One Brick Short

I just read in the D-P about the Kentucky inmates whining to the Supreme Court that they may face a whole lot of pain when the state kills them for their murders, http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SCOTUS_LETHAL_INJECTION?SITE=VACHA&SECTION=US and my first reaction was “oh, boo-hoo-hootie-hoo” but my second reaction was, well, maybe they’re right.

After all, I’m opposed to killing someone as punishment for a crime. I’m not against putting a vicious inmate to sleep to protect society, providing the crimes were heinous (serial rapist fits in here as does killing someone in an armed robbery for the frickin’ hell of it) and the proof was overwhelming. My theory is much the same as that used to put down pit bulls and poodles if they are vicious biters and dangerous to the neighborhood. Being as prison is a society, the elimination of such risks would also make prison a safer place.

Having held my own sweet dog while she met the needle, I’m sure that the only one who felt pain in that room was me, and maybe the vet. That’s the only way to do it. You don’t do it out of revenge, you do it out of safety. I would not want the condemned dog to suffer pain in its last few minutes so why would I want a condemned man or woman to go through pain?

So, I take back my boo-hoos. Let the Supreme Court look through it. Let the states review their procedures and adopt more humane methods of eliminating risks.

Let’s not punish them. Let’s protect us.