Supreme Court clashes over new frontier in death appeals

USA Today ^ | 1/23/04

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Five times this month, the vote of one Supreme Court justice would have stopped the execution of a convicted killer who claimed it was unconstitutionally cruel to use chemicals to carry out a death sentence.

The executions went forward, even though four of the nine high court justices wanted to grant at least a temporary reprieve. The 5-4 votes, all announced without comment by any of the justices, are the latest illustration of the deep rift on the court over capital punishment.

[wretchard]

A suction can be used to vacuum out their brains. It has already been determined that this method is not only humane, but actually suitable for children smaller than 0.

[Triple Word Score]

I will cry over the death penalty when they figure out a way to keep the rest of us from dying. Only then will a kind, certain, well-weighed end be cruel and unusual. Frankly, everybody I've seen who died hard was a good guy. Tim McVeigh's end sure looked easy. Capital punishment isn't a penalty--it's just moving an uncertain date to a certain one, and moving someone we can't cope with to a Court that can.

Real justice is always on the other side. There's nothing we can do to administer perfect justice--the best we can do is try to protect ourselves a little and not spend all our resources doing so!

I wish we did it a lot more, because there are a lot of people we would sleep better without.

[San Jacinto]

The Supreme Court is currently split 5-4 over this issue and many, many others.

Does anybody really feel that it does't make mush difference who wins this November?

[not_apathetic_anymore]

This is really a non-issue.

However for the sake of argument It might be easier just to address their concerns. There are several very easy fixes.

• add even more pentothal
• add a boatload of narcotics and or sedative hypnotics to the pentothal (would probably add <$5.00 to the cost)
• add a BIS monitor and not inject the relaxant until it's "proven" the inmate is unaware.

As for the argument that a cut-down might be necessary to gain vascular access. Well boo-hoo, who shot up their veins and scared them down in the first place?

[Paleo Conservative]

Does anybody really feel that it does't make mush difference who wins this November?

No, it does matter. It especially matters who gets elected to key senate seats. If the Senate were more strongly Republican, President Bush would be in a position to appoint strong consevatives to the Supreme Court and other courts. Republicans need to pick up enough seats to cut the number of DemocRATS we need to pick off to invoke cloture. Right now it is nine. If we picked up five seats, the number of DemocRATS needed to vote for cloture would only be 4.

[The Great RJ]

I like your analogy, but wouldn't we have to first get their mother's permission to suck out their brains--afterall it's her body.

[GailA]

It matters, more than most understand. The partial birth abortion ban will fall, uthenesia will become law, death rows will be emptied once again, the PC police will run rampant arresting 5 year olds for pointing fingers and going bang, borders will be more open than they are now...picture is NOT pretty.

[Dan(9698)]

They should administer nitrous oxide and just gradually increase the percentage until it is pure nitrous oxide.

I have had it while having dental work and it just makes you relax and sleepy. An overdose would just make it so you wouldn't wake up.

[sam_paine]

As you said, Texas State Senator Janek, an anesthesiologist explains why the following is such a crock of $#!+.

At issue in the latest string of appeals is a drug cocktail used in lethal injections. Some states won't let such a mixture be used to put down animals, because of concerns about unnecessary pain by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

An educated reader of the USA Today (Newstoons) article notes this paragraph as a lazy and misleading, while someone who sees a "cocktail" as a mixed drink thinks they are all lumped together, when what we're really talking about is: Beer, Beer, Tequila! (in that order)!

[sam_paine]

lil help editing here! More coffee!!!!

I meant:

An educated reader of the USA Today (Newstoons) article notes this paragraph as lazy and misleading. But their typical reader who sees a "cocktail" as a mixed drink thinks the three drugs are all lumped together in one shot.

What we're really talking about is: Beer, Beer, Tequila! (in that order)!

There. That's what I meant!

[not_apathetic_anymore]

Better linkage...Thanks!

[MainFrame65]

I WANT TO DONATE MY SHOP-VAC, AND I'LL INCLUDE A BRAND NEW SET OF TINSNIPS!!!!