Chris and Alec Visit the Credibility Gap (The News thread)

[Mogget]

Nope. It still should be illegal.

[bee]

re: the constitutionality of death penalty in america:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,, ... ss&feed=12

In the Kentucky case, lawyers argue that the cocktail of three drugs used to numb, immobilise, and eventually kill the prisoner does not constitute a painless death. Inexperienced medical technicians have also botched executions, at times inflicting horrific injuries on the condemned.

Well yes. Why else do they use one poison (pancuronium bromide, a chemical related to the one obtained from tree frogs used by South American Indians to tip their arrows) to prevent the victim from screaming?

If she doesn't scream, she doesn't feel pain, right?

The drugs that are used for lethal injections are not meant to cause pain, whether or not they actually do. Personally, I don't think this matters at all, but there is no intention to induce suffering. The choice of chemicals, though, is not very prudent. Very specific dosages are needed to ensure that the condemned is anesthetizes, and he or she is put through great anguish if these are off by even the tiniest amount. It's still an unwise practice, but no pain is intentional. (Then again, you know what they say about good intentions.)

intention doesn't have that much bearing on consitutionality does it?

No, intention oughtn't have too much to do with constitutionality. When it does tis only a small factor (for example 1st degree murder vs. 2nd degree vs. manslaughter -- you still killed someone, but your punishment can depend on intentions.)

In any case, blech for death penalty.

[Somewhat]

Almost as good as Madelina.

[Melancholy Man]

EDIT: Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling in the case of Earl Berry means that October 2007 is the first month since December 2004 in which nobody has been legally murdered in the allegedly-civilised United States of America.

Opposed as I am to the death penalty, I don't loose site of whom the US system is designed to execute. Murderers. Not political dissedents. Not cheeky teenage girls. Murderers. People who have committed, at times, horrific and vile crimes.

It should be perfectly possible to object on a matter of principle, and avoid silly statements like this.

[jessia]

turkey almost inside iraq? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7122920.stm

[bee]

turkey almost inside iraq? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7122920.stm

I was really hoping when I clicked that that it would be about an actual turkey (like gobble gobble!) randomly wandering into Iraq. I'm not sure why that logic worked in my mind, but this is somewhat less exciting.

[Rachaman]

turkey almost inside iraq? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7122920.stm

I was really hoping when I clicked that that it would be about an actual turkey (like gobble gobble!) randomly wandering into Iraq. I'm not sure why that logic worked in my mind, but this is somewhat less exciting.

I admit that I also hoped it had something to do with a turkey rather than Turkey, but I'm sure that the Kurds found it quite "exciting" enough.

[jessia]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7161590.stm benazir bhutto assassinated.

[Qu Klaani]

And the winner of 2007's least surprising assassination is...

*opens envelope*

Theres going to be a lot of disappointed Russian journalists in the audience tonight Ted.

[Melancholy Man]

Oh, she was a front runner. We haven't had a really unexpected award since 1999 when Jill Dando got iced.

[jessia]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story ... ml?ref=rss