Someone needs to remind Florida state Rep. Brad Drake, (R-Eucheeanna) that it's 2011 and not 1800.
It might be hard to give him the message, though, given Drake's affinity for all things antique. Reaching him on a cellphone or via email might be futile.
One has to wonder if Drake believes computers are the work of the devil or that camera phones steal your soul.
How long did it take Drake to draft his latest piece of legislation on his typewriter?
According to his latest bill, Drake believes the best way to rid the state of Florida of all the controversy surrounding lethal injections is to do away with the practice altogether.
No, Drake is not against the death penalty; he just prefers more "traditional" methods.
Not only does Drake want to bring back the electric chair, or "Old Sparky" as he calls it, he wants to give prisoners the option of death by electrocution or, if they are feeling adventurous, death by firing squad.
Gee, the options are so good, how do you pick which one to take?
Instead of a cocktail of drugs, Drake would like to see death row inmates get a "lead cocktail."
Well, that's not entirely true.
According to an interview with the Florida Current, Drake's execution method of choice would be just to "throw them off the Sunshine Skyway bridge and be done with it."
The Eighth Amendment talks about cruel and unusual punishment, not cruel and unusual execution.
All kidding aside, Drake's proposal would put an already problematic system in an even worse state.
Whether one supports it or not, one cannot argue that the death penalty does not deserve great sensitivity and scrutiny by lawmakers and the public.
The system, although there are many appeals processes through which a convicted death row inmate can go, is not always perfect.
As of 2010, 138 death row inmates were found innocent or pardoned in light of new evidence, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
While not a huge number, given the population of those currently on death row (about 3,250 as of January 2011), even one exception should make proponents and opponents question the ability of our justice system to rightfully determine guilt.
That being said, firing squads, like electrocution, are extremely inefficient. People have survived both, which is a strong reason for ending each practice.
How Drake casually discusses the killing of people should frighten everyone, especially those in his district.
If an executed inmate is later found to be innocent, what recourse is there for politicians like Drake?
