The Unfathomable Desire to Continue Killing

I had intended to write about another subject but last night Oklahoma tortured Clayton Lockett to death in a botched execution.  I live in a state (Ohio) that has a history of botched executions.  On January 16th of this year, Ohio executed Dennis McGuire in its fourth botched execution that led to national inquiry into questions about the drugs, the protocols, and the risk of this happening again.  This week it did happen again in Oklahoma.

In an unfathomable desire to continue killing, Ohio, Oklahoma and other states have fought to be allowed to experiment on prisoners condemned to death.  In Oklahoma, they threatened impeachment of the Justices who originally issued a stay in the case that resulted in the fiasco of Clayton Lockett’s death.  

In case you were not aware, the law is beyond absurd regarding lethal injection.  During the litigation regarding the use of new drugs and a new protocol in Ohio, the Judge overseeing the case succinctly summarized the ludicrous state of the law surrounding lethal injection:

“There is absolutely no question that Ohio’s current protocol presents an experiment in lethal injection processes. . . .  But as odd as it sounds, this is not a problem until it is actually a problem. The law teaches that Ohio is free to innovate and to evolve its procedures for administering capital punishment until such experimentation sufficiently risks running afoul of the constitutional protections afforded every citizen, regardless of his or her status, crime, or punishment. (citations omitted).” 

Oklahoma having seen Ohio’s problems did not learn but instead chose to operate behind a veil of secrecy, refusing to identify the drug combination or the manufacturer.

No civilized society should ever engage in experiments to take life.  Someday, I hope we can call ourselves a civilized society but today is not that day.  I am offended to know that we have a justice system that allows such ‘experimentation.’  But I am uplifted with the knowledge that it will be with the voice of NAPD that we come together to lead the call for an end to the use of ‘the machinery of death’ and conclude this obscene chapter in our justice system.