a condemned woman in 1930. Execution is also prone to problems as witnesses routinely report that, when the switch is thrown, the condemned prisoner "cringes," "leaps," and "fights the straps with amazing strength." The hands turn red, then white, and the cords of the neck stand out like steel bands. The prisoner's limbs, fingers, toes, and face are severely contorted. The force of the electrical current is so powerful that the prisoner's eyeballs sometimes pop out and "rest on [his] cheeks." The physical effects of the deadly hydrogen cyanide in the gas chamber are coma, seizures and cardiac arrest but the time lag has previously proved a problem. According to Ford one reason lethal injection enjoyed such tremendous popularity was that it strongly resembled a medical procedure, thereby projecting our preconceived notions about modern medicine—its competence, its efficacy, and its reliability—onto the capital-punishment system. "As states revert to earlier methods of execution—techniques once abandoned as backward and flawed—they run the risk that the death penalty itself will be seen in the same terms."
The reason, not excuse, to execute someone is simple, they've executed someone else themselves. This isn't a difficult concept really. Just because you don't agree doesn't mean you are right or more advanced. You may be, you may not be, but you are not in the position to make that determination.
If America wants to execute people, THEY WILL. Not having the drug sold to them will not change that, as clearly demonstrated by finding alternate methods.
Finally, Propofol is not used for executions, Euthasol is. Pentobarbital Sodium. And its not difficult to manufacture, its patented. America could easily make it if they want to ... of course they'd be in violation of several international trade treaties that they expect Denmark to follow, so its really not something that anyone is going to do. Euthasol is patented by a Danish company, for reference, and they refuse to allow it to be sold to a state government for the purpose of executions.
Perhaps if you knew a little bit more about the issue you wouldn't be making silly opinionated statements as if they were fact.
I'm sorry you're too simple minded to understand that some people are not worth letting live, but thats the reality of it. Not everyone is worthy of life, deal with it. You don't want to execute them, fine, don't. We have other people for that. Consider yourself VERY LUCKY to not have to have had to experience something so horrible that you believe the only response is to take someone elses life, and hope that you never end up knowing what it feels like.
Of course, as demonstrated by Utah, executing people isn't difficult, they'll just shoot them or hang them, thats ALL THAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.
Instead of people being terminated quickly, painlessly and with no suffering, now they are fully aware of the end of their life as it happens. This is clearly a much better solution.
Personally, I'm happy for the lack of availability of Euthasol for use in human executions. Anyone who deserves execution does not deserve a quick, painless termination, they deserve to suffer as much as possible. The only way to make it better is to make them suffer like their victims, and their victims are NOT JUST THE PEOPLE THEY KILLED, but also all the people left behind. When someone murders another innocent being, plans it out, does the execution and shows no remorse at all (all of these things are the requirement for the death penalty in most places) ... and it happens to be your loved ones ... then get back to me on your high and mighty horse, until then ... stop pretending you're so enlightened. You aren't, you're just naive and selfish and ignorant of reality.
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realize how flawed your justice system is, and how many innocents had their lives taken by it.
And none of that has to do with the facts that some people do deserve it. timothy mcveigh for one example
have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
How is shooting something in the head with something which do a good mess all that worse?
Except it messes up the place a little more.
Animals are killed by the billions and they for sure didn't deserve that treatment.
As for whatever it should be done or not, if it's a serial killer it make sense from a consequence perspective.
If it's vs life-time in jail it also make sense from a society-economical perspective.
If it's someone who took laws in their own hands to solve a dilemma no-one else took care of? .. Then isn't it more or less just like the law-enforcement?
Anyway. Feel like my country should try to figure out because we're importing and having a lot of terrorists trained within the country now and for whatever reason want them back and want them here .. So. (Sweden.)
As we do not know what happens after death, we do not know what these people actually get. Unless you believe in some primitive, obviously flawed "Heaven and Hell"-model, killing somebody is not a form of punishment and hence cannot be "deserved". It is however killing somebody in cold blood, and (disregarding some perverse legal fictions) that is one of the most despicable acts humans can commit.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Nice job of cherry-picking, or simply devising a situation out of nothing.
Meanwhile, why don't you tell us how many innocent people should be put to death who would otherwise have been exonerated...even decades after their conviction? One? A dozen? Where's your cut-off point? And what penalty should be paid by law enforcement officials who hide exculpatory evidence?
Because these things have happened in reality a lot more often than the hypothetical case you describe.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
The deterrence value of capital punishment is zero. This is a well-established fact. Unlike you, I actually look at reality.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Your argument is a classical example of a double standard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_standard
Wether they are guilty or not, their execution is still murder. And by your own standards showing zero remorse for doing so is despicable.
As you do clearly do not show any remorse, there is an important conclusion to be made.