Canadian facing execution over drug charges

[Matt Elrod]

jas...@katie.vnet.net (jasher) wrote:

}My point (or one of them) was that it is *neither* my right *nor* my
}responsibility to challenge the laws of Singapore. I do not live there,
}I do not contribute to their society, I do not pay their taxes (thank
}God!) and I take responsibility for my own actions.
}
}Singapore is a democracy. Representative government. This means that
}THEY must, MUST, take it upon themselves to challenge their own laws.
}It's not like China - a country in which it is not only inconvenient and
}unpopular but deadly not to toe the party line.

From what I gather, doing anything BUT tow the party line is practically
forbidden in Singapore.

}I think we have every right to comment on their situation - AS
}FOREIGNERS. America is far too used to dominating the Western Hemisphere
}and I'm afraid we've forgotten our manners. We MUST respect the
}sovreignty of Singapore, just as we have forced every other nation in the
}world to respect ours.

And we certainly never hear any criticism of the United States from
other countries do we?

}As I said, if our discussion and protests cause even one Singaporean to
}change their vote, and move toward getting rid of this stupid law, that's
}terrific! It is unrealistic, impolite, arrogant, and tyrannical of us
}Occidentals to walk right in and say, quite self-righteously, "Hey! You
}shouldn't do that! That's wrong!" After all, isn't that what the hated
}War on Drugs assholes are doing to us?

Interesting. Are there any circumstances under which you think the
international community should interfere with the internal affairs
of a sovereign nation?

Would you consider it unjust if the U.S. boycotts B.C. forest products
because of B.C.'s forest practices?

If you learned that a Canadian company employed slave labour would
you feel justified in boycotting that company? Would you feel it
is your responsibility to boycott that company?

Suppose Canada embarked on a program of "ethnic cleasing" with the
support of the majority of her people. Would you feel you have the
right and responsibility to say "That's wrong!"

Was the international community justified in opposing apartheid
and maintaining trade sanctions against South Africa?

Were you aware that Singapore is a member of the United Nations?
Were you aware that Singaporian (and U.S.) law violates the U.N.
Charter of Human Rights?

I don't think anything is as cut and dry as you'd like it to be.
I wonder if they televise Singaporean executions?

Matt Elrod
BOTCHED EXECUTIONS

All the information concerning lethal injections except for the case
of Charles Walker was provided by Professor Michael Radelet of the
University of Florida.

The case of Charles Walker was provided by the National Coalition to
Abolish the Death Penalty.
1. April 22, 1983. John Evans. Alabama. Electrocution. After the
first jolt of electricity, sparks and flames erupted from the
electrode attached to Evan's leg. The electrode then burst from
the strap holding it in place and caught on fire. Smoke and sparks
came out from under the hood. Two physicians entered the chamber
and found a heartbeat. The electrode was reattached to his leg.
More smoke and burning flesh. Again the doctors founda heartbeat.
Ignoring the pleas of Evans's lawyer, Russ Canan,a third jolt was
applied. The execution took 14 minutes and left Evans's body
charred and smoldering.
2. September 2, 1983. Jimmy Lee Gray. Mississippi. Gas
Chamber.Officials had to clear the room eight minutes after the
gas was released when Gray's desperate gasps for air repulsed
witnesses. His attorney, Dennis Baiske of Montgomery, Alabama,
criticized state officials for clearing the room when the inmate
was stil lalive. Says David Bruck, "Jimmy Lee Gray died banging
his head against a steel pole in the gas chamber while reporters
counted his moans."
3. December 12, 1984. Alpha Otis Stephens. Georgia. Electrocution.
After the first jolt of electricity failed to kill him, Stephens
struggled for eight minutes before a second charge finished the
job. The first jolt took two minutes, officials waited a full six
minutes to allow Stephens's body to cool before physicians could
examine him (and declare that another jolt was needed). During
that six minute interval, Stephens took 23 breaths, according to
witness.
4. March 13, 1985. Texas. Stephen Peter Morin. Had to probe both arms
and legs with needles for 45 minutes before they found the vein.
5. October 16, 1985. William E. Vandiver. Indiana. Electrocution.
After the first jolt of 2300 volts, physicians found Vandiverwas
still breathing. The current had to be applied three moretimes
before he died. Vandiver's attorney, Herbert Shaps, witnessed the
killing and said it was outrageous. The Department of Correction
admitted the execution "did not go according to plan." The
physician who pronounced death said, "This is very rare."
6. August 20, 1986. Texas. Randy Woolls. A drug addict, Woollshad to
help the execution technicians find a good vein for the execution.
7. June 24, 1987. Texas. Elliot Johnson. It took 35 minutes to insert
the catheter into his vein.
8. December 13, 1988. Texas. Raymond Landry. Pronounced dead 40
minutes after being strapped to the execution gurney and 24
minutes after the drugs first started flowing into his arms. Two
minutes into the killing, the syringe came out of Landry's
vein,spraying the deadly chemicals across the room towards
witnesses. The execution team had to reinsert the catheter into
the vein.The curtain was pulled for 14 minutes so witnesses could
not observe the intermission.
9. May 24, 1989. Texas. Stephen McCoy. He had such a violent physical
reaction to the drugs (heaving chest, gasping, choking,etc.) that
one of the witnesses (male) fainted, crashing into and knocking
over another witness. Houston attorney Karen Zellars, who
represented McCoy and witnessed the execution, thought the
fainting would catalyze a chain reaction. The Texas Attorney
General admitted the inmate "seemed to have somewhat stronger
reaction,"adding "The drugs might have been administered in a
heavier dose or more rapidly."
10. July 14, 1989. Horace F. Dunkins.Alabama. Electrocution. It took
two jolts (nine minutes apart) to kill this mentally retarded
inmate. The foul-up was caused by "human error" -- faulty cable
hookups resulting in an insufficient amount current to cause death
. Officials had to rewire the chair after the first jolt. Death
was pronounced19 minutes after the first jolt.
11. May 4, 1990. Jesse Joseph Tafero. Florida. Electrocution. When the
state replaced a "natural" sponge with a synthetic sponge in the
headpiece of the execution apparatus, six inch flames erupted, and
three jolts of power were required to stop Tafero's breathing.
Support for the faulty sponge theory was generated by sticking a
part of it into a "common household taster"and noting that it
smoldered and caught fire.
12. September 12, 1990. Charles Walker. Illinois. Lethal Injection.
According to Dr. Edward A. Bruner over 5 minutes after the
activation of Illinois's lethal injection machine, and more than
two minutes after the plunger had injected the killing solution,
Mr. Walkers's heart had not stopped, the Illinois Department of
Corrections officials ordered the viewing blinds closed. The
witnesses were not aware that Mr. Walker had not died, and were
not told that there was a problem.
Without removing Mr. Walker form the equipment, Mr. Sutterfield
inspected the equipment and discovered a kink in the intravenous
line. At this point he straightened out the line, and short time
later Mr. Walker's heart stopped. In addition, Mr. Sutterfied
stated that the intravenous line was improperly inserted in
Mr.Walker's arm.
13. October 17, 1990. Wilber L. Evans. Virginia. Electrocution. The
Department of Corrections increased the voltage on the electric
chair to compensate for Evans's large size. When the electricity
hit him, Evans lunged forward, smashing his face against the hood.
Blood from Evan's nose and eyes was visible coming form under the
hood and continued to flow, staining Evan's shirt.
14. August 22, 1991. Derick Lynn Peterson. Virginia. Electrocution.
Correction workers had to administer a second dose of electricity
to execute Peterson because his heart continued to beat after the
initial normal jolts. At 11P.M. Peterson was adminstered the
normal dose of 1,725-volt surge for 10 seconds, followed by a
240-volt surge for 110 seconds. His head jerked and his fists
clenched. Prison doctor David Barnes felt Peterson's neck and
checked him with stethoscope at 11:05 and again at 11:09. "Hehas
not expired, " Barnes said after each check. At 11:10, the
electrocution cycle was administered again and Barnes pronounced
Peterson dead at 11:13. Peterson's brain was dead after the
first10-second surge, said David Bass, manager of operations and
training for the corrections department's eastern region.
15. January 24, 1992. Arkansas. Rickey Ray Rector. It took medical
staff more than 50 minutes to find a suitable vein in Rector'sarm.
Witnesses were not permitted to view this scene, but reported
hearing Rector's loud moans throughout the process. During the
ordeal Rector (who suffered serious brain damage from a lobotomy)
tried to help the medical personnel find a vein. The administrator
of States' Department of Corrections medical programs said
(paraphrased by a newspaper reporter) "the moans did come as a
team of two medical people that had grown to five worked on both
sides of his body to find a vein." The administrator said "That
may have contributed to his occasional outbursts."
16. March 10, 1992. Oklahoma. Robyn Lee Parks. Parks had a violent
reaction to the drugs used in the lethal injection. Two minutes
after the drugs were administered, the muscles in his jaws,
neck,and abdomen began to react spasmodically for approximately 45
seconds. Parks continued to gasp and violently gag. Death came
eleven minutes after the drugs were administered. Said TulsaWorld
reporter Wayne Greene, " The Death looked scary and ugly."
17. April 6, 1992. Donald Eugene Harding. Arizona. Gas Chamber.At
12:18. one pound of sodium cyanide pellets dropped into a vat
beneath Harding's chair containing six quarts of distilled water
and six pints of sulfuric acid. Cameron Harper a reporter
forKTVK-TV said, "I watched Harding go into violent spasms for 57
seconds." Harper continued, "Then he began to convulseless
frequently. His back muscles rippled. The spasms grew less
violent. I timed them as ending six minutes and 37 seconds after
they began. His head went down in little jerking motion.
Obviously, the gentleman was suffering. This was a violent death,
make no mistake about it." Harper went on, "It was an ugly event.
We put animals to death more humanely. This was not a clean and
simple death. Another Witness, Carla McClain, a reporter for
theTucson Citizen said, "Harding's death was extremely violent. He
was in great pain. I heard him gasp and moan. I saw his body turn
form red to purple."
18. April 23, 1992. Texas. Billy Wayne White. It took 47 minutes for
the authorities to find a suitable vein, and White eventually had
to help them.
19. May 7, 1992. Texas. Justin Lee May. May had an unusually violent
reaction to the lethal drugs. According to Robert Wernsman, a
reporter for the Item (Huntsville), May "gasped, coughed and
reared against his heavy leather restraints, coughing once again
before his body froze..." Associated Press reporterMichael Graczyk
wrote, "He went into a coughing spasm, groaned and gasped, lifted
his head from the death chamber gurney and would have arched his
back if he had not been belted down. After he stopped breathing,
his eyes and moth remained open."
20. May 10, 1994. Illinois. John Wayne Gacy. After the execution
began, one of the three lethal drugs clogged the tube leading into
Gacy's arm, and therefore stopped flowing. Blinds covering the
window through which witnesses observed the execution were then
drawn. The clogged tube was replaced with a new one, the blinds
were opened, and the execution process resumed. Anesthesiologists
blamed the problem on the inexperience of prison officials who
were conducting the execution, saying that proper procedures
taught in "IV 101" would have prevented the error.
21. May 3, 1995. Missouri. Emmitt Foster. Foster was not pronounced
dead until 30 minutes after the executioners began the flow of
deadly chemical into his arms. Seven minutes after the chemicals
began to flow, the blinds were closed to prohibit the witnesses
from viewing the scene; they were not reopened until three minutes
after death pronounced. According to the coroner who pronounced
death, the problem was caused by the tightness of the leather
straps that bound Foster to the execution gurney; it was so tight
that the flow of chemicals into the veins was restricted. It was
several minutes after a prison worker finally loosened the strap
that death was pronounced. The coroner entered the death chamber
twenty minutes after the execution began, noticed the problem,and
told the officials to loosen the strap so then execution could
proceed.

_________________________________________________________________

DEATH TORTURE IN FLORIDA

--- Tue, 5 Dec 1995 (Starke, Fla.)
Yesterday, Dec. 4, 1995, Jerry White was brutally executed in
Florida's electric chair. Two reporters stated that White screamed
during the electrocution after the current started to flow through his
body.One witness said afterwards:

"I was seated in the 2nd row of witnesses. The witness room is
separated from the execution chamber by what appears to be thick
glass. My seat was approximaely 17 to 20 feet from the electric chair.
The execution procedure includes the placing of what looks like a
rubber shield orhood over the entire face of the prisoner. After the
hood was placed over Jerry White's face I saw the signal for the
switch to be thrown. Shortly thereafter I saw Jerry's body stiffen and
strain up and back against the heavy straps securing his body and
limbs tightly to the chair.

"Simultaneously I heard a plainly audible agonized groan coming from
Jerry, accompanied by what sounded like the intake of a deep breath.
This lasted for up to 5 seconds in my estimation. I have witnessedone
other execution in the Florida electric chair, on April 22,
1994.Nothing comparable to the groan and deep breath I witnessed from
Jerry White occurred at that execution.

"I have heard that others who witnessed Jerry White's execution have
likewise never before witnessed a similar phenomenon, despite have
seen many more than I. The most vivid impression that this made on me
wasthat at least during the initial few seconds of current, Jerry
Whitewas experiencing intense agony and pain."

Jerry White was the first person executed in Florida this year, but
the 35th overall. He was the 50th person to be executed in the USA in
1995, and 307th since America resumed capital punishment in Jan. 1977.

Phillip Atkins, a man with the emotional maturity of a 15-year-old was
in the holding cell next to the death chamber yesterday and heard
Jerry White cry out during that execution. "I heard it all ... it was
so scary," he said. Atkins was executed the day after, less than 24
hours later.

Atkins had been convicted of beating a boy to death after the boy had
threatened to claim Atkins had molested him. White had been sentenced
to death for the execution-style slaying of a store owner near
Orlando.

[Mary Tenwinkel]

Cre...@IslandNet.com (Matt Elrod) wrote:

>jas...@katie.vnet.net (jasher) wrote:

>Matt Elrod
> BOTCHED EXECUTIONS

> _________________________________________________________________

> DEATH TORTURE IN FLORIDA

In my mind, what these stories of "botched" executions really prove is
that we are not trying to simply (if that's the right word) remove
these individuals from society, but, in fact, to make the execution
process itself punitive. Since we clearly have the techniques to
humanely put much larger animals than man down, there is no excuse for
the stories you tell except that they are purposeful.

[pat...@alpha.c2.org]

In article <M/iwxQi1E...@IslandNet.com>,

Cre...@IslandNet.com (Matt Elrod) wrote:
>jas...@katie.vnet.net (jasher) wrote:
>
>}My point (or one of them) was that it is *neither* my right *nor* my
>}responsibility to challenge the laws of Singapore. I do not live there,
>}I do not contribute to their society, I do not pay their taxes (thank
>}God!) and I take responsibility for my own actions.
>}
>}Singapore is a democracy. Representative government. This means that
>}THEY must, MUST, take it upon themselves to challenge their own laws.
>}It's not like China - a country in which it is not only inconvenient and
>}unpopular but deadly not to toe the party line.
>
>From what I gather, doing anything BUT tow the party line is practically
>forbidden in Singapore.

This is generally true, but if the people of Singapore do not deem it
necessary to change whichever laws that outsiders consider unjust,
they have every right not to, and there is nothing one can do about
this.

>}I think we have every right to comment on their situation - AS
>}FOREIGNERS. America is far too used to dominating the Western Hemisphere
>}and I'm afraid we've forgotten our manners. We MUST respect the
>}sovreignty of Singapore, just as we have forced every other nation in the
>}world to respect ours.
>
>And we certainly never hear any criticism of the United States from
>other countries do we?

We certainly do and have heard criticism leveled at the United States
from every quarter. However, I hope you understand that because of
the enormous economic and military clout the United States possesses,
it is _especially_ repugnant for other nations to hear any criticism
coming from her as it will often come across as interference in their
sovereignty and internal affairs.

>}As I said, if our discussion and protests cause even one Singaporean to
>}change their vote, and move toward getting rid of this stupid law, that's
>}terrific! It is unrealistic, impolite, arrogant, and tyrannical of us
>}Occidentals to walk right in and say, quite self-righteously, "Hey! You
>}shouldn't do that! That's wrong!" After all, isn't that what the hated
>}War on Drugs assholes are doing to us?
>
>Interesting. Are there any circumstances under which you think the
>international community should interfere with the internal affairs
>of a sovereign nation?

Certainly, but what circumstances warrant the imposition of external
interference will always depend on whether you are the one
interfering or the one being interfered with. In other words, it is a
highly debatable issue with no hard and fast rule. Trade sanctions
often end up with similar retaliation coming from the sanctioned
party and is a very good example of the disagreement that often
arises over the "right to interfere" and the extent to which that
interference may reach.

>Would you consider it unjust if the U.S. boycotts B.C. forest products
>because of B.C.'s forest practices?
>
>If you learned that a Canadian company employed slave labour would
>you feel justified in boycotting that company? Would you feel it
>is your responsibility to boycott that company?
>
>Suppose Canada embarked on a program of "ethnic cleasing" with the
>support of the majority of her people. Would you feel you have the
>right and responsibility to say "That's wrong!"
>
>Was the international community justified in opposing apartheid
>and maintaining trade sanctions against South Africa?
>
>Were you aware that Singapore is a member of the United Nations?
>Were you aware that Singaporian (and U.S.) law violates the U.N.
>Charter of Human Rights?

See above. I notice that your suppositions are of cases where there
are clear-cut violations of the U.N. Charter of Human Rights. You
cannot mention in the same breath the issues of slavery, genocide,
apartheid and the death penalty. As far as I know, most if not all of
the developed and developing countries have renounced the practice of
slavery, genocide and apartheid while the death penalty is being put
to good use in not just a few of these countries. Singapore is one,
the U.S. is another. I am no proponent of the death penalty, which I
consider barbaric and more of a punitive measure than an effective
deterrent, but I would argue against it on the grounds that it
is inhumane rather than to criticise the legal system of another
country which would accomplish nothing except to raise the hackles of
the country's supporters.

>I don't think anything is as cut and dry as you'd like it to be.
>I wonder if they televise Singaporean executions?
>
>Matt Elrod

No, they don't. It might cause some Singaporeans to become vocal
against the death penalty and that is something which the local
government surely wants to avoid.

[much deleted]

pathos

Life is cheap.