Ohio man tells executioners "It's not working"

[dogday]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - A double murderer was put to death in Ohio on Tuesday but not until after one of his veins had collapsed, causing the condemned man to sit up and tell his executioners, "It's not working," officials said.

The Ohio Department of Corrections said Joseph Clark, 57, was pronounced dead at 11:26 a.m. EDT (1426 GMT) following an injection of lethal chemicals at the Southern Ohio Correctional Institution in Lucasville.

Spokeswoman Andrea Dean said the execution was delayed about 90 minutes because technicians had trouble initially finding a site in Clark's arm for the intravenous line carrying the chemicals.


Then shortly after the poisons were supposed to have been pumping into his body, she said, he sat up saying, "It's not working. It's not working."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/02/AR2006050200952.html

[ClusterFreak]

1. God that's chilling. n/t

[xultar]

2. Ahh shouldn't he get a pass then. If they strap you down and it doesn't

work they shouldn't get a second chance.

[Journeyman]

7. Yes. Maybe God wanted to spare this man . . .

and now the executioners have committed murder and not judicial punishment.

[MercutioATC]

11. If "god" wanted him alive, he'd still be alive...

Since he's dead, I think we can assume that "god" wants it that way.

:eyes:

[Journeyman]

15. That wasn't the point of the post. . .

The initial attempt to execute him failed, therefore, if God intervened, it was to stop that act. As the executioner's continued, as is their wont within the purview of free will, they chose to murder the murderer outside the judicial realm and can therefore claim no mitigating circumstance for their act.

[MercutioATC]

19. Either god grants free will or he doesn't.

The executioner exercised his free will the first time he tried to take the life. Why was the second time any different?

Conversely, if a god was going to intervene at all, why not do it before this person was arrested? Why not intervene again and let him live through the second attempt?

I guess my point is that an execution that only succeeds on the second attempt might not be the greatest example of "god's will being thwarted".

[FiveGoodMen]

22. Did "god" want Bush in the White House?!

[Warpy]

12. It's always murder

since they can be kept quite safely in prison, unable to repeat the crimes they did when they were young and stupid and pumped full of drugs and alcohol.

This guy had apparently made his peace with life and wanted to leave it as easily and quickly as possible. I can imagine he was horrified when he felt the pain of the potassium chloride without feeling the anesthesia first.

I knew one of these had to go horribly wrong sometime.

[Journeyman]

16. Yes, most definitely -- it is always murder. . .

The point of my post was to show that, having proceeded after the initial failure, it can be argued that the executioners acted outside the wishes of whatever God they feel accountable to, and for whom they believe the judicial cover of necessity protects them from the mortal sin of murder.

[Renew Deal]

14. Then why did God let him die?

How did those people defy God's will? This can go on forever.

[Journeyman]

17. Without delving too deeply into metaphysical mumble-jumble. . .

the point of my post was to show that, having proceeded after the initial failure, it can be argued that the executioners acted outside the wishes of whatever God they feel accountable to, and for whom they believe the judicial cover of necessity protects them from the mortal sin of murder. If God intervened, it was to stop the act of execution. As the executioners continued, as is their wont within the purview of free will, they chose to murder the murderer outside the judicial realm and can therefore claim no mitigating circumstance for their act.

[MercutioATC]

20. I didn't quit smoking the first time I tried.

It must be god's will that I smoke.

I wouldn't want to thwart his will by trying to quit again...

:eyes:

[Journeyman]

21. And now you can't quit posting, even after you've made your point. . .

and I'll leave it at that. . .

[MercutioATC]

23. Sorry, I thought you presented an idea for discussion...

...if you're not interested in discussing it, that's fine.

:hi:

[rockymountaindem]

3. I support capital punishment in theory

but stories like this really make me cringe and question my stance. This is really bizarre, and if we can't make the capital punishment system work (which we don't seem to be doing a very good job of) then I think we need to scrap the whole thing.

[w4rma]

5. I don't belive the state should be able to say who lives & dies (nt)

[unblock]

13. that's the best way to position it, imho

the counter to "but some people DESERVE to die" is "perhaps, but no GOVERNMENT deserves the power to kill them"

[w4rma]

24. Exactly. Well said. (nt)

[Vinnie From Indy]

4. He should have sat up and said

"Wow! Hell looks just like Ohio."

[DS1]

6. Goddamn that's dark

and funny :thumbsup:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

10. You earn Silver.

Lost Gold by a nose to http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1084107#1084158

[Blue_Tires]

8. jeez....that's why i'd ask to be shot, if it ever came down to it

[Mandate My Ass]

9. your link goes to a story on US sanctions outside UN to Iran

[sam sarrha]

18. there is no scientific proof Death is a Penalty.. what is going on here,??

but the Death penalty is a Blood Sacrifice for votes when politicians promise to kill prisoners in custody of elected..

[etherealtruth]

25. How often does this happen ... ?

I heard a program within the last 6 weeks or so, that indicated that this was not a "rare" occurrence (I believe it was on public radio ...but, I can't be sure and can't find the article/link).

As an earlier posted stated, this is chilling.