KLC Lewis wrote:
"Brian Whatcott" wrote in message
...
Richard Casady wrote:

Hanging was invented to be less cruel than boiling in oil or breaking
on the wheel. It achieved that at least.

The state of Utah used to offer the choice of hanging or shooting,
Nobody ever picked hanging.

Casady
I used to think that beheading was barbaric.
By ax, saber or guillotine. And I'm sure it sometimes was - when the
executioner had to take several swipes before the neck was severed.
But a clean cut through the spinal column, specially if the major blood
vessels were severed, was faster than the long drop. I think that was
likely a humane end in the best case.

Brian W

If the end is to devise and use the most humane form of execution, it's hard
to beat nitrogen asphyxiation. The condemned simply falls asleep and dies,
with no sense of panic from CO2 buildup. They don't even have to know it's
coming. Put them in a sealed chamber and gradually replace the oxygen with
nitrogen. They could fall asleep and die watching The Sopranos. The kindest
thing would be to tell them they'll be released in the morning, here's a
special waiting room while we do the paperwork...


Hmmm...this is a strangely topical note. There has been recent police
action directed to a group that sets out to aid the incurables and
unconsolables to end their lives.
The method they adopted was a plastic bag over the intended suicide,
with a stream of helium admitted to it.

The police action centered on the active nature of the assistance - they
assert the helpers were holding down the victims' hands. The helpers
insist they were holding hands with the suicide as a gesture of support.

Brian W