George W. Bush's Supreme Court Clears the Way for Lethal Injection

The Supreme Court's decision today, that upholds Kentucky's use of lethal injections for executions which in turn clears the way for a number of states to proceed with scheduled executions. should come as no surprise considering President Bush ensured his legacy would live on post his presidency by appointing people to the Supreme Court sure to support his idea of what the "culture of life" should look like.

"The president believes that we need to welcome and create a culture that respects life in this country." -- Ari Fleisher speaking about President Bush

The New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commission Report found capital punishment "inconsistent with evolving standards of decency" back in December of 2007. Recent executions, which use the three-drug lethal injection have taken much longer than usual, with strong indications that the prisoners suffered severe pain in the process. The argument is that if the first anesthetic does not take hold, the other two drugs can cause excruciating pain. One of the drugs paralyzes the person thus leaving him unable to express what is happening to him.

The Kentucky case involves two death row inmates who want the court to order a switch to a single barbiturate that causes no pain and can be given in a large enough dose to cause death as we do when we put animals to "sleep".

"We ... agree that petitioners have not carried their burden of showing that the risk of pain from maladministration of a concededly humane lethal injection protocol, and the failure to adopt untried and untested alternatives, constitute cruel and unusual punishment," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the risk of maladministration is not great enough to rule against this method. If this method is not "humane" enough for animals, how can it be humane enough for humans, regardless of the crime they committed? Aren't those in favor of this method committing a crime? After all, callous indifference to life is callous indifference to life whether your the one wearing the robes or the one wielding the ax.

How can anyone who professes to believe in a "culture of life" take a chance that someone may experience the worst kind of death possible without the ability to let anyone know? Or is that the point? We don't want to know.