The Midnight Special
Written by Nick Carraway
You can tell a lot about people when you watch what they do when their back is against the wall. When the end is near, people have a habit of either building their legacy or doing all of the awful things they wished they could do when people were watching more closely. Of course, we know which category the president is in.
One of these areas of legacy is the legacy behind federal executions. The Trump administration is rushing to get in some key executions before the end of the term. Usually, we focus on last second pardons, commutations, or reprieves. Who you save says a lot about you. Certainly, that will be a story line that we explore as we get closer to January 20th. Yet, I can’t help but take a look at this story line now.
A large part of the story isn’t necessarily the who, but the how. In the last month, Trump decided that it is high time that we bring back hanging and firing squads. I suppose the guillotine is right around the corner.
I suppose how one dies is a semantic argument. Once the state puts you to death it really doesn’t much matter how they put you to death. Sure, lethal injection might seem more humane than a firing squad, hanging, or gas chamber, but you are just as dead. Just as importantly is the backdrop that this story places against those that support the president.
Still, one cannot overlook the fact that the president is not proceeding as if the death penalty is a necessary evil. He’s removing the necessary from the equation by speeding up the process and adding cruel means into the equation. He’s putting his sadism on display for everyone to see as if that will be his lasting legacy to the world.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/the-cruelty-is-the-point/572104/
Yeah, this is the legacy. This is one of, if not the main plank (s) of the platform that the ron johnsons, dan crenshaws, et al. are competing for ownership of.
1The so-called ‘right-to-life’ crowd [a misnomer if there ever was one] almost all have always drooled over bringing back the gallows and firing squads.
It’s just part of their inbred vicious vindictive malicious natures.
While these types are just a subset of Republicans, almost all of the Rethugs have similar desires.
PE Joe Biden hinting that he expects to get some friendly ‘bipartisanship’ from these vermin is extremely worrisome. IAGH- It.ain’t.gonna.happen.
The Resident Reject isn’t ever even going to go quietly.
2And his legions of MAGAots [and 97% of all Rethugs today] are going to eff up Bidens’ every move every damned chance they get.
Trump’s term is a legacy of death; COVID & prison executions. It’s the one promise he’s kept, except for the location. The only place he hasn’t killed anyone (yet) is 5th Avenue.
“I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.”
3He’s being assisted in his efforts by Bloody Bill Barr. Let’s not forget or forgive him, either.
4I realize I’ve pounced on an older story here and these things often get buried underneath the latest crap. It isn’t the belief in the death penalty that boggles the mind. I’ve gotten used to that and kind of appreciate it the same way I appreciate every other cognitive dissonance that gets ignored. It is the rushing to execute and the use of long since used methods.
As for bipartisanship, this is one of those things you have to say. This is particularly true with two Senate seats up for grabs. You don’t want to give away your hand by telling people you are going ram every darn piece of legislation down their throat should you get your 50/50 split. The question is not what he says but we he truly believes. If he really thinks he’s getting anything out of them then I am truly concerned. I’m not concerned about him talking about it.
5Hey, as long as it is not him in jail facing he death penalty, why should he give a damn? Well, karma always knows where you live.
6Nick Carroway @5, You’re right, PE Biden does have to at least look accommodating for ‘appearances’. I just hope he has some long mean fangs behind that friendly smile.
As for the vicious Rethugs salivating over killing people, and in the most violent and painful ways possible?
7That’s what they are, what they do if given a chance. Don’t think for a moment that if they had the chances that they wouldn’t be marching libruls and every other ‘undesirable’ groups [in their oh-so-holy eyes] off to the guillotines or ovens.
Much cheaper on a mass scale, just ask an old Nazi. Oh wait, these vermin are the NEW Nazis.
And they’d have sooo effing much left-behind librul loot to divvy up, with Boss Donnei taking a 60% cut of grift.
This is a nitpick and probably not even on topic, so everyone ignore it if you please. But lethal injection is not necessarily more humane. I am reminded of all the stories about watching people obviously suffering from lethal injection and doing nothing. I am reminded of a dog that I had put to sleep who was not sufficiently sedated in advance. I hasten to say that she was put to sleep because she was suffering, not because she was inconvenient to me. I have never had an animal put to sleep just because it was inconvenient to me, although I understand people do that. That is unconscionable. I am still very very angry at that vet. If you ask me to choose between “lethal injection” and Bullet to the Head, I believe I would take a bullet to the head. Especially if I did it myself. What is that saying, shoot your own dog?
8I’m not sure there IS a “humane way” to kill people. And I can attest that a bullet to the head can miss.
Nick – I’d say that the mounds of dead ARE his lasting legacy to the world…no ‘as if’ about it.
9Restarted federal executions last July. In July 2019, U.S. Attorney General William Barr directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to replace the three-drug lethal injection with a single drug and to use that method for all federal executions, allowing the U.S. government to resume capital punishment. Court challenges ensued, which were resolved last July. 3 were executed that month. Overall, Trump, Barr & DoJ scheduled 13 between July and the January Inauguration Day. 10 have been done, three to go next month.
All those scheduled will be by lethal injection. The regulation broadening methods was finalized at the beginning of December, but does not impact any of the currently scheduled executions.
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