this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2023
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Kenneth Eugene Smith’s execution would be the nation’s first using nitrogen gas.

Lawyers for a spiritual adviser to an Alabama inmate scheduled to be executed with nitrogen gas next month said in a complaint filed Wednesday that restrictions on how close the adviser can get to the inmate in the death chamber are “hostile to religion.”

The Rev. Jeff Hood, who plans to enter the death chamber to minister to Kenneth Eugene Smith, said the Alabama Department of Corrections asked him to sign a form acknowledging the risks and agreeing to stay 3 feet (0.9 meters) away from Smith’s gas mask. Hood, a death penalty opponent, said that shows there is a risk to witnesses attending the execution. He said the restrictions would also interfere with his ability to minister to Smith before he is put to death.

“They’ve asked me to sign a waiver, which to me speaks to the fact that they’re already concerned that things could go wrong,” Hood said in a telephone interview.

Smith’s execution would be the nation’s first using nitrogen gas. The nitrogen is planned be administered through the gas mask placed over Smith’s nose and mouth while he is strapped to a gurney in the death chamber normally used for lethal injections.

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[–] MagicShel@programming.dev 80 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Or they're worried he will accidentally dislodge the mask and interfere with the proper administration of nitrogen. There is no actual danger to breathing nitrogen - the air we breathe is mostly nitrogen - we just need oxygen mixed in. It's all a stage play for delaying his execution.

I'm not in favor of execution, but this is the most humane method we have available. So until we can stop executing people, it would be good not to fuck with doing it in this way.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 34 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

The article says the concern is if the masks leaks or becomes dislodged, the area within 2 feet might have the oxygen replaced.

So they said once the gas is on, the priest has to be at least 3 feet away.

But apparently the priest wants to touch him during it?

Like. That wouldn't work with the electric chair either.

Edit:

And to clarify, the person being executed is the one suing because he wants the priest to touch him while he dies.

[–] ours@lemmy.world 32 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Put the preist in SCBA gear (thing firefighters). Might as well turn this primitive practice (capital executions and preists) and go full on distopian clown show.

[–] Tangent5280@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

No no, put him in one of those old timey diving suits with the air tube and stuff.

[–] ours@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

Just as the Lord intended!

Blood for the blood god, skulls for the skull throne!

[–] TheFriar@lemm.ee 22 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Well…we CAN stop. Before this one.

[–] MagicShel@programming.dev 12 points 11 months ago

Theoretically? Sure. Actually though, there's no chance. Sadly.

[–] ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

Honest question. How is anything more humane than a bullet to the brain stem?

Hell even something like the cattle bolt or if you wanna get real technical on a pain scale something that immediately destroys the entire brain?

Like personally just put my head in a machine that crushes my head so fast that I couldn't possibly perceive it.

Tbh I guess I just don't really comprehend what "humane" means. The way everyone talks about it makes it seem like it just means not leaving a mess.

[–] DemBoSain@midwest.social 17 points 11 months ago (1 children)

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with a gun and a bullet. With a nitrogen mask, the worst is that it just won't work.

Just falling asleep, with no sensation of suffocating, no struggling, seems like the best option out of a lot of bad options.

[–] Arbiter@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Not killing people would be a better option, really.

[–] Sarmyth@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

But that's not a method of killing someone, which was the only requirement of these options.

[–] DemBoSain@midwest.social 5 points 11 months ago

Ideally, yes.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Do you just enjoy trying to derail conversations?

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[–] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

"What's the most humane way to crush these orphans?"

[–] RedAggroBest@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago
[–] GCanuck@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago

Humane, in these types of circumstances, are not just for the victim, but for the witnesses and executioners as well.

The internet legend that created the suicide helmet is likely the way I’d want to go given the choice. But it would not be a pleasant thing to witness.

FTR: I’m fully against the death penalty. It is a barbaric practise. But I still feel that those who participate in this horrible exercise shouldn’t be traumatized either.

[–] foyrkopp@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago

All the advances in execution methods haven't been made to make it more humane to the victim - they've been made so it seems more humane to everyone else.

AFAIK, statistics-wise, the execution method with the lowest quota of horrible mishaps is the guillotine. A sufficiently fast 4t weight to the head would probably be even quicker for the brain to go, although it'd also require more cleanup.

(Yes, even overdosing on narcotics has more mishaps - and there are little to no narcotics abailable for executions, because the producers don't want them to be used for that.)

All of the more reliable methods are... grisly, and civilisation doesn't want grisly. We want to press a button and the victim goes to sleep to never wake up, because that makes it easier on us.

[–] Illuminostro@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

No, they're worried about it being painless. Their god is a god of wrath.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

No...

Because it's his priest objecting to it, after he signed the waiver saying he agreed to be 3 feet away once the gas was turned on.

It's an attempt to delay the execution

[–] baggins@lemmy.ca 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Did he sign the waiver? This says he was asked to sign it.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

It's confusing because in interviews the priest is saying he was asked to sign it, but is leaving out that he already did.

But if you read the whole article, you'd have seen this bit buried below

The form, which Hood signed in order to attend Smith’s execution, gave an overview on the risk of nitrogen gas. It stated that in the “highly unlikely event that the hose supplying breathing gas to the mask were to detach, an area of free-flowing nitrogen gas could result, creating a small area of risk (approximately two feet) from the outflow.”

If he hasn't signed it, they could proceed without him.

So he signed it, and now the lawsuit is happening to stall the execution.

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[–] Birdie@thelemmy.club 39 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I guess if we want to be respectful to religion, we should stone him and the preacher can get as close as he wants. I bet he wouldn't have a problem standing at a distance in that scenario.

[–] nixcamic@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I can't tell if this comment is anti religion or pro death penalty.

[–] Birdie@thelemmy.club 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's supposed to be anti both, but I worded it a little ambiguously!

[–] RedAggroBest@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yea, definitely had me going "wait you still want him to be put to death?" until I got down the comment chain.

Tbf Lemmy has a disproportionate number of tankies, who I'd reason would actually hold an anti-religion/pro-capital-punishment stance.

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[–] SteefLem@lemmy.world 30 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Only the gas? Not the killing? Funny….”religion”

[–] roguetrick@kbin.social 41 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Hood is anti death penalty. He's using whatever argument that might work. Seems to be an alright dude really, for a Baptist preacher. Was involved in BLM in Texas and wrote a book with the statement "God is queer."

[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 15 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Never let facts get in the way of an edgelord ranting about an article they clearly didn't read.

[–] Tvkan@feddit.de 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The worst thing about Lemmy is it perfectly nercomanced 2010 reddit's skin-deep atheism back to life.

[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)
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[–] Nougat@kbin.social 3 points 11 months ago

Not even that - it's the "risk" to witnesses. We should be able to watch people die without a care in the world, dammit!

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[–] logicbomb@lemmy.world 24 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I am against the death penalty, but the requirement to stay away from the mask sounds like a way to keep someone from messing with the mask and bungling the execution more than saying the method is dangerous for observers.

Nitrogen is probably the most humane option available.

[–] rtxn@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago

Third parties fucking with the mask might also result in the inmate surviving the execution, but with serious brain damage due to oxygen starvation.

[–] Fades@lemmy.world 18 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Nitrogen is certainly my plan when I’m old

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Mine as well. I deal with big industrial stuff which involves nitrogen lines often. Making a leak at a site would be pretty easy. Looks like an accident and my family gets a few million.

[–] kerrigan778@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Your family would rather have you.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Maybe so but I am not going to spend years rotting from bed sores while some underpaid staff punish me for complaining by leaving my diaper on.

My wife is a nurse and quit her old employer the night she had to give a statement to the police about how one of the aids beat a dementia patient out of revenge . Who was a different CNA one that quite literally walked over a patient who had fallen out of bed because "it is my lunch break".

Nope. Not doing it. I gave up almost everything for my family they don't have the right to demand that I cling to a life with zero quality.

[–] kerrigan778@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

My dad is dying of dementia right now, not saying you have to ride that out. I'm saying you owe yourself and your family the time between retirement and sharp decline.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I am sorry you are enduring that and frankly I don't want to argue about my last wishes with someone who is enduring the misery you must be. No offense but I enjoy looking at myself in the mirror.

Be well, your point is taken and I will consider it.

[–] kerrigan778@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Again, I would understand if someone wanted to end it before serious decline set in. Just not just in case before retirement to get my family some money. Because again, if there's real quality time to be had with someone who's still definitely your father/husband as opposed to a shell with a bit of them left inside. Then they'd rather have that than the money. I wouldn't judge anyone for sparing themselves that latter stage though, I have no idea what I will do if that choice comes to me.

[–] butterflyattack@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

Mine is heroin, it's easier to access.

[–] IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago (1 children)

So use an old fashioned gas chamber instead of a mask? This never seemed to be an issue when inmates were executed that way…

[–] EatATaco@lemm.ee 10 points 11 months ago

Because the state had much more leeway to trample on people's rights at that time. My gut tells me you didn't read the article. I didn't either, but I just listened to a podcast about this case yesterday.

[–] BlackSkinnedJew@lemmynsfw.com 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (6 children)

Isn't any kind of killing hostile to religion?

[–] Birdie@thelemmy.club 18 points 11 months ago

Have you read any holy books? They're filled with god-ordained killings.

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