Hmmmm ..... I never said anything about an eye for an eye. A person knows that if they rape and murder someone the penalty can be the death penalty, so yes, it is meant to deter individuals from raping and murdering. The ones who don't 'get it' well, they 'get it' eventually.Again, the issue is a far greater one than the one specific defendant. It's a constitutional issue whether the drug used may violate the cruel and usual punishment prohibition of the constitution.
And the death penalty - any punishment really - goes far beyond deterrence. The judicial system is constantly trying to balance different theories of retributivism and utilitarianism, balancing the rights of an individual, society, the government, etc. The sociological ideas of punishment are fairly complex and more nuanced than simply eye for an eye.
As usual I can't keep my fingers shut.
I think lethal injection is probably like going under in surgery, you don't feel anything. It's to bad his victims felt everything. IMO he was just a coward.
Again, I don't know how many times I have to say this but it is not about THIS particular defendant. I'm with the lawyer in being concerned that the method used in executions in that state may be unconstitutional and that further inquiry should be made about the drugs being used and who is administering them. This is a bigger issue than this one man. Far, far bigger.
Again? There is no way to determine whether or not LI is painful and I suspect you know that, so I suspect you're not anti LI per se, but anti DP and are using the prospect of painful lethal injections to bolster an argument against the DP, which seems to be falling on deaf eyes.
As usual I can't keep my fingers shut.
I think lethal injection is probably like going under in surgery, you don't feel anything. It's to bad his victims felt everything. IMO he was just a coward.
Under that reasoning though we are probably being unconstituional by not putting death row inmates to death immediately after conviction. Why some death row inmates have died of cancer. Very painful. Heart attacks and pneumonia have also taken death row inmates and those have varying degrees of illness and pain. And we allowed that.
Death is never easy, no matter how it is done. Even dying naturally usually has some pain and discomfort, even with pain meds. So there will always be some possibility that they will feel something. Even if it is only a pinprick of the needle being inserted.
The question is to what degree is it acceptable. I certainly agree that a poorly maintained electric chair that set the inmate on fire is inhumane. But a medication that puts the inmate to sleep while it is causing the body damage severe enough to terminate their lives? Is it really inhumane if they sleep through it?
In the examples you cited of heart attacks or illness, that's not caused by the government. The government cannot inflict cruel and unusual punishment. Withholding treatment for illness would be cruel and unusual punushment, yes, but the inmate contracting said illness is not.
And the problem with lethal injection is that with some drugs or methods, the inmate is not simply going to sleep while death is being carried out. I strongly encourage you to read more about lethal injection and some of the issues there have been in its administration.
In the examples you cited of heart attacks or illness, that's not caused by the government. The government cannot inflict cruel and unusual punishment. Withholding treatment for illness would be cruel and unusual punushment, yes, but the inmate contracting said illness is not.
And the problem with lethal injection is that with some drugs or methods, the inmate is not simply going to sleep while death is being carried out. I strongly encourage you to read more about lethal injection and some of the issues there have been in its administration.
I really don't care about this man. There are people who wake up during surgery and feel pain and can't express it. Unfortunately, this happens! Because one injection works on one "patient" and not another is an issue of science, and not the constitution. Clearly not all inmates shake who are executed. This isn't the first time, and probably won't be the last.
Patients say it feels like being trapped in a corpse: They awake during surgery, unable to move or scream. Some remember hearing their surgeons talk, and a few recall feeling intense pain.
IMHO I think this sounds like a metabolic issue and not the prison trying to make sure this guy suffered.
MOO
Mel
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23597612/ns/health-health_care/t/people-year-wake-during-surgery/
In the examples you cited of heart attacks or illness, that's not caused by the government. The government cannot inflict cruel and unusual punishment. Withholding treatment for illness would be cruel and unusual punushment, yes, but the inmate contracting said illness is not.
And the problem with lethal injection is that with some drugs or methods, the inmate is not simply going to sleep while death is being carried out. I strongly encourage you to read more about lethal injection and some of the issues there have been in its administration.
I believe the American Heart association says a lack of exercise contributes to heart disease for some people. It is hard to get meaningful excercise in a cell. So should we not confine them?
These threads always demonstrate why the death penalty is barbarous: not just because it is cruel to its victims, but because it brings out the absolute worst in almost everyone else.
I really don't care about this man. There are people who wake up during surgery and feel pain and can't express it. Unfortunately, this happens! Because one injection works on one "patient" and not another is an issue of science, and not the constitution. Clearly not all inmates shake who are executed. This isn't the first time, and probably won't be the last.
Patients say it feels like being trapped in a corpse: They awake during surgery, unable to move or scream. Some remember hearing their surgeons talk, and a few recall feeling intense pain.
IMHO I think this sounds like a metabolic issue and not the prison trying to make sure this guy suffered.
MOO
Mel
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23597612/ns/health-health_care/t/people-year-wake-during-surgery/
In the examples you cited of heart attacks or illness, that's not caused by the government. The government cannot inflict cruel and unusual punishment. Withholding treatment for illness would be cruel and unusual punushment, yes, but the inmate contracting said illness is not.
And the problem with lethal injection is that with some drugs or methods, the inmate is not simply going to sleep while death is being carried out. I strongly encourage you to read more about lethal injection and some of the issues there have been in its administration.
These threads always demonstrate why the death penalty is barbarous: not just because it is cruel to its victims, but because it brings out the absolute worst in almost everyone else.
Seriously. Lynchings? I don't know about anyone else but that's not an era that I want to return to.
Off topic: I'm not sure where you've been, Nova, but it sure is nice to have you back!
I agree with you both but I understand how incredibly difficult it is for many people to look at the issue objectively. Even though I'm theoretically against the death penalty, everyday I read about people who I think the firing squad is too good for....