The death penalty and how it is used in America has been in the news a lot lately. First, there was the botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee, who survived after being given a dose of drugs that failed to kill her. Then there was the recent announcement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the Fort Hood shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, would be killed by firing squad and that the live execution would be available to be seen by the public, making in the first state sanctioned public execution since 1936.
To me both of these stories display just how barbaric and unnecessary our capitol punishment system is in this country. There is no humane way to kill another human being, and while both of these people have confessed to their terrible crimes, the public spectacle of their executions is ugly. Put simply, there is no good reason to have capitol punishment in a modern society; while nearly every European country has put an end to the practice, by continuing to use it the US is stuck in the past with authoritarian governments like China and Iran.
Sadly, the Donald Trump administration has pushed for more uses of capitol punishment in this country, even while homicide rates have dropped, because pushing for the ultimate punishment fits into Trump's strongman image. And while I will admit that most Americans still support the death penalty, accelerating its use only increases the chances of innocent people being wrongly put to death, something that most death penalty proponents claim never happens, despite its inevitability.
Of these two recent cases, it's the second one that bothers me the most. The wildly unqualified Hegseth, who has brought an almost childish macho swagger to his position as Defense Secretary, made the announcement of the live streaming of Hasan's public execution with a ghoulish and sickening glee. And Trump has, with equal glee, said that he "absolutely' approves of it, as he continues to act more like a fascist dictator than a president.
It should be pointed out that even proponents of the death penalty have objected to Hegseth's plans. For example, Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, posted on social media that “Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting, Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America.” I agree, and it should be pointed out that in the case of Hasan, being killed publicly allows him to a martyr to his cause, whereas forcing him to spend the rest of his life in prison would have seen him fall from relevance.
With the pushback from some fellow Republicans and general outrage from the public coming quickly, it's possible that Hegseth will not go forward with live streaming Hasan's execution. But the mere fact that he would suggest it and that Trump would second that suggestion shows how unfit for office both men are.
