This may sound flippant, but it’s not.
Two readers contacted me with precisely the same idea, and it’s something I have been wondering about myself.
Patricia Hopkins of Akron put it this way:
“The prison system [was] investigating a ‘humane’ way to execute convicted prisoners. What about an overdose of heroin and fentanyl that is causing so many of our young-adult deaths?”
During years of controversy about which execution drugs would be consistently available, which would be the most effective and the most humane, I’m struggling to understand why the whole thing is so complicated.
Assuming you buy the idea that the government should be committing premeditated murder — I personally have mixed emotions about the death penalty, and if you don’t have at least a sliver of doubt about your own position, you just haven’t thought about it enough — then what would be wrong with sending off a murderer with an overdose of a powerful recreational drug?
After years of debate, the state has settled on a three-step process. As we reported last week, here’s what’s in store when executions resume in January:
1. Midazolam, which puts a person to asleep.
2. Rocuronium bromide, which causes paralysis.
3. Potassium chloride, which stops the heart.
Heroin would be fast, relatively cheap and (sadly) readily available.
If there’s a good reason why this is a rotten idea, I’m all ears.
Good line
Monday’s Facebook Post of the Day:
Chris Crowder Haylett responding to the question “What does Columbus Day mean to you?” posed by Maggie Fuller.
“A yearly reminder of what happens when men don’t ask for directions.”
Wahoo challenge
Bob: After reading the article regarding the less-frequent use of the Cleveland Indians’ logo, a conversation with my husband ensued.
I told him that if a new logo is in the future, I had an idea. I don’t think it would be offensive to anyone.
I am a 56 year old woman. I’d go with “Menopausal Women.”
First, a logo has to be appealing to the eye. Check. Then, it has to be intimidating. Check.
Maybe it should look like Rosie the Riveter with gray hair. It needs to evoke “we CAN kick your butt and you wouldn’t even know why. And we can. Just because.
Joyce Adams
Mogadore
Joyce: I’m nearly speechless. And probably should remain that way.
I was going to say Menopausal Women would be a better name than RubberDucks, but I thought better of it.
Artsy racket
Copy editor Mark Price has been amused by the trend toward wacky names for art exhibits. The latest:
“Thump ... Dump, Clump, Lump ... Bump!”
If you like the sound of that, it runs through Nov. 19 at the Bonfoey Gallery in Cleveland.
(I’m sure there’s a Trump joke in there somewhere, but after Sunday night, I can’t handle one more word about either of those people.)
Falls clarification
Sunday’s column said the Cuyahoga Falls school board’s settlement with a dismissed administrator cost taxpayers $335,000.
On Monday, Superintendent Todd Nichols called to say all but $5,000 of that amount was covered by an insurance policy.
When I asked why he didn’t tell me about that in our conversation on Friday, he said he assumed I knew. Nope. Nothing in the court records mentioned insurance, and I had no other way to know.
Not that this revelation makes everything OK.
Five grand is still five grand; the Falls still had to shell out for its own legal fees; the insurance premiums will likely rise; and the decision not to renew the contract of an administrator fighting cancer doesn’t look one iota better.
But we needed to set the record straight.
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com. He also is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bob.dyer.31