As noted above, quiet euthanasia would be quite possible, but the state needs to make a theatre of it with displays to vengeful relatives and a vengeful public. All part of public policy to appease the mob.
A lot can change in Norwegian politics between now and 2033. But hey, it’s not like anyone was ever imprisoned for terrorist acts for 20 years and then got out of jail and became president or anything…
The average Norwegian still has to work for their keep; they don’t get a private gym and state-subsidized Playstation games.
Ahem;
Gee, a political radical using his prison time to write books about his plans for the future and to study political science. Why does that seem familiar?
I’d rather have him as a martyr.
The important thing is that we recognize that there is no “absolute right to one’s own life”. The state can and does have the authority to take lives under given circumstances; indeed, it must have that ability in order to be able to function. I consider capital punishment to be a valid exercise of that power.
The state may do so with an EXCUSE. The same as a citizen. The excuse of necessity or self defence is appropriate in hostage situations.
In the same way that Self defence does not allow citizens to kill at will, the argument of necessity does not allow the state to kill at will in other circumstances.
Of course if it wants to the state can do anything it wants, but that also applies to torture, labour camps, confiscation of property and garrsionaing troups, removing guns and so on.
And “this man is guilty of murder” is a solid excuse.
I think the most important aspect of this story is that Gov Mary Fallin is a criminal and Oklahoma is an outlaw state. The state was ordered by its supreme court to stay the executions so that the source of the drugs could be revealed. She decided to defy this lawful court order knowing that her fellow crime family members in the Oklahoma legislature would never impeach her for this. People get the government they deserve, it appears that Oklahomans deserve this lawless bitch for a governor.
Speaking as a physician, and strictly in a technical sense*, I simply do not understand the problem that the states have in executing someone painlessly.
Every day thousands upon thousands of people have general anesthesia and are put to sleep quickly and without causing them any agitation, discomfort, etc.
I, myself, have had general anesthetics over a dozen times (a long story) and each time, upon awakening, I was struck with how sudden and decisive my loss of consciousness was.
Bottom line is that the executioners should simply follow a ‘typical’ recipe used by anaesthetists (but with a change in dose).
And, please note, by definition the drugs constituting the above recipes’ ingredients are widely available.
*i.e. I am not necessarily ‘for’ or ‘against’ capital punishment
I’m against the death penalty since it appears we kill a few too many innocent people, but comparing Lockett to Rosa Parks is an insult to Rosa Parks.
Perhaps the John Brown of the death penalty abolition movement would be more apt.
I agree with your reasoning (I am a nurse with theatre (OR) and anaesthetics experience) and as I say, it is a need to see the person suffer the consequences (essentially blood lust) that requires the stupidity of the execution protocols.
Rosa Parks stood up against highly distasteful daily discrimination.
Current Judicial Killing victims and their lawyers are standing up against immoral killings.
Differences and similarities.
So true!
In the USA and Japan and many third world despots. In the civilised world it is not.
One of the safety features of the European Convention on Human Rights is the fact that the judiciary is so spread- one judge from each country. No manipulation possible. No political control. A real balance of powers.
It’s interesting how you keep harping on about how Europe is so much more “civilized” than the US when you said this a few posts ago;
We don’t remove guns in America, like those power-abusing despots in “the civilized world”.
There’s nothing immoral about it.
I placed the Bill of Rights amendments in as a goad!
Most of Europe has pretty free access to guns, just that our citizens tend not to use them to kill indiscrimately. I believe there are more guns per head in Switzerland, than in the US, but there death by stupidity rate is minimal.
Of course, it’s nearly impossible to find a licensed anesthesiologist to oversee an execution because they fear losing their livelihood thanks to campaigns by anti-death penalty types.
People who oppose capital punishment are directly responsible for its being less humane than it needs to be.
I must stand corrected. constitutional crisis averted.
I had read earlier stories that had omitted the last minute reveral by the court. So the governor is not lawless.
Access to guns is not necessarily a human right. It is written into the US Constitution for reasons to do with eighteenth century politics and after the health care system chosen there is the greatest killer of children because of the indiscriminate access to guns.
Only red-necks in the US see access to guns as a constitutional right- another matter that excludes the US from the rest of the Western world.