XPost: alt.religion.christian.last-days, alt.flame.rednecks, can.politics
From: gregpcarr@yahoo.ca
On Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:21:48 +0000 (UTC), "Kennewick Man; the first,
the BEST!" wrote:
>Firing squad execution sobering, but dramatic
>
>By JENNIFER DOBNER (AP) – 36 minutes ago
>
>DRAPER, Utah — From the witness room, the shots came without warning.
>
>The explosive reports sent a volley of bullets from the .30-caliber rifles
>of the marksmen into the chest of Ronnie Lee Gardner.
>
>I thought I might flinch, but I didn't. It was so quick that for a
>split-second I think I wondered if it had actually happened.
>
>There was no blood splattered across the white cinderblock wall at the
>Utah State Prison. No audible sounds from the condemned. I couldn't see
>his eyes. I never saw the guns and didn't hear the countdown to the
>trigger-pull.
>
>A twice-convicted killer who had a troubled upbringing, the 49-year-old
>Gardner was executed by firing squad shortly after midnight on Friday. I
>was one of nine journalists selected to observe his death, which the state
>classifies as a homicide.
>
>But it wasn't like other homicides I had covered over my 15-plus years in
>journalism. In those instances, the media showed up after the death, not
>before.
>
>This, however, was a meticulously orchestrated event with a sober,
>prepackaged ending.
>
>Inside the prison, we walked in single file and were asked not to talk. We
>were restricted from bringing our own notebooks and pens and from asking
>questions at certain times.
>
>When the prison warden pulled back the beige curtain, Gardner was already
>strapped into a black, straight-backed metal chair. His head secured by a
>strap across his forehead. Harness-like straps constrained his chest. His
>handcuffed arms hung at his sides. A white cloth square — maybe 3 inches
>across — affixed to his chest over his heart bore a black target.
>
>Seconds before the impact of the bullets, Gardner's left thumb twitched
>against his forefinger. When his chest was pierced, he clenched his fist.
>His arm pulled up slowly as if he were lifting something and then
>released. The motion repeated.
>
>Although the dark blue prison jumpsuit made it difficult to see, blood
>seemed to be pooling around Gardner's waist.
>
>The silence was deafening.
>
>A medical examiner checked Gardner's pulse on both sides of his neck, then
>lifted the black hood to check his pupils with a flashlight, offering a
>brief glimpse of his now ashen face.
>
>It was 12:17 a.m. Only two minutes had passed since the shots were fired,
>but it felt like things had moved in slow motion.
>
>About an hour later, prison officials let the media inspect the chamber.
>There was a strong smell of bleach, but no sign of blood.
>
>The only evidence that a man had been shot and killed there were four
>holes from the bullets that impaled the black wood panels behind the
>chair. Right to left, the distance between them a few inches.
>
>Prison officials say Gardner willing made the 90-foot walk to the
>execution chamber Friday morning. That's hard to imagine, particularly
>from Gardner, who by his own accounts had spent much of the 30 years he
>was incarcerated "obsessed" with escape.
>
>Despite being surrounded by dozens of prison officials and witnesses,
>Gardner essentially died alone.
>
>No one from his family watched him go. Nor were his attorneys present.
>
>Similarly, Gardner chose not to utter any final thoughts or feelings.
>
>Maybe it was his way of holding on to a small slice of privacy amid his
>very public death.
Canada should bring in the death penalty again.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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