Livestreaming execution by firing squad: America has never gone so wrong so fast. Help to stop it.
America has gone wrong before. Sins of omission and commission. Allowing human slavery for almost a century is one. Waiting years to stop Hitler’s attempt to conquer the world and kill millions of Jews is another. Other official policies and initiatives, some unjust and deadly, against individuals or groups are another. None of this is to deny plenty of good things that America has done and contributed, of course.
The news this morning is that the military, under Pete Hegseth, will be executing a man by firing squad for the first time in sixty years, and will be livestreaming it on December 3.
Pete Hegseth has said the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, will be a public event when the sentence is carried out later this year. A defense department official later confirmed the execution will be livestreamed….
Asked whether Hasan had made a final request or reached out to Trump, Hegseth replied: “Don’t care. We’ll see him on December 3.”
Is this the worst thing this administration and its perpetrators have done over the past two years? Not even close.
It is tragically just one more indicator of total official inhumanity and degradation, degradation that has proceeded so fast that we have trouble keeping up with it. We may have political and ideological differences, but those with just a modicum of humanity know this is wrong.
What’s worse is the expectation that there is still more of this to come. The chances of slowing or stopping it are questionable, though not impossible. A new and different Congress, that is one with a Republican minority, would be a start.
You are entitled to believe that renewing the military firing squad after six decades and livestreaming it for you to view is a good thing and a part of making America great again. You might want to talk to your religious leaders about that. If you believe this is the wrong direction, and want to slow and stop this and hundreds of other inhumanities: Vote.
