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Kenneth Smith ‘struggled for life’ for 22 minutes in Alabama nitrogen gas execution: Updates
(www.independent.co.uk)
this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2024
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I'm not talking about randomizing the date. I'm talking about randomizing the exact second when the switch is thrown. Executions aren't timed to the second. And even if they were, change that. Again, there isn't some kind of immutable law of physics at work here. The rules are all made up. If the goal is to execute someone humanely and the rules are preventing that, then change the rules.
Did you know, for example, that in Japan a prisoner who has been sentenced to death will only be informed that "today's the day" on the morning of the day the execution is to take place? And that his family and the general public aren't informed until after it has been done? As I said, these things are not laws of physics.
Really. You think it's hard to not tell a guy when you're about to turn a valve?
You know what also "knocks him out"? Anoxia.
Also, the whole reason this mess happened in the first place is because Alabama previously spent five hours trying and failing to give this guy a lethal injection. Your idea of being more humane is to go back to the method that they even more flagrantly and horrifyingly botched in the first place.
When have I ever said that an execution was justified? Go ahead and comb through my comment history on this subject, it feels like every second comment of mine has included the disclaimer that I disapprove of the death penalty and don't think it should ever be applied.
The point of this argument is to advocate for the most humane approach if you're going to execute someone anyway. If I can't stop it, then I at least want it to be done humanely.
There's a saying that I wish was more common, "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." The perfect solution to all this would be to never execute anyone. But that's apparently not going to happen in the near future, certainly not in Alabama, and so we're left hoping for the "good" outcome rather than the "perfect" one.
Exactly 100% not true.