Wednesday 16 September 2009

Romell Broom is not dead, long live Romell Broom,


Update October 6th: The execution of Broom - convicted of rape and murder - is on hold ahead of a federal court hearing on 30 November., along with two other convicts. His lawyers argue that an unprecedented second execution attempt on Broom would violate a constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.Gov Ted Strickland ordered all three executions to be halted.He said the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction needed more time to finish updating its protocols for dealing with long delays in finding suitable veins on inmates.
I wrote Strickland and asked for help a month ago, now it's your turn. Be polite.
Contact the Governor.



Today's news told me about Romell Broom and how he was TORTURED for more than 2 hours. He is one of the many American sentenced to death in the US. The executioners tried to find a usable vein strong enough to deliver the three-drug lethal injection. He even tried to help by shifting positions, rubbing his arm and pointing out possible usable veins. He was seen covering his face in agonizing pain. He cried, asking to talk to his lawyer, but was denied this right. They ended the attempt to kill him because of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution: the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. So killing someone with poison is not cruel? I am shaking with rage. Romell Broom has been on Death Row in Ohio since 1984. Romell Broom is convicted of killing and raping, not once but twice. Listen: I don't give fuck if he raped all your 14 kids, ate your mom, shoot the president or went on a 14 day killing spree. Death penalty is wrong in every possible way.

If the purpose is to set an example for the rest of the population, to show that killing is wrong, the sheer irony should end this practice today. Death penalty is a violation on human rights. Period.

Let me educate you on lethal injections.
A physician should not participate in killing people, they are in the business of preserving life. The American Medical Association states that it's up to each physician decide if he is pro or against killing people. " The AMA Code of ethics [6] specifically prohibits prescription by a doctor of the drugs for lethal injection. Ethical and legal constraints forbid pharmacists dispensing a drug without a valid prescription. A valid prescription can only be written by a doctor with an established relationship to the patient, with the patients consent, for the benefit of the patient, and in the area of the doctor's expertise, among other requirements."
Sodium thiopental is used to induce unconsciousness. Pancuronium bromide cause muscle paralysis and respiratory arrest. Potassium chloride to stop the heart. Sounds smooth and un cruel right? The doses injected are standard, not adjusted for each individual. A research letter publicized by University of Miami researchers, stated that post-mortem concentrations of thiopental in the blood were lower than that required for surgery in 43 of 49 executed inmates(88%); 21 (43%) inmates had concentrations consistent with awareness. This means that some of the people being killed like this, suffered agonizing and extreme pain.

Since the drugs often are injected by people with no medical training, we end up with situations such as Angel Nieves Diaz. After 35 minutes he was still not dead, so they injected him with a second dose claiming this was needed due some liver dysfunction. Autopsy showed no dysfunction and that the needle had pierced through his flesh not his vein. Pain free death anyone?
Research show that the doses leaves humans paralyzed and aware, experiencing the intense burning caused by potassium chloride and suffocation due to the paralytic effects of pancuronium bromide.
This is tor
ture. Period.

In 2008 Ninety three percent of all known executions took place in five countries: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the USA. I will leave that sentence to speak for it self. Of the 58 countries we know practice death penalty, only 25 of them carried them out in 2008. 93 countries does not practice death penalty. 37 human beings were killed by death penalty in the states in 2008. So far 35 in 2009. Since 1975: 1173 killed. Numbers. Humans with family, children....killed by the system. Since 1975, 120 humans has been released from death row on grounds of innocence. In 2008, 4 humans spent a decade on death row before being found innocent. The longest-serving executed inmate so far spent 35 years. This causes the death row phenomenon where humans become mentally ill. (yet still executed mind you...)
Amnesty international states that American is one of the 5 countries that "provide the greatest challenge towards global abolition of the death penalty. "
Don't get me started on the electric chair. I'll just post pictures instead.

What does this cost the American tax payers? The sums are completely mind blowing, in the hundreds of millions each year in the different states. Money that could be spent on rehabilitating, institutions and creating a safe system for both the criminals and the society.


In Norway during the viking-era in the mid 900, we practiced "Bloodhevn" (blood revenge). This means if someone killed one in your family, the family revenged their loss by killing the killer or one of his family members. Even though this was an inhuman practice, at least it wasn't the system doing the killing. Repeat please: Don't kill for me. Don't kill.

9 comments:

  1. Konseptet dødsstraff gjør meg så opprørt at jeg ikke klarer tenke på det særlig lenge. Hjernen går i svart.

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  2. Er det deg Sesselja? Jeg kan ikke lese bloggen din lenger, så jeg fjernet den fra listen.
    Dødsstraff er en uvirkelig realitet. Jeg har skrevet mail til Den amerikanske ambassaden og til guvernøren i Ohio..uten svcar seff. Jeg har aldri fått svar på en enste mail fra noen jeg har sendt mail til ang. slike saker, så der er ingen overraskelse.

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  3. Det er meg. Jeg har lukket bloggen, men har sendt deg en invitasjon så du fremdeles kan titte innom. Men det kan hende jeg har sendt den til en gammel adresse. Og du må logge deg inn hver gang, så jeg skjønner om du ikke gidder. :)

    Apropos mail-aksjon: At du ikke får svar betyr ikke at det ikke har effekt eller at det ikke betyr noe. Keep up the good work.

    Oooh! Nå plinger peanøtt-og-sjokolade-cookisene mine! *løper*

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  4. Ikke mottat invit.
    du kan sende på batcheeba@gmail.com om du vil :)

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  5. Glad it made you pissed off.
    Enjoy your life in the land of the un_free.

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  6. Put him back with the prison population He wont live long

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  7. Would you say that about your son, if you have/had one? See, the death penatly can kill you or anyone in your family.

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  8. I think criminals like those deserves all necessary punishment because is not fair those kind of people are trying to create the panic around the world, also the states should have harder rules to fight against that.

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