Can anyone explain what “IIRC” means? That would be helpful for newbies like me. I think it means “If I recall correctly”, but I could be wrong. Thanks!
You are correct.
Thanks. Sometimes there are too many abbreviations, and I get confused.
Well, off the top of my head, you can jam a chink of gum in the keyhole and when it hardens open it. But I doubt keys are used in death row anymore. Probably an outdated standard.
speaking as staff member
Excuse me people, but Death Penalty debates belong in the Great Debates forum. I am hereby asking posters to stop debating the issue in this thread, effective immediately.
end of staff member speech
Well, this is really mindles, pointless, stupid, ignorant mushy stuff, so here goes: I just called my know it all Dr. Pepper fiend friend and asked him to guess what the number one choice of beverage was for Texas death row inmates, and he correct guessed, without taking a breath: Dr. Pepper, because it’s made in Texas.
Actually, it’s even more remote than that.
Under the Constitution of Texas, the Governor doesn’t have a general power to pardon, unlike the President has under the federal Constitution. In Texas, the Governor can only pardon on the recommendation of the parole board:
So, it looks like the only thing the Governor of Texas can do on his own is grant a single reprieve of 30 days. If the Board of Pardons and Paroles doesn’t recommend a pardon in a capital case, the Governor is powerless to stop the execution. To my mind, that means that Dubya only had personal responsibilty in cases where the Board made a clemency recommendation.
Not Death Row fare, but in today’s paper, there was this article about “The Loaf.”
Oh-oh. and now I’ve dragged in a GQ answer.
Forgive me, Arnold!
speaking as staff member
Might as well cover all my bases! 
[ul]
[li]If you want to ask if discussion of death penalty issues is allowed at this board, or in which forum a particular post on this subject belongs, please try the ATMB forum.[/li][li]If you want to discuss one of the Straight Dope columns touching on the death penalty, like this one or this one, please post in “Comments on Cecil’s Columns”.[/li][li]If you want to discuss a staff report touching on the death penalty, please post in “Comments on Staff Reports”.[/li][li]If you have a factual question concerning a Texas governor’s powers under the state constitution in re staying of executions, please post in General Questions.[/li][li]If you want to discuss the artistic merits of a movie about the death penalty, such as Dead Man Walking, please post in Café Society.[/li][li]If you want to start an opinion poll about which percentage of dopers are in favour of the death penalty, please post in the “In My Humble Opinion” forum.[/li][li]If you want to rant and rave about the injustice of the death penalty or the horrible criminals that do get the death penalty, or complain that I am stamping down on your liberty of speech in this thread, please use The BBQ Pit.[/li][/ul]
I don’t want to stifle discussion of the issue at the SDMB, but the death penalty is a touchy issue that arises many passions and I don’t want this MPSIMS thread to become a debate and/or slugfest.
end of staff member speech
Northern Piper, I didn’t see you slip that post in there. All my careful coding, made otiose by your post. 
The first time I ran across that site a year or so back, I was surprised to recognize one of the names. When I clicked on the offender information, sure enough, it was a guy that I went to high school with, who killed three people in my hometown. Don’t know why it felt so strange–it isn’t as though we were friends, and I’ve known other people who died. Still, he’s the only person I ever knew who was executed, which seems a little different. Didn’t know him well, but had a few classes with him. He went out with a BLT (and two Dr. Peppers).
This is the guy that got my attention:
Twenty-four soft shell tacos, six enchiladas, six tostados, two whole onions, five jalapenos, two cheeseburgers, one chocolate shake, one quart of milk and one package of Marlboro cigarettes. (Prohibited by TDCJ policy)
Sheesh. If I ate all that, the execution would be redundant.
As for me, it’s hard to imagine having much of an appetite. A Mexican omelet and some crispy hash browns sounds okay, though, and some cold milk–maybe just because it’s what I’m craving right now.
Also: Thank you, Arnold W, for teaching me a new word!
Someone posted another Last Meal link last year. I think it was about another prison in another State. If so, this is increasing evidence for my theory that people have an innate dislike of vegetables because no-one in the previous link asked for them either. French fries don’t count - everyone knows that. Have you ever heard of a prisoner asking for salads or even vegetable chilli?
What logical conclusions can you draw from this?
No vegetarian has ever been executed?
A lack of vegetables causes homicidal tendencies?
People eat vegetables in an attempt to be moral and upstanding?
When given the opportunity no-one would ever eat vegetables? Or do they serve a kind of talisman function so that smoking, riding motorcycles without helmets and a lot of unprotected sex begins to seem less dangerous?
Personally, I might just start eating hot, buttered things and nothing else one day. There comes a time you know.
** Hey, G. Nome!**
Number 150.
This is some intense stuff. If you don’t read what some of these people did, it makes you want to cry, thinking about them requesting their last meal on the planet. Of course, it’s easier to deal with if you do read the monstrous things they’ve done. But still.
Actually, it looks like the guy who asked for the birthday cake requested a lacto-ovo vegetarian meal:
And some guys asked for salad.
But it’s true that for the most part, they wanted meat and starch.
Don’t overlook the infamous Karla Faye Tucker, who asked for a “Banana, Peach and Garden Salad with Ranch Dressing”. Still trying to keep that figure until the bitter end…
[happy hamster dance]
I slipped something past Arnold, the all-seeing moderator!
[/happy hamster dance]
This does NOT sound like an appetizing meal!
I find that mildly disturbing…
And my last request would be to have the golden gate bridge deep fried.
Maybe they could provide some weed? At least then it’d maybe be fun goin’ out…