Posted on 04/29/2014 6:30:41 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
McALESTER, Okla. — What was supposed to be the first of two executions here Tuesday night was halted when the prisoner, Clayton D. Lockett, began to twitch and gasp after he had already been declared unconscious and called out “man” and “something’s wrong,” according to witnesses.
The administering doctor intervened and discovered that “the line had blown,” said the director of corrections, Robert Patton, meaning that drugs were no longer flowing into his vein.
At 7:06 p.m., Mr. Patton said, Mr. Lockett died of a heart attack.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Whatever works with speed and precision represents society well.
Whatever is an unnecessary and half assed issue of the death penalty is as bad as the crime itself, and represents only the ghoulish satisfaction of those whom are, thankfully, but a tiny rather depraved minority among the civilized.
Firing squad, hanging, and generally even Old Sparky have a more merciful record in application than these new, shiny pharmaceutical methods that have become a punch line for failure.
Death most often has pain associated with it.
I’m sure where he’s at there are plenty of flames.
In my opinion, a lethal injection is no more of a sure thing than a trained firing squad, a well built and executed gallows, even a guillotine which I see as all completely sure ways of doing things, and are equal in my mind in the expression of physical discomfort.
Now, mentally, there is likely some difference between falling off to sleep versus hearing a “Ready...Aim...Fire” command, hearing a trap door open and feeling the fall, or having your head forced into a contraption and hearing the blade descend. There is a degree of prolonged terror there, even if only for a second or two. To make the point by taking it to an extreme, being thrown from a 100 story building will surely kill someone when they hit the ground, but the act of falling to the ground might take longer than some feel is “humane”.
Lethal injection must be calibrated to some degree to your body weight, ect, but once you are under, a giant dose of whatever should finish the task.
And I admit, I cannot make the same statement about the electric chair. It seems to me there might be room to really botch that. Given my choice, either firing squad or lethal injection.
I am not a sadist, though I do admit there are some types of crimes for which I might we willing to see extra pain inflicted on the convicted person (such as the 9/11 bombers, etc). But I recognize what that is, a personal wish for vengeance and punishment, and not necessarily what a Christian should espouse, so I view that as a personal shortcoming on my part.
Personally, I don’t have an issue with lethal injection. What I have an issue with is coddling these people who have committed heinous crimes, and have often spent decades appealing cases. Using an excuse such as the person opened their eyes and said something to put it all on hold is offensive to me.
A "crime of passion" is second-degree murder, and is not eligible for the death penalty. Crimes eligible for the death penalty are premeditated murder, and murder committed in the process of a felony.
It is ghoulish, except for one thing: Most of us have given our societal and moral approval to execution for crimes ranging from murder and treason to desertion.
I think we have an obligation to take a stand on the issue. I don’t like talking about it any more than the next person, but since I would rather see people accused of heinous crimes put to death in very short order other than supporting their existence for several consecutive life sentences (with taxpayer supplied food, clothing, shelter, and yes, amenities) then I am obligated to provide input and take a public stand on how I think it should be carried out.
To avoid the issue would feel cowardly to me. I am not saying you or anyone else is cowardly in this respect, but that is simply how I would feel.
Right. I understand the difference, but I think we can agree that there have been people who have been executed over crimes of passion because the legal process or even some of the circumstances made it appear different.
But I do agree, and feel that the vast majority of inmates with capital punishment sentences deserve to be there for what they did.
In this, there are no solutions, only trade-offs.
A person, once executed, cannot be brought back if it was a mistake. Then again, neither can a violent killer commit more murders after execution, whereas if put in prison he is a danger to other inmates and to his guards.
Meanwhile, we let violent criminals back on the streets, because there is no more room in the prisons to hold them. The blood of those killed and wounded by released criminals should also be a concern.
I would suggest that criminals with multiple violent-crime convictions (like more than three) be brought back before the jury after their latest conviction, the jury be given their ENTIRE criminal record, including any previously-sealed juvenile record, and asked to decide if it would be better that this criminal be put to death, rather than risk him being put back on the streets among them some time in the future.
I have no sympathy towards or tender feelings for murderers, traitors, etc. However the death penalty has never been applied in our country in a manner that we would like to see. It takes years to execute a murderer, it's rare for any execution for a capital crime to ever take place, and with the exception of Texas perhaps, the states keep messing it up as the OK example shows.
It's more likely these people would be hit by lightning than suffer a timely execution of the death sentence.
If as a society we are unprepared to administer the death penalty in an even-handed and predictable manner, then I would argue that we shouldn't do it at all. Haphazard doesn't serve the ends of justice, IMHO.
Maybe it shows my "small government" libertarian sort of mindset, but what if we don't empower the government to kill anyone? Let's not kill the elderly, the unborn, the newly born, the infirm or the criminals. Perhaps the fallibility of human nature is such that we shouldn't place ourselves in such a role.
Sign me...
Crotchety old fart
In the name of mercy or whatever we are making this harder than it needs to be.
Heroin, hanging, firing squad, electrocution, cyanide, drowning, all work.
This idea that it should be absolutely painless is absurd. The goal is a dead perpetrator of a heinous crime.
The goal of painless is to prevent executions by those who oppose capital punishment.
Maybe, but barbary in inflicting death is not a virtue. That is what this very ciminal inflicted, on his helpless victim, and without conscience. His ways are not a template for administering Western law, of course.
These chemical injections have been on the total fail list on many occasions for a long time, with complaints galore from those having to administer the darn things. Methinks they need to return to swifter, more certain methods for the death penalty. Just my opinion.
You found me out, alright. :)
I used to be FOR the death penalty, until I realized that if I couldn’t be the executioner all by my very own self (and I couldn’t) then I could hardly justify being FOR it, just because my taxes paid someone else to do the nasty deed for me, in my place. That would make me a coward.
Many say they could be, so I don’t criticise them and they are not cowards, but I was. %)
I appreciate why people oppose the death penalty, and that is their prerogative. I am not going to judge you or anyone else for a well considered opinion based in actual fact.
There are those who have been in fact wrongly accused, wrongly convicted, and are on death row just the same. This is a problem.
I fall more into the school of; if there is absolutely no question that a particular person has done the crime, and killed someone in the most heinous of ways then they need to be dispatched to the next world and may god have mercy on their souls, because I won’t.
But, it has to be a no doubt case like this dirtbag. He’s the guy who did the deed, there is no doubt that this is the right guy, no mistakes. Lights out for him and I have no sympathy for him and the means by which his life was ended, as he certainly had no sympathy for those he killed in the most heinous manner.
I don’t subscribe to the idea that being in prison for life is a greater punishment, nor do I accept the high cost of an execution. Those costs are unnecessary, and are forced on us by those who seek to end the death penalty for political reasons, not moral reasons.
If “the people” have got you “dead to rights” on a heinous murder, and there is no doubt it was you, there should be very little cost after conviction, of a quick review to make sure everything was done properly, and the we “off them” with heroin within a few days.
Whoever dreamed up this “cocktail” business made it more complicated than it needed to be. Load them up with heroin and it’s lights out.
You’re a good sport.
Rita.
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