Willful blindness in the media
I read the headline of this CNN.com article Ohio lethal injection takes 2 hours, 10 tries and was thinking how tough that guy must be, after all, 10 tries! Then I read
Death penalty opponents called on the state to halt executions after prison staff struggled to find suitable veins on a condemned man’s arm to deliver the lethal chemicals.
The execution team stuck Christopher Newton at least 10 times with needles Thursday to insert the shunts where the chemicals are injected.
…
Officials said the delay was due to Newton’s size — he weighed 265 pounds. In May 2006, the execution of Joseph Lewis Clark was delayed about 90 minutes because the team could not find a suitable vein. He was a longtime intravenous drug user.
This is ridiculous. Not being able to find veins is quite common in any hospital, nursing home, or drug den. After a prolonged period of being jabbed with needles the veins (quite sensibly) appear to retreat and get much harder to find. A high percentage of body fat will makes it hard as well. It’s not like this guy withstood the lethal dose ten times or anything.
This is why everyone should read The Corner.
One Comment
Nick
Technically it’s an AP story. They try not to “makes it hard” to figure that out by putting it at the top of each article.
I don’t really get the methods for execution. Why not just have the next guy in line to die shoot them in the back of the head or something? If you’re going to kill someone don’t be a pussy about it. It’s like they want it to barely work.
Somewhat Corner related, one of my writer friends is supposedly interviewing the drug dealer that The Wire is based on for an article.