Florida Rep Wants The Firing Squad Back

[Gravekeeper]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/12/brad-drake-florida-death-penalty_n_1007540.html

I'm not sure what's worse: The fact he wants the firing squad back or fact its entirely because he overheard someone talking at a waffle house.

[Andara Bledin]

Oh, no.

The worst part is that people will hear about him wanting to bring back the firing squad and reacting with a "Hell yeah!" >_<

^-.-^

[Rapscallion]

Nope - the worst part will be the queue of volunteers lined up outside prisons every time an execution is announced.

http://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/14/us...ted=all&src=pm

Rapscallion

[fireheart17]

Nope - the worst part will be the queue of volunteers lined up outside prisons every time an execution is announced.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't executions only performed in front of certain people, not your average joe off the street?

[Rapscallion]

These are wannabe executioners.

Rapscallion

[Panacea]

Well, I suppose on the one hand the volunteers are to be commended for not having the hypocrisy of the man who refuses to butcher his own meat.

OTOH, I find it disturbing that people would line up to do something like this. An execution is a serious affair. I don't think any of those numbwits really understand the value of a human life, if they are so eager to take one.

[tropicsgoddess]

As much as it burns me to hear about how the guilty want to cry about how lethal injection will cause them great pains, if they want great pains in their execution, fuck the firing squad. Bring back Ol' Sparky then! A few bullets and it's done and who's to say if one of the people behind the gun for the firing squad is some regular Joe or Jane.

[Rapscallion]

who's to say if one of the people behind the gun for the firing squad is some regular Joe or Jane.

Hmm, when it comes to the death sentence, I'd have to insist that the process is carried out by properly trained and supported personnel. The regular Joes and Janes of this world are not the aforementioned people.

Also, the justice system as a whole needs to be administered by those trained and dedicated to doing the job right. Vengeance should never be part of that

Rapscallion

[PepperElf]

The problem goes deeper than you realize.


The common drug for lethal injections is sodium thiopental and it is ONLY made by ONE company in the US.


This company has decided they will NOT sell it to ANY state that supports the death penalty.




In effect this company is trying to FORCE states to forfeit their right to have a death penalty.

States that opt to use different chemicals are running into people trying to block it and force them to use the traditional drug... which they cannot obtain from the manuracturer anymore.


Some may call this a victory move.
I call it attempting to turn democracy into dictatorship


This is why states are considering non-drug alternatives to the death penalty... such as bullets and electric chairs.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...?newsfeed=true

Pentobarbital is increasingly being used by some of the 35 states that still practise executions as an alternative to the anaesthetic sodium thiopental, whose only producer in the US, Hospira, has suspended supply in protest at its use to kill people. The new barbiturate has been used in states such as Oklahoma and Texas, and in Georgia where it was used last week as part of the lethal injection that killed Troy Davis.

[BlaqueKatt]

This company has decided they will NOT sell it to ANY state that supports the death penalty.

free market, it's their right to choose who they do business with.

In effect this company is trying to FORCE states to forfeit their right to have a death penalty.

not at all, they just don't want to be a part of it.

If I own a company that makes widgets, and I'm the only one that does, and I find out my widgets are being used in say, animal shelters to euthanize animals, and say I only believe in no kill shelters, so I stop selling my widgets to any animal shelter that isn't no kill am I forcing them to stop? Or am I refusing to support a practice I do not believe in, which is my right to do so?

[Gravekeeper]

If I own a company that makes widgets, and I'm the only one that does, and I find out my widgets are being used in say, animal shelters to euthanize animals, and say I only believe in no kill shelters, so I stop selling my widgets to any animal shelter that isn't no kill am I forcing them to stop? Or am I refusing to support a practice I do not believe in, which is my right to do so?

Yep. Has nothing to do with dictatorships or states rights or any such bullshit. If anything its the total opposite. They are exercising their right in a free market under a democracy that if I recall, still has free speech unless something has changed recently. =p

To quote:

"Hospira manufactures this product because it improves or saves lives, and the company markets it solely for use as indicated on the product labeling. The drug is not indicated for capital punishment, and Hospira does not support its use in this procedure."

It was never intended for capital punishment. It's not meant to kill, it can kill if you overdose someone on it. Though it takes 8-10 minutes to do so.

Nope - the worst part will be the queue of volunteers lined up outside prisons every time an execution is announced.

Now that is completely fucked up. They should distribute free psychiatric testing to anyone that lines up outside. -.-

[Rapscallion]

Now that is completely fucked up. They should distribute free psychiatric testing to anyone that lines up outside. -.-

Tell me about it. I remember way back when, when I occasionally watched TV (and we're talking several years back), when a similar event to the latest firing squad was taking place, there was a news piece I saw where they interviewed a couple of guys outside the prison who'd volunteered to be the ones pulling the trigger.

Of course, it wasn't something they wanted to do, but they saw it as a duty. Er, right. Can't find the clip on youtube, but that's not unexpected.

Interestingly, after reading Pierrepoint's autobiography, I was interested to learn that back in the day the Home Office used to receive five applications to train as executioner every week. I also know from reading his tale that they weren't motivated by money, as it wasn't really recompensed heavily. Two of his family had been in the trade and he pretty much followed them, but it's fascinating to read how much he cared about being humane to the condemned - not letting them suffer more than necessary and ensuring an instant death.

Very different approach.

Rapscallion

[Gravekeeper]

Two of his family had been in the trade and he pretty much followed them, but it's fascinating to read how much he cared about being humane to the condemned - not letting them suffer more than necessary and ensuring an instant death.

I imagine the only two type of people that could tolerate being an executioner would be the incredibly humane, or the incredibly inhumane. You would either have to care so much you'd be willing to take on the burden, or not care at all and be a sociopath.

[Rapscallion]

There were several executioners and assistants he noted who were all bravado until the night before, when they paced the room in the prison set aside for the executioner and his assistant, whereupon they'd chain smoke and fret, pacing up and down. They'd nearly faint at the event, and then be back to bravado after. Pierrepoint just did the job and didn't talk about it after - barring the autobiography etc. That said, the world had changed heavily in the time between him starting and ending that career, and with the greater dissemination of information he wanted to correct a large number of inaccuracies. He also tied it in with his christian beliefs - he gave respect to the corpse as they'd paid their price by then - that sort of thing.

Of note was the way he had to officiate in Austria in the aftermath of the war and the executioners there threatened to go on strike until his methods were brought in.

Fascinating reading. Heartily recommended.

Rapscallion

[PepperElf]

"Free market" is bullshit.

When no one else is even ALLOWED to make it except the one company that now refuses to let it be used for lethal injections... That is NOT free market.

That is the GOVERNMENT trying to force the hand.



Yes many people out there will be saying "yay" because they personally hate the death penalty.

What they are ignoring is that the Federal Government is trying to hog-tie state rights. STATES decide for themselves the death penalty by LAW. The government shouldn't be using things like the FDA to impose its will and attempt to nullify individual state laws.



The FDA is NOT a political organization. It is not their business which states support or do not support the death penalty. The Federal Government is using the FDA in a way it was never intended to be used as ... they are attempting to hamstring the local laws of OVER HALF of the states in the united states. We are not talking just one or two rogue states but THIRTY FOUR states that support the death penalty.


If you are personally against the death penalty that's fine. Your state has an official legal process that must be fulfilled in order to have your laws changed. Using agencies such as the FDA however for circumvent this process is not following that process.


THAT is why many of the states have considered switching to other methods of execution.