Backwards Alabama strikes again! Last night the State of Alabama put to death Kenneth Smith for executing a murder for hire scheme. The method of his capital punishment – hypoxia by nitrogen gas. The first time ever used anywhere. In essence, he choked to death in a manner that probably is less efficient than hanging.
I’ve never been to a hanging but I’m persuaded death is hastened by the neck broken as the body falls downward. I’m also surprised to see hanging is one method officially used for capital punishment in the US. I can imagine it’s use in the old West but not in modern American.
If Roy Moore brought the horse for his final loosing Old South authoritarian campaign for Senate, apparently AG Steve Marshall is pushing the gurney for brownie points with “the new hanging.” After the fact he’s pointing away from the punishment and vociferously reminding media watchers that Kenneth Smith was a cold blooded killer and everyone should remember that – not the cruel and inhumane punishment.
I’m not generally opposed to the death penalty but do believe it should be used more sparingly, and humanely. I can’t say I see a reason that Kenneth Smith should have been spared but there’s also a practical side against the death penalty. In some cases mistakes are made in prosecution, and in others the perp may be taking additional evidence to the grave. I was opposed to Timothy McVeigh’s execution for that reason because it seems likely to me there is a larger conspiracy.
Is execution by nitrogen cruel and inhumane? After the fact I have to say I think so. I don’t see any mention of sedatives for the execution and reports seem to suggest several minutes of agony while Kenneth Smith was suffocating. This is totally unnecessary.
This execution, perhaps ironically stated by Smith, is about how society deals with capital punishment. Roughly akin to putting a cat in a microwave, especially with the deliberate and inappropriate political undertoes, is an ammoral perversion that has no place in modern governance.
They say it’s hard to get participation from the Medical Industrial Complex when concocting an efficient means of chemical execution. They claim ethical concerns overrides their desire to cooperate with the state executioner. What a load of shit that is. Corruption and unethical practices are rife in the MIC and while capital punishment is distasteful, plenty would argue it’s necessity. The only real concern by the MIC is loss of money that might come with bad press.
In truth, “the new hanging” is deliberate in it’s hanging symbolism and Old South KKK plantation authoritarianism. The rabels are still miffed that their confederate monuments with their seditious connotations have been removed with many being relegated to the scrap pile.
You would think that in this day and age the the Old South would have had enough of the plantation authoritarianism. Unfortunately, it’s entwined into alt-right extremism that’s been morphing into neo-Nazism. Worse yet, the ultra-left is also hell bent on it’s version of neo-Nazism.
As a moderate conservative I wouldn’t support anything that looks remotely like Joe Biden’s regime. And, I’m sure not going to support hackoff Haley and her version of caste and authoritarianism either.
This column isn’t really about Trump, but I hope the Supreme Court doesn’t stab him in the back. The lesser of evils ain’t that great, but it could be even worse…
©2024 – Jim Casey
