I rarely watch the news because I am afraid I might see something crazy. Well sure enough, I sat up after the game as the late edition rolled. A story came on about Ronnie Lee Gardner. Mr. Gardner is a man who has been on death row for YEARS for the heinous crimes he’s committed. First and foremost, I am annoyed at how long this man stayed alive on death row. If he is sentenced to die then he needs to do so immediately. Appeal after appeal after appeal. The people of Utah have been paying for this man to stay in jail for 25+ years. Finally, his reasons for an appeal have exhausted all possibilities for release and he was executed this morning, June 18th. Now early on, he selected to be executed by anonymous firing squad. I don’t think he thought it was really going to happen. Perhaps he selected this way to die as a joke?? I couldn’t imagine what it feels like. What do you do during the final minutes leading up to your death by being shot multiple times? Close your eyes? Hold your breath? Anyway.
I had NO IDEA that this method of execution still existed. How barbaric and inhumane? I thought it was all about lethal injection and electrocution. I mean I know he killed other people but personally, I feel that we, as a people, are not in any position to decide if someone lives or dies because of the crimes they committed. But the law is the law. So the firing squad is made up of members of the Department of Corrections and they are offered counseling and a commemorative coin upon completion…. Wait. Yes. Commemorative coin. As we speak, Ronnie Lee Gardner Execution Commemorative coins are getting ready to be distributed to anyone who played a part in his execution. This is the most bizarre and disturbing thing to me. Utah is having issues with funding their education system but they have time and money to have special “Ronnie Lee Gardner Commemorative Coins” made. What exactly do people do with said coin? Display it on their mantel at home? I want to see what it looks like. Is his face on it? A pin used to be given to people who participated but they didn’t wear them. Gee, I wonder why? If it is an anonymous firing squad, who would wear the pin or flash the coin afterward?
Whenever I hear about an execution, I feel uneasy. This particular one bothered me especially. I understand that he has to be executed but do we really have to commemorate it with a coin??
C’mon, UTAH…I need you to do better.
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Yooooo! this story by itself had me feeling sum kinda way.. but to know that they produced commemorative coins 2 celebrate such a fucked up way 2 be executed... i hope they werent produced by the franklin mint... lol
ReplyDeletei do believe in the death penalty.. but no 1 should be strtapped 2 a chair & shot by a firing squad...
I heard about this story and was surprised as well that he had chosen this form of execution. I partially understand someone being on death row this long, considering the fact that dna testing was not as sophisticated as it is now and some people are actually innocent that are sitting on death row. And from what I understand only one officer actually has the bullet so they don't know who actually kills the inmate, hence the anonymous firing squad. Hearing about the commemorative coins is just ridiculous! They just need commemorative counseling to maintain their sanity and keep it pushing!
ReplyDeleteSOrry....e did choose it, and he did have opportunity to change his mind. Coins? Okay, that IS a little extreme. But hey, how often do you get to be part of a firing squad...? I would saya at best, these decisions were ppoorly thought through...I say if hes gonna face a firing squad, he should be allowed to get a head start, maybe possibly be allowed to run. Or at least, die on his feet. Strapped to a chair is so...unmanly. By the way? Know what he did?
ReplyDeletehttp://mobile.latimes.com/inf/infomo?view=page1&feed:a=latimes_1min&feed:c=nationnews&feed:i=54410765
INteresting side note...the most humane way to kill a man is by hanging. Instantaneous, snaps the neck. He (or she) feels nothing. If we're going for the most painless death, I'm here to report its been outlawed for DECADES...