Ben writes: In Rory's Any Last words in the Rory's Stories section, he refers to the work of Michael Radelet, who has collected information on botched executions. While Radelet deals with electrocutions and gassings, as well as lethal injection, the method normally used these days, lethal injection is itself terribly cruel. As Rory's friend points out in Any Last Words?, being shot in the back of the head is far more humane. Lethal injection, even if it goes normally, constitutes torture. It's just the latest fashion in crucifixion. To see Radelet's summary of botched official killings go to: Phuckedup Official Killings

Tookie Williams' execution is a vile and sickening display of a violent society that relentlessly ignores the big issues, the underlying issues. The Tookie execution special that has been playing across the nation is a brain and soul damaging spectacle. One thing about the death penalty: it makes the guy getting killed and the killing event itself more important than the welfare of the living. So much money and energy is directed to ritually killing one person. Schwarzenegger should have made a decision that considered the welfare of the children that Williams has saved and would have saved in the future. Absolutely guaranteed: the execution of Tookie Williams will result in the death of innocent people. Some will be those to whom he was hope and some will be those brutalized by the callous insanity of the government cold-bloodedly poisoning him inside of an old gas chamber. This official killing of a black man in a converted gas chamber by an Austrian movie-star governor makes ya kinda proud, don't it? Albeit indirectly, Herr Schwarzenegger will be responsible for more deaths than Tookie ever dreamed of. Yet he shows no remorse. He manifests no sense of responsibility or caring. And he appears to be pretty fuckin' far from redemption. Rory sez: This is beyond the Holy Sh!t! rating system.