This reflection was originally posted on September 2, 2016. Since then, the Supreme Court of the United States has denied Mr. Broom’s request to stay the second execution. 

“First, the punishment must not involve the unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain.” Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153, 173 (1976) (reinstating the death penalty in the United States).

Regardless of the abject cruelty necessary to send somebody to be “humanely killed” by the same staff who spend 138 minutes trying to kill him in 2009, let me remind you again that the Ohio Supreme Court, which divided 4-3 on this issue, contains SIX Republicans and one Democrat elected to THREE-year terms. Three seats are up this election; the Democrats have chosen not to run a single candidate against the incumbent Republican chief judge in a presidential year.

You want a revolution? I want a revelation.