Struggle to execute US murderer

[CaptainF]

That is sick.

And I remember when I was poking fun about the US way of lethal injection.

One poison to stop the lungs.
One poison to stop the heart.
One poison to kill period.

And they inject all 3 into you, one at a time. And you think one of them is enough...

Yeah, I never understood that. Why the hell don't they just pump him full of cyanide or something? Just one poison to be quick and painless? Sadistic that they have to stop everything one at a time.

Regadless, i'm opposed to the death penalty. If we are to have it anyway however, make it something less stupid than a lethal injection. Firing squad, hanging, gas chamber, all of that is way less sh1tty than fooling around with a needle.

 

[malclave]

I guess there is a bit of barbarism left

Absolutely.

What Clark did to Manning was absolutely reprehensible.

 

[zulu9812]

Moral acceptability has nothing to do with method, you're confusing morality with squeamishness.

No I'm not. Killing's wrong. That's all there is to it.

 

[MobBoss]

No I'm not. Killing's wrong. That's all there is to it.

Do you object to the killing of plants and animals to feed you?

 

[Xenocrates]

One poison to stop the lungs.
One poison to stop the heart.
One poison to kill period.

Doesn't this make the corpse into a biohazard? How do they dispose of the corpse in an environmentally friendly way?

 

[plarq]

Do you object to the killing of plants and animals to feed you?

I think plants and animals can't be compared with human beings, homicide is very bad and should be punished.

 

[IglooDame]

Lethal injection is an attempt to santise the process, thereby making it more acceptable to those with morals

Moral acceptability has nothing to do with method, you're confusing morality with squeamishness.

No I'm not. Killing's wrong. That's all there is to it.

Zulu, read what I wrote. "Those with morals" (well, your particular flavor of morals anyway) believe "killing is wrong", thus the method doesn't matter to them/you, right? And if the method does matter, then it's an issue of squeamishness instead of morals.

 

[Rambuchan]

For the benefit of our friends residing in other countries, capital punishment in the United States is more complicated than it appears on the surface.

First of all, thirteen states do not have a death penalty statute. Another five states and the U.S. Military have a death penalty statute but have not carried out any executions since 1976 when then Supreme Court turned the green light back on. In another eleven states and the Federal Government executions are on the decline with three or fewer persons executed since 1976. Several states such as California with large death row populations rarely execute anyone. Practically speaking, the only crime for which anyone is executed in the United States is murder with special circumstances. The emergence of DNA technology has led to several state governors and legislatures to rethink their positions on the death penalty.

In any case, unless you commit your murder in Texas, the home of our Dear Leader, the chances of being executed are remote.

Good post. Shame the wider PR effort doesn't bring these facts to light and that general presumptuousness doesn't either.

 

[MrCynical]

I have no particular objection to the death penalty for some crimes, but this does seem a supremely incompetant way of applying it. As has been pointed out the guillotine was far more reliable than this, and was less painful (probably, since those it was used on were not usually in a condition to be interviewed afterwards, but it was certainly faster). There is a limit to the amount of consideration I feel should be given to the suffering of the criminal, since in crimes that merit execution I strongly suspect their victims suffered more. I would be reluctant to suggest deliberately inflicting pain on the criminal equal to the physical suffering they have caused, but similarly I see little point in attempting to minimise it.

Doesn't this make the corpse into a biohazard? How do they dispose of the corpse in an environmentally friendly way?

Technically a biohazard would be something like a virus or a microorganism, and since it seems highly improbable these would be used in an execution the corpse would not strictly speaking be a biohazard (at least not any more than any other corpse, since they are inherently a biohazard after a certain amount of time). The chemical toxins (specifically sodium pentothal, tubocurarine chloride and potassium chloride in most cases) are potentially dangerous, but given they will be contained in the body, and breaking down themselves, it seems implausible that anyone could come into contact with a harmful dose of any of them. As far as I know, the bodies of executed criminals are not regarded as any particular hazard.

 

[MamboJoel]

Grandpappy told my pappy: "Back in my day, son,
A man had to answer for the wicked that he done.
Take all the rope in Texas; find a tall oak tree,
Round up all of them bad boys, hang them high in the street,
For all the people to see."
"That justice is the one thing you should always find.
You got to saddle up your boys,
You got to draw a hard line.

When the gunsmoke settles, we'll sing a victory tune.
We'll all meet back at the local saloon,
We'll raise up our glasses against evil forces,
Singing: 'Whiskey for my men, stop beer for my horses.”

That pretty sums up my sentiment.

While I have to agree this is pretty sexy I feel it's important for the children hanging around this board to add that good old cowboy tunes don't necessarily fit in today's debates on such issues. So long cowboy !

 

[Bill3000]

Onee poison to stop the lungs.
One poison to stop the heart.
One poison to kill period.

Nope. It's:

One drug to induce a coma.
One drug to paralyze most of the muscles in the body except the heart.
One drug to stop the heart.

Funnily enough, all three drugs are used in surgeries in a daily basis. (Last one for heart surgery)

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

BBC article

Well... Same old song...


America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.
- Oscar Wilde

I guess there is a bit of barbarism left

This problem can be solved by the insertion of a central venous catheter. I would be glad to offer my services to the state, in exchange for a fee of course.

 

[7ronin]

Why the hell don't they just pump him full of cyanide or something? Just one poison to be quick and painless? Sadistic that they have to stop everything one at a time.

Regadless, i'm opposed to the death penalty. If we are to have it anyway however, make it something less stupid than a lethal injection. Firing squad, hanging, gas chamber, all of that is way less ----- than fooling around with a needle.

Cyanide occurs as a gas (hydrogen cyanide) which is the lethal agent in the gas chamber and as an ingestible salt (potassium cyanide) famous as the secret agent death pill. I don't think an injectible form is possible. In any case, cyanide poses just as much risk to the executioners as it does do the condemned.

The modern search for an "acceptable" form of execution has revolved around finding methods which are 1. quick; 2. painless; 3. neat (as opposed to messy); and 4. easy on the executioners. A sobering effect on the public is now ignored since executions are no longer public. The guillotine, for example, was introduced to solve numbers 1 and 2; it fails somewhat on number 3.

Lethal injection is now the standard in the majority of states in the United States because the Supreme Court decided that existing methods caused the condemned to suffer. Lethal gas is extremely painful. Electrocution, hanging, and the firing squad can be painful if botched by the executioners. Often the case as fewer executions gave executioners less chance to "practice."

Why are three drugs used in lethal injections? Early on, an advisory panel of "medical experts" determined that this would be quickest way to kill without pain and undue suffering. In any case there is only one IV line (not three). The drugs are mixed prior to being administered.

Part of the problem in insuring a problem free execution by lethal injection is the extreme reluctance of Medical Doctors, Physician's Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, and Nurses to participate in the process. The Hippocratic Oath states, "To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death."