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Utah Reinstates Death by Firing Squad

By Jeralyn, Section Death Penalty
Posted on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 08:25:00 AM EST
Tags: Utah, Firing Squad (all tags)
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Utah Governor Gary Herbert has signed a bill into law allowing executions to proceed by firing squad when lethal injection drugs aren't available. From the Governor's website:

HB11, Death Penalty Procedure Amendments

This bill establishes the firing squad as a secondary method for executions, in the event the drugs necessary for lethal injection cannot be obtained. Lethal injection remains the primary method for carrying out executions in Utah.

I'd call Utah the new Indonesia except it isn't killing non-violent drug offenders. Still, it's sickening to think that any state in this country would legalize such barbaric means of state-sanctioned murder.

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    Utah Reinstates Death by Firing Squad | 54 comments (54 topical)

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    Mr. Mailer? Mr. Norman Mailer?... (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by unitron on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 09:21:10 AM EST
    ...paging Mr. Mailer. Mr. Mailer to the white courtesy phone, please.

    Anyone else remember the 1977 SNL (none / 0) (#7)
    by ruffian on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 09:28:15 AM EST
    'Let's Kill Gary Gilmore for Christmas' song? I can't see Utah and execution int he same sentence without thinking of it.

    It is impossible to believe that we are still doing this.

    Parent

    How long before (none / 0) (#10)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 10:14:22 AM EST
    we are talking about the guillotine?

    Parent
    There was discussion (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by sj on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 11:35:06 AM EST
    here a few days ago about it, with Slado and jim just fine with it. Gotta love those conservatives. They love themselves some death.

    If you follow Slado's link and beyond it's really kind of sickening -- an attempt to normalize the guillotine. Those are all just blogs. So far.

    I hope to one day soon have this country join the rest of civilization.

    Parent

    You are making things up (2.00 / 1) (#13)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 12:34:57 PM EST
    My comments in the thread started with pointing out that ISIS sawed heads off.

    Slado got excited because he didn't want to talk about beheading by ISIS just chopping people's head's off with a guillotine. Why he thought no one would connect the two was and is beyond me.

    Mordiggian came on board with some snarks. Here's what I wrote:

    Mordiggian, the technique matters because having your head sawed off vs sliced off with a guillotine would be much more painful.

    There is no way you can claim I support any form of capital punishment based on that. I am on record time and again of opposing death penalties and supporting, LWOP.

    If you have an ounce of decency you will acknowledge your error and apologize.

    Parent

    Anyone with a microgram of decency (5.00 / 2) (#15)
    by jondee on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 01:26:02 PM EST
    wouldn't refer to Palestinian children only as "human shields".

    Or bemoan the fact that we didn't do enough saturation bombing in Vietnam.

    Parent

    That is exactly what the (2.00 / 2) (#18)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 01:39:33 PM EST
    radical islamists make them when they use schools, hospitals and other civilian locations as rocket launcher sites.

    It is their own people who does this. And you should be ashamed to support people who do such.

    Parent

    I support intelligence and common (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by jondee on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 01:53:37 PM EST
    decency over tribalism and militarism you support all-out, total war which necessitates thousands of innocent victims under the best of circumstances..

    Find a tar pit and fall into it with the rest of the Cold War dinosaurs.

    Parent

    You define yourself (2.00 / 1) (#44)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 08:06:36 PM EST
    Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accept the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay-and claims a halo for his dishonesty."

    ― Robert Heinlein



    Parent
    "Pacifist" = (5.00 / 1) (#46)
    by Yman on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 08:21:40 PM EST
    Armchair, cheerleader warriors?

    Parent
    And Yman... (none / 0) (#51)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Mar 26, 2015 at 09:26:32 AM EST
    ...there is a heap of proof that the 'make war' mantra is a complete failure in the ME.

    For anyone to look at Iraq and all the subsequent BS, and believe war is the solution, is not right in the head, IMO.

    Parent

    With that quotation (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by jondee on Wed Apr 01, 2015 at 02:29:42 PM EST
    Heinlein and you reveal yourselves for the fascists you both are... Suckers for a man in uniform..

    There's more than one way to contribute some good to society. And many more ways than being in the military.

    Parent

    And Youi Should Be Ashamed... (5.00 / 2) (#22)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 01:59:18 PM EST
    ...to imply that anyone supports terrorists because they don't sanction the killing children, aka a war crime.

    Have you no sense of decency, sir.

    Rhetorical of course.

    Parent

    Rick Perry and Scott Walker (5.00 / 1) (#26)
    by jondee on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 04:45:20 PM EST
    now, there's two social liberals brave enough to stand up to society's craving for blood vengeance..

    plus, they're both fully committed to fighting tooth-and-nail for a single payer healthcare system..

    Parent

    Don't blame the Repubs for (2.00 / 1) (#45)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 08:07:28 PM EST
    your guy's failures.

    Parent
    No (5.00 / 1) (#52)
    by jondee on Thu Mar 26, 2015 at 01:11:51 PM EST
    I'm blaming the Repubs for being an influential force trying to drag this country back to the 1920s. Or is it the 1820s?

    I also blame bogus, utterly phony "social liberals" for their lack of guts, integrity, intelligence, and imagination in being any kind of force for good in this country, but we'll table that discussion for a later date.

    Parent

    Obama was supposed to fix all that (none / 0) (#56)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Mar 26, 2015 at 10:14:01 PM EST
    Don't blame the Repubs for your guy's failures.

    Parent
    If he did an executive order to fix it (none / 0) (#57)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Fri Mar 27, 2015 at 09:06:34 AM EST
    There would be screaming and yelling from the Republicans and the Fox Noise crowd.

    You know that, so don't write lies and expect them to be accepted here.

    Parent

    The question is this (2.00 / 1) (#43)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 08:05:17 PM EST
    if you take a child and use it as a shield while you shoot at someone who must shoot back to keep you from killing them...

    Aren't you responsible for the child's death?

    Why yes. Yes you are.

    Scott, you are a sympathizer of Palestine. That is plain.

    Parent

    As is the person (5.00 / 2) (#47)
    by Yman on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 08:30:07 PM EST
     ... who says "Kill all the people where the weapons are" - including women and children.

    Jim, you are an advocate of war crimes.  That much is plain.

    Parent

    Please do not make claims (2.00 / 1) (#50)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Mar 26, 2015 at 08:37:46 AM EST
    out of context.

    Scott, war is a dreadful thing (none / 0) (#76)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Oct 17, 2014 at 08:54:42 AM CST
    and since you want to concentrate on the children, along with the Muslim children you might ask the German and Japanese killed in cities in WWII.
    If Hamas, or any such, choose to store weapons among women and children then it is they that are responsible for the harm that come to them.

    Stated simply we cannot protect ourselves if we allow our enemies to dictate where we can attack them by placing women and children in harms way.



    Parent
    Killing is killing. (5.00 / 1) (#28)
    by lentinel on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 05:57:19 PM EST
    Personally, I don't find firing squad less humane than lethal injection. Not when there are reports of the prisoner moaning and heaving for an hour on the gurney.

    The problem is execution itself.

    If we endow the State with the ability to kill, we wind up in an inevitable mess. Not only with the variety of sickening methods of killing - and the attendant sickening rituals attached thereto, but with the horror stories of people being executed for crimes they did not commit. Accompanied by a heartfelt apology...

    If we want to talk "humane", I would suggest an overdose of heroin. The recipient will go out smiling.


    Smiling (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 06:02:54 PM EST
    Tragically I suspect that is precisely why it won't  happen.  Can't have them smiling.

    Parent
    I agree, but (none / 0) (#53)
    by Reconstructionist on Thu Mar 26, 2015 at 01:18:25 PM EST
      The real purpose of the challenges to the means by which executions are carried out is, though,  to eliminate or make less common the executions. The longer individual people are kept alive the more likely they will ultimately be spared either by case specific action or broader based  bans/moratoria.

       Of course, in terms of means, mankind  is ingenious by nature and one thing clear from  almost literally day 1 of our history, is that  a considerable portion of our ingenuity is directed at finding better ways to kill.

    Parent

    Site violator (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by oculus on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 01:18:19 AM EST


    wonder what sulap means. (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by fishcamp on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 08:46:29 AM EST
    I'm not clicking on it since I'm already on too many lists...

    Parent
    At least this spammer (none / 0) (#39)
    by sj on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 01:24:04 PM EST
    bothered to kind of read the post.

    Parent
    NBC was kind enough to post... (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by desertswine on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 09:31:20 PM EST
    how long it takes to die via each of the major various forms of execution.

    Not sure why they have such (none / 0) (#1)
    by fishcamp on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 07:39:52 AM EST
    a problem with executions.  Just give them 20 Oxys, a shot of booze, and good night Irene.

    They can't get Oxy (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by Zorba on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 09:30:28 AM EST
    Pharmaceutical companies stopped selling prisons drugs for lethal injections due to the bad publicity.
    States have been using compounding pharmacies to make these drugs, but some of these have also dropped out and states are having trouble acquiring pentobarbital.  They would most likely not be able to acquire Oxy.  Or morphine.  Or anything else that would work.
    They could solve all of this by eliminating the death penalty entirely, which is my preferred solution.  The death penalty is barbaric.


    Parent
    Yeah... (none / 0) (#11)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 11:14:23 AM EST
    ...like a prison never confiscates pain killers like Oxy. Joke.

    Parent
    Beat me to it... (none / 0) (#14)
    by kdog on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 12:44:55 PM EST
    though in prison, it's heroin that is readily available, more so than oxy.

    The irony...prisons can't buy drugs to kill through the legal pharmaceutical chain, yet the street drugs that will do the job are all up in the prison.

    Parent

    Remind me to tell about the pruno (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by oculus on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 01:53:19 PM EST
    the jail trustees instantly procured as a substitue for communion wine, which the rules prohibited being brought in.

    Parent
    If they must execute people in this country, (none / 0) (#17)
    by Zorba on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 01:29:26 PM EST
    they could use the heroin that the cops confiscate.  
    Not that I'm actually recommending this, because I think that the death penalty is not something a civilized nation should be a part of.
    But, there it is.

    Parent
    True, but (none / 0) (#19)
    by Zorba on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 01:40:19 PM EST
    they would not be legally allowed to do so for carrying out the "death penalty."
    It's a horrible "joke," all right.
    I cannot blame the pharmaceutical companies for refusing to sell any drugs to the prison system here for the purposes of executions.  They do not want the criticism and bad publicity that goes along with that.  The "optics" are bad for them.
    I certainly wouldn't do it if I were them.
    But then, I wouldn't be willing to facilitate any executions, since I do not approve of the death penalty.

    Parent
    Of a Heroin OD (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 10:13:23 AM EST
    this is as telling and disturbing a comment on the U.S. in 2015 as I can imagine.

    Parent
    Look, I'm against the DP too, (none / 0) (#16)
    by fishcamp on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 01:27:16 PM EST
    but I would rather just go to sleep than get shot to death.  When I dated that vet she euthanized plenty of animals quickly and painlessly.  Naturally one of the shooters is without a live bullet, but who would want to be in that group?

    Parent
    I completely agree (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 05:06:32 PM EST
    i was not joking about a heroin OD.  I have been saying for months that I don't understand why they don't do that.   Assuming they have to kill someone.

    Parent
    We treat our pets (none / 0) (#24)
    by Zorba on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 02:31:01 PM EST
    more humanely than we treat human beings, in a whole lot of ways.
    But, again, the drug companies and pharmacies are willing to sell veterinarians the proper drugs so that our pets can be humanely put to sleep.
    They're not willing to do so for the prison system carrying out death penalties.

    Parent
    legalize such barbaric means (none / 0) (#2)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 08:00:08 AM EST

    Such is the consequence of blocking the use of more humane drugs.  

    Nothing humane about capital punishment (5.00 / 3) (#3)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 08:10:08 AM EST


    Parent
    Ok (none / 0) (#40)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 01:31:01 PM EST

    Then such is the consequence of blocking the use of less barbaric drugs.

    Parent
    Well... (none / 0) (#4)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 08:28:17 AM EST
    ...considering the horror stories related to the 'cocktail' of drugs reported right here, I think one can easily make the argument that being shot is more humane.

    If it were me, both are the worse of options, but I think I would rather have it done with immediately than to be in some horrible state, yet totally paralyzed.

    The problem, who does the state designate as trigger men/women ?   At least with the cocktail no one is essentially the trigger man, it's a machine.

    And for the record I in no way support the DP.  It's not healthy for a society to spend this kind of energy trying to figure out how to put their fellow human beings to death.

    You're right of course, Scott. (none / 0) (#23)
    by fishcamp on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 02:25:52 PM EST
    I wasn't aware of the pharmaceutical stigma situation that Zorba pointed out.  Thomas Rogan has a point, but it's the individuals choice to die, as opposed to the State or Federal government committing the act, so obviously that's how they get the proper drugs.  Not sure why there's not a stigma attached to that as well.  I don't even want to think about it anymore, since it's such a horrible subject.

    Parent
    oh there's a stigma (none / 0) (#25)
    by CST on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 02:37:55 PM EST
    It's rather telling that more states allow the death penalty than physician assisted suicide.

    The thing is, they don't have to ask for those drugs.  They are in a hospital.  They already have access to them for other means.

    Parent

    "choice to die" (none / 0) (#42)
    by thomas rogan on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 07:18:51 PM EST
    Isn't that the point?  All this has nothing to do with human suffering.  It all has to do with opposing the death penalty, even if it compounds the suffering of those who are executed, because botched executions somehow promote "the greater good".  
    Millions of people at some point have a vet put their beloved pets "to sleep", often while holding the pet, and none of these pet owners seem to think that the pet is in massive, cruel anguish.

    Parent
    "physician assisted suicide" (none / 0) (#6)
    by thomas rogan on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 09:27:15 AM EST
    Six states and Holland allow this.  I assume that the cocktail of drugs used is "humane" since otherwise people's relatives would be up in arms.  Just use the same cocktail in an execution.  

    Mormon Doctrine of Blood Atonement (none / 0) (#30)
    by MKS on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 09:32:27 PM EST
    The Mormon Doctrine of Blood Atonement is the foundation for modern day firing squads.   Although many would not say that is not the case, that is only a recent make over.

    And many deny Blood Atonement was a real Mormon Doctrine and would say it is just a rumor from 19th Century Brigham Young.   Yet, when Gary Gilmore was executed by firing squad, the doctrine of Blood Atonement was widely discussed as the theoretical and religious underpinnings of the execution.

    "would say that is not the case...." (none / 0) (#31)
    by MKS on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 09:35:49 PM EST


    SITE VIOLATOR (none / 0) (#38)
    by sj on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 01:22:26 PM EST


    Well, the spammers (none / 0) (#41)
    by Zorba on Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 03:56:46 PM EST
    Are all over the place recently, aren't they?
    Maybe Jeralyn  needs some kind of better anti-spam software.

    Parent
    probably. we all do... (none / 0) (#49)
    by fishcamp on Thu Mar 26, 2015 at 08:33:50 AM EST


    Parent
    Oklahoma may try suffocation. (none / 0) (#54)
    by Jack E Lope on Thu Mar 26, 2015 at 03:16:04 PM EST
    According to this story.

    Oklahoma lawmakers are pushing for the state to become the first to allow the use of nitrogen gas as a back-up method to execute death row prisoners. The bill passed the state Senate Judiciary Committee and will now head to the floor for a vote.
    Humane Method of Execution (none / 0) (#58)
    by john horse on Sun Mar 29, 2015 at 07:12:10 AM EST
    I can't decide whether a "humane method of execution" is an oxymoron or a paradox.

    Utah Reinstates Death by Firing Squad | 54 comments (54 topical)

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