Appellate Law

Who will be first to liveblog an execution

By S. COTUS

We liveblog trials and oral arguments.  Why not an execution?  Iran and the US both work to kill people with as much pageantry as possible. 

Iran, while utilizing a fairly secretive judicial system feels it has nothing to hide and executes people in public so that their citizenry can decide for themselves if killing by government bureaucrats is a good thing or not.

The US, while it has a slightly more open judicial system is virtually and a fairly robust press, is virtually paralyzed with fear that if the general public were to actually witness a killing by government servants that they might change their mind.  Therefore, like Iran?s judicial system, state-sponsored killing are sealed.

In Iran they gather all the people around to a public area and kill 30 or so people.  In the US, we release .pdfs affirming death sentences and accuse each other of ?judicial activism.?  The .pdfs often contain pop culture references to show that the presiding judges are hip.  A good time is had by all.  The Victims Rights Industry fills their coffers.

Iran and the US both have bloggers.  One of them is bound to be able to figure out a way to liveblog the beautiful pageantry of the killing of one of our own.  I don?t know if it is legal yet in the US despite the above-mentioned First Amendment (in Iran, I assume that it is).

China uses a ?#1 Happy Execution Bus" a/k/a "Death Cab for Executie."

While I am sure that the liveblogger will have to bring their computer in a laptop bag, they should be careful that it doesn?t resemble a bowling bag.

Full post as published by Appellate Law and Practice on August 04, 2008 (boomark / email).