At Least He's Not Your Attorney General

20 thoughts on “At Least He’s Not Your Attorney General”

1. Decency is dead.

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2. when Auschwitz was running full blast.

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3. stay classy Utah

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   1. stay classy Utah.  

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      1. than the three-drug-cocktail machine, at least if some of the claims made by anti-death penalty lawyers can be believed.
         
           A firing squad is at least quick.
         
         Of course, if Shurtleff had his way, they’d probably use RPG rounds.

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         1. If you’re going to kill people, it seems like any method that delivers a quick death is acceptable, as long as it’s reliable.

            I just looked this up, and there’s an interesting interview about the firing squad here. Worth reading if you’re at all curious.

            In it they say that a woman was shot by firing squad and they all fucked up, so that she continued walking afterward.

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            1. CONAN: Thanks. Well, I don’t know if pontificate is the right word. But nevertheless, in this day and age also, they would also have to be – just to be, you know, looking at this in the extremity – careful that people aren’t blogging or tweeting about this.

               Mr. DIETER: Well, that’s been an issue. Actually, Ohio recently – you know, they had people doing – tweeting. I mean, there’s a lot of witnesses to an execution. That is to say family members, perhaps family members of the defendant, lawyers, members of the media.

               CONAN: We meant the family members of the victim, of course, have to…

               Mr. DIETER: Yeah, family members of the victim, both sides. So, you know, there is a chance as even been people who snuck cameras and et cetera. So – and the media is – you know, that’s one of the ways that they communicate. So there is a question about whether that’s, you know, unseemly, but it’s being debated. It’s an issue.

                Well, thank God it didn’t come to that!

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   1. Probably wishes he had thought of that.

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5. This is from an anti-death penalty site, so take it for what it’s worth.   But it does underscore that the firing squad might actually be less painful than the standard in most other death penalty states.

   Since 1977, the method of execution in the United States   has increasingly become by lethal injection, hailed by proponents as a “humane” methodology.  We now know that this is not the case (Liptak, NYT, 10/7/2003).  We also know that lethal injection causes severe ethical issues for medical personnel necessarily involved with the process.
   
   Chemical Problems

   In most states three chemicals are used for lethal injection: Sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide, and potassium chloride.  The first of these is  considered an ultra-short-acting bromide which is effective as an anesthesia for just a few minutes.  The second, pancuronium bromide, marketed as Pavulon, paralyzes the skeletal muscles without affecting the nerves or brain.  The individual injected with Pavulon is conscious without being able to move or speak, thus giving the impression of serenity or tranquility.  In the state of Tennessee, it is a crime for veterinarians to use this drug in euthanizing pets.  The final injection, potassium chloride, stops the heart while causing excruciating pain.  The effect of this “cocktail,” according to testimony by Dr. Mark J.S. Heath who teaches anesthesiology at Columbia, is “that the sodium thiopental can be inadequate or wear off”…leaving “the prisoner conscious, paralyzed, suffocating and subject to extreme pain from the potassium chloride” (Liptak, NYT, 10/7/2003).

   According to Judge Ellen Hobbs Lyle, “The subject gives all the appearances of a serene expiration when actually the subject is feeling and perceiving the excruciatingly painful ordeal of death by lethal injection…the Pavulon gives a false impression of serenity to viewers, making punishment by death more palatable and acceptable to society” (Liptak, NYT, 10/7/2003).
   
   Ethical Problems

   In addition to the chemical problems, there are medical ethics problems with lethal injection.  According to the AMA, physicians “should not be a participant in a legally authorized execution.”  This includes injecting drugs, inspecting injection devices, supervising staff who perform injections, ordering lethal drugs, selecting intravenous sites and placing intravenous lines (particularly necessary in inmates who have been drug abusers and thus have poor veins), monitoring vital signs and pronouncing the prisoner dead (Groner, BMJ, 11/2/2002).  In addition to the AMA, the American Nurses Association is “strongly opposed” to participation in executions because it is “contrary to the fundamental goals and ethical traditions of the profession (press release, 12/8/1994 ).

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   1. I’ve wondered about this for years.  All this “cocktail” crap and for our loved animals, they just “go to sleep.”

      IIRC, the “cocktail” is the brainchild of one man and it just sort of took off from there.  

      Yeah, gimme the firing squad.

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      1. An anesthesia and a heart-stopper, sometimes with a tranquilizer thrown in.

         I like to think that the pets who are euthanized just peacefully go to sleep.  However, to observers it appears that the humans who are executed by lethal injection simply “go to sleep,” too.  As the judge said above, “The subject gives all the appearances of a serene expiration,” while suffering horribly.  What makes you think pet euthanasia is any different.

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         1. In fact, I don’t know any vet that does. Most vets now employ a 2-part process that begins with a sedative (usually used when a dog has minor surgery or a teeth cleaning–known as a reversible anesthesia) to first allow the dog to fall asleep. Ketamine is often used for this. The vet then administers a lethal dose of pentobarbital or sodium thiopental.

            The second, pancuronium bromide, marketed as Pavulon, paralyzes the skeletal muscles without affecting the nerves or brain.  The individual injected with Pavulon is conscious without being able to move or speak, thus giving the impression of serenity or tranquility.  In the state of Tennessee, it is a crime for veterinarians to use this drug in euthanizing pets.

            I think we have intentionally designed lethal injection to be the way it is for its recipients. It’s no accident that they are still using Pavulon when there are so many other options available. Seems to me that as a society, we want our pound of flesh, right up to the bitter end.

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            1. I had a friend from law school who did insurance defense work.  He had a case once where he defended an anesthesiologist who used three drugs: a pain killer, a paralyzer, and a sedative.  The sedative was to make the patient unconscious; the pain killer was to kill the pain; and the paralyzer was to keep the patient from moving during the surgery.  This was (I was told) a standard protocol.

               Unfortunately, only the paralyzer worked.  The patient was conscious, felt everything through the entire surgery, and couldn’t move a muscle.  Apparently this is not an isolated event; I wouldn’t say it’s common, but it does happen.

               This is kind of off-topic, but it scared the shit out of me so I thought I’d throw it into the mix.

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               1. And I’ve read the same as you–that this isn’t as uncommon as I would hope. Makes me dread the thought of surgery of any kind.

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6.  and I will tell you why,

   lethal injection renders all of the body’s organs unusable for transplant.

   A single Bullet to the back of the head does the same job Quickly and dare I say painlessly. while preserving the rest of the body’s organs fit for transplant.

   I seriously wonder why it is so macabre and abhorrent to society to harvest the organs of the condemned? seriously? Their are many other (non felons) who could go on to have productive lives if the simply had a newer kidney, Liver, eyes or Lungs.

   I am all for exhausting any and all methods to prove innocence, DNA, fair trial, full appeals, etc.

   then give the condemned the chance to actually do some good with their remains.

   but America is too squeamish to even think about harvesting Organs from the condemned. even if the condemned person agreed and were in perfect health.

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   1. Gilmore had requested that, following his execution, his eyes be used for transplant purposes. Within hours of the execution, two people received his corneas. Most of his other organs were used for transplants, as well…

      In 1977, The Adverts had a top 20 hit in the UK with the song “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes”. The lyrics describe an eye donor recipient realizing his new eyes came from the executed murderer. The song was later covered by the German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen. A country version of the song was recorded by Dean Schlabowske.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G…

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7. of the Rocky Mountain News reporter tweeting the play-by-play of a 3 year old boy’s funeral.

   http://coloradoindependent.com…

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8. Wow jst heard 1st bullets awesome

   Second bullet even awesomer

   Third round cul8tr sucker

   Oh so dignified.

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