Michael Portillo's Horizon BBC2 programme last night "How to Kill a Human Being" was good.
I suspect there are even more painless, foolproof and quick ways to execute people other than the one that Michael easily discovers - Nitrogen gassing.
I am totally opposed to the death penalty in any circumstance.
I also believe that suicide is a civil right.
If the USA and other states wish to execute people - an activity that is quite immoral and pointless - they should be compelled to do so in a humane way and not in a barbaric way.
Execution or murder by the state is as much a crime as murder by an individual.
It sickens me the desire for vengeance so often voiced. The seething desire to cause pain and reek revenge. It's dirty talk. It's horrid and barbaric and seemed quite prevalent in the USA, even amongst educated people.
The Bible that Americans love so much could not be clearer:
Forgive those who injure you, and love your enemy.
That's a pretty clear teaching apart from anything else.
So often you heard "So what if they suffer? What about the people they harmed?"
Apart from anything else, harming them back won't change the original harm.
Two wrongs don't make a right. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
Vengeance repeats and legitimises the original offence.
Killing the murderer will never bring back the victim.
It's a totally human impulse to want to fight back when someone attacks you, to strike back, to avenge. But justice not vengeance is our foundation.
Isn't the ending of the person's life punishment enough?
What purpose does making them suffer serve?
I am against torture in all circumstances. The current USA execution methods are torture; they are barbarous and pure evil, and flatly breach the country's 200 year old constitution. A travesty.
If you must punish by torture them then don't lie about it.
Don't pretend you are not torturing them by saying that you are executing them.
It was said that doctors could not be involved in execution because of the Hippocratic Oath - First Do No Harm.
I am very much in favour of this Oath and wish that it was obeyed by psychiatrists as evidence would suggest that it isn't.
But scientists should have the right to be involved in euthanasia if they want to be.