aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South
Friday, April 15, 2005
Pain and the lethal injection
Brew at I’m Just Waiting for the Robot Invasion points to the Houston Chronicle report on Inadequate anesthesia in lethal injection for execution (pdf), a study published this week in The Lancet:
Death penalty opponents have often pointed out that most states’ lethal injection procedures - which generally include an anesthetic, followed by a paralytic agent, then the actual lethal agent- may simply keep witnesses from noticing any suffering than actually prevent it.
The study indicates that executioners may not be using enough anesthetic in the procedures. As physicians cannot participate - killing, even in the name of the state, being a violation of their oaths - the personnel are often not trained in the medical portions of the procedures.
An editorial (pdf) accompanying the study worries that “ethically prohibited or not, many doctors are willing to participate in putting people to death.” It calls on doctors to stay away and notes:
It seems clinical and clean. However...those being executed may have been awake. Of course, because they were paralysed, no one could tell. It would be a cruel way to die: awake, paralyzed, unable to move, to breathe, while potassium burned through your veins.”
We’ve already learned of innocent people released from death row, now we know that those who remain stand a good chance of suffering a slow and painful death.
RELATED: Why is Texas #1 in executions.
DeLay’s house of scandal
The DCCC has put together a handy site for tracking the DeLay goings on. It’s called Tom DeLay’s House of Scandal.
Good Mac, bad Apple
Apple...reported a Q2 profit of $290 million, on revenues of $3.24 billion—the highest March revenue and net income in Apple’s history. Oppenheimer cited “strong sales” of both Macs and iPods, resulting in a 530 percent increase in net income year-over-year. Apple’s Mac business generated 62 percent of revenues, with over one million Macs shipped. Oppenheimer said this was the highest number of Macs shipped for any quarter in four years. The number of Mac sold was up 43 percent from the year-ago quarter.
I may be a fanatical Mac user—my house has four Macs and three iPods floating around—but Apple really fucked up by going after bloggers publishing product leaks. A California trial court ruled that Apple could force these bloggers to reveal their sources, a decision that is now on appeal. I have signed on to an amicus brief (PDF) on behalf of the bloggers…
R MN gay state senator on outing
The backstory of Republican Minnesota state senator Paul Koering coming out is really quite interesting. In a topsy turvy turn of events, SoVo Blog chides him:
Some have hailed Koering as a “hero” for coming out, an unusual adjective for a gay politician who supports banning gay marriage and who only came out when outing seemed inevitable.
And Mike Rogers chose not to out him:
More interesting...is the telephone call I had with a Republican member of a state legislature the other day. The call, which lasted over an hour, was one of the most fascinating since I’ve begun this work. As the legislator and I talked it became more and more clear the me that this individual was one of the many examples of a gay member of the GOP who should not be reported on.
You will recall that Window Media’s Chris Crane recently had a nasty little spat with Mike Rogers and John Aravosis in the form of an editorial in which he opposes outing.
So what does Senator Koering have to say on outing:
“I do believe it is appropriate when you have a politician who is a hypocrite,” the senator says. “Somebody who is possibly in the closet and uses their bully pulpit or their position to bash gay people or to make gay people’s lives difficult in their position and are in essence leading a double life-people like that need to be exposed for the hypocrite that they are.”
In the end I’m pleased to see that in this instance, on the outcome if nothing else, Sean at White Peril (who opposes outing) and I agree, “The truth shall make you free...”
Criminally venal Bankruptcy Bill may be signed today
From TPM Special Bankruptcy Bill Edition:
The bankruptcy bill has passed the House 302 to 126. 73 Democrats voted for it. See the final vote roll here.
We expect President Bush to sign the bill tomorrow. It becomes law 180 days afterwards.
The clickthrough includes a guest blog entry from John Edwards on bankruptcy.
Here’s an interactive listing of the Bankruptcy Bill vote roll call, sortable by caucus, vote, party and Representative, as well as by the median household income of their districts.
