The "Nelson Six" and the Death Penalty

I am a frequent reader of the Leavenworth Street blog and recently some of the comments there energized me and my blogmate to have a discussion about the meaning of the recent ruling by the Nebraska Supreme Court, in a decision of 6-1, that the Electric Chair was in fact "cruel" punishment. At this point I will repeat myself in the hopes that people will actually read the words and digest them: the Justices only ruled that the Electric Chair is cruel.

This does not have anything to do with opposition to the Death Penalty. As for all those who bring up "that case from 5 years ago" it would be useful if they actually paid attention to what "that case" actually said. It seems that people think that because the NE Supreme Court on March 27, 2003 affirmed a new way to sentence people when they were facing Capital Punishment and now has ruled that the electric chair (Ol' Sparky) is considered "cruel" they have somehow flip-flopped or changed their minds according to political whim. Now I don't know if they do change their minds on issues according to political whims but I can say this, THEY RULED ON TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS!

We here at this blog are pro-death penalty and will never waver from that position but we are not pro-electric chair/lethal injection/hanging/etc... The death penalty is a needed mechanism in our society but as for the method we don't really care much as long as the person dies in a dignified, non-torturous way befitting the United States and the people of Nebraska. If the Supreme Court of Nebraska rules that using Sparky is torture, so be it! We would not want to take part in torture and sink down to the level of those poor excuses for human beings who torture and kill others, let's find another method. For all we know the guillotine seems like the most humane way to kill people seeing as how they can't feel anything if their heads are no longer attached to their bodies! (we do not endorse public executions)

Now it is our turn to be angry at our Legislature for not bringing forth a Bill to change the method of execution so we can finally punish those who have wronged society...

Strong Moderate & Flaming Moderate