Texas drops special last meal for death row inmates

Originally posted by nixie_nox


Now Texas has the highest rates of capital punishment. A few years ago they even speeded up the process.
Now they are seeking to change the law if necessary to prevent last meals for inmates.
I am not really sure what to think of this. To me, a meal really isn't something to be on a campaign about. I think there are bigger issues to worry about. There have been roughly 1100 people executed in the state of Texas in its history, that isnt enough meals to run a third of the cafeteria for a day.
your thoughts?

www.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Dead is dead, it doesnt matter if their bellies are full or empty. Its not that they wont feed the inmates before they die, they are no longer footing the bill for extavagant meals of these men who have 1 last night on earth.

Originally posted by Howakan
I will say that I pity anyone who is about to die and knows it. Gotta be a horrible feeling.

Indeed. I was once in a situation where I had to risk my life and the chances of coming back weren't very good. Well I guess it just felt like a really bad day, I was sad and p!ssed at the same time. Manageable but a very bad feeling still.

Having said that, I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed some oysters, champagne etc before the departure

Originally posted by Dr Love
reply to post by gabby2011

 

It's not a fair question, and I think you know that.

I KNOW the inmate's gonna die in a matter of hours (barring a stay). I DON'T KNOW that any of these other people you're mentioning are gonna die anytime soon. It's apples and oranges.

I just happen to have a modicum of decency for someone who's living their final hours, I know I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. I'd do the same for anybody in that situation, whether they be on death row or not.

Peace

When i was a child i was often so hungry that I cried when i saw the waste at a pie eating contest on Tv. I would often watch commercials and salivate. There are hungry kids out there and we feed someone who will be dead in an hour, does that make any sense at all.

Quite right. What does someone about to die need a last meal for?

reply to post by nixie_nox


This is my take on the subject. In order for the state to maintain moral high ground in this issue the meals should, in fact, continue. A criminal commits the act(s) of capital crime for various reasons such as greed, insanity, insability, passion. etc.
When the state catches and convicts this person of the crime an sentences them to death then the state, being the ultimate authority in the matter, needs to exhibit a sense of mercy in the matter of taking a life for a life to justify itself as the so called authority. You MUST take the moral high ground to impose the ultimate punishment to the maximum extent that you are able.
This is not to day that a condemned criminal should have the right to orde a $20,000 dollar meal that he does not touch out of spite however. There should be limits to what the condemned can request. This has always been the case, and I suspect there is more to this post that is being told.

Originally posted by calmbutwary
reply to post by gabby2011

 

Whoops. Sorry. I thought I had scanned the replies pretty well.

I wonder if this is the first time this sort of waste was approved. This by no means was a NORMAL meal.

makes you wonder how many times a meal like that was ordered..doesn't it? I mean really who would approve that order? and why?

and I didn't say in the exact words he didn't eat it..I said he ordered what he really didn't want...which is maybe why you overlooked it.

reply to post by Char-Lee

When i was a child i was often so hungry that I cried when i saw the waste at a pie eating contest on Tv. I would often watch commercials and salivate. There are hungry kids out there and we feed someone who will be dead in an hour, does that make any sense at all.

You made me cry reading that post, and you so hit the nail on the head..there are innocent people , hard working people who can't afford to feed their kids..kids who have done nothing wrong.

(sorry .. that picture of you as a kid seeing pie wasted, and being so hungry you cried.. really got to me..)

Having looked at the article, the following thing can be stated:

Both sides are correct in their views of the entire last meal. The side that would say let the prisoner have a last meal, is correct, as the person is condemned to die, and to be executed.

The other side that states, to not let them have a last meal is correct, as they did not show any mercy, did not allow for their victim to have a last meal, should not be granted such a special privilege, as to receive such.

There has to be a balance there, and in this case, a limit on what the person can ask for and receive as a last meal. This person, who asked and got a last meal as part of a special request, what all he asked for was too large and should have never been granted, or a limit on what he can have as part of that meal. To just waste it when so many are going hungry, it not only an insult to the victims family, but also to the tax payers who are struggling to make ends meat and put food on the table. While this is an age old tradition, perhaps it is time to tweak it to where a person is given a limited choice on what he can have, and then go from there.

On a side note, the entire prison and penetary system needs to be overhauled, as it at times seems to be too much luxury towards the prisoners who are there when they are convicted in a court of law, and not enough for them to do actual penance for the crimes that they have committed.

reply to post by sdcigarpig

There has to be a balance there, and in this case, a limit on what the person can ask for and receive as a last meal. This person, who asked and got a last meal as part of a special request, what all he asked for was too large and should have never been granted, or a limit on what he can have as part of that meal. To just waste it when so many are going hungry, it not only an insult to the victims family, but also to the tax payers who are struggling to make ends meat and put food on the table. While this is an age old tradition, perhaps it is time to tweak it to where a person is given a limited choice on what he can have, and then go from there.

This makes a lot of sense..you're whole post did.. and I think limited choices is reasonable.

You touched on some other issues about prisoners, in your post as well..that really make sense.

Originally posted by mikeybiznaz
reply to post by nixie_nox

 

Hang 'um! Hang 'um High!!! so tired of cry babys who dont want to do the time. Go Texas!! Go Arizona!!....and no I dont associate with criminals or walk in their space and time so NO!!! I wont be the innocent guy they put to peaceful blissful sleep. So dont run that argument on me it wont work. Gulag all where it is so cold.



opps!! my bad,,,this is about final porridge .........save the TAX PAYERS money

edit on 23-9-2011 by mikeybiznaz because: added opps!

I doubt Texas tax payers pay hardly a thing for last meals, so you don't have to worry about them saving precious glorious almighty Dollar, she's safe for another day.

In other news, why the hell are you going to deny a human being the right to one last meal, just because this guy let it go to waste? You have to look past the crime that they committed and view them as equals. Would you want to be laying on a cold slab in a 4x4 cold and depressing room knowing that your final hours are upon you and you can't even get a damned decent meal? Seems like this senator just wants to get his ego fluffed by conservative Texans that will most certainly support his actions.

I can totally respect the dude that was executed to an extent though, the way I see it he decided to be a nuisance by ordering a huge meal and letting it go to waste in hopes of pissing at least one person off, which worked. He's got class.
(And don't try telling me "Oh, you respect a guy that murdered someone for fun." I know what he was put on death row for so don't bother lecturing.)

Forgot to add, they should at the most, limit the amount you can order.

Originally posted by Dr Love
This is so corny. The person's gonna die FOR SURE in the next couple hours, let 'em eat (or not eat) whatever the hell they want as far as I'm concerned. Take it outside and give the meal to a homeless person if the inmate doesn't want to eat it

"They" just keep chipping away and chipping away at our moral and ethical fiber as a whole.:shk:

Peace

edit on 23-9-2011 by Dr Love because: (no reason given)

This is true. Next it will be...we think the lethal injection is costing too much...even bullets are not cheap these days so for economic reasons we are going to just slit your throat while you are sleeping to avoid the cost of a painkiller.

reply to post by ThirdMind

In other news, why the hell are you going to deny a human being the right to one last meal, just because this guy let it go to waste? You have to look past the crime that they committed and view them as equals. Would you want to be laying on a cold slab in a 4x4 cold and depressing room knowing that your final hours are upon you and you can't even get a damned decent meal? Seems like this senator just wants to get his ego fluffed by conservative Texans that will most certainly support his actions.

I really don't think any type of meal is what is on their minds...and what they are looking forward to.

No one is saying deny him his last meal..but why does it have to be enough for 10 people?..or anything exotic? If the average joe american isn't eating it, because he can't afford it, what makes this person more worthy?

You say look past the criminal and view them as equals..well if that's the case they can eat mac and cheese like the majority of Americans struggling to pay mortgages,or rent, and rising costs of everything else.

yeah right..the senator wants his ego fluffed..it was mostly likely brought to his attention that staff were allowing ridiculous meals ordered, because they were the ones dining on it in reality. I can't see any other reason why such a ridiculously large order would be approved... but maybe I'm wrong.

I can totally respect the dude that was executed to an extent though, the way I see it he decided to be a nuisance by ordering a huge meal and letting it go to waste in hopes of pissing at least one person off, which worked. He's got class.

Yeah right...your idea of class, and mine are quite different.

Originally posted by lpowell0627
I never understood why they received special, by-request meals anyway.

Did the people they killed get a speical request before they died?

Originally posted by newcovenant

Originally posted by Dr Love
This is so corny. The person's gonna die FOR SURE in the next couple hours, let 'em eat (or not eat) whatever the hell they want as far as I'm concerned. Take it outside and give the meal to a homeless person if the inmate doesn't want to eat it

"They" just keep chipping away and chipping away at our moral and ethical fiber as a whole.:shk:

Peace

edit on 23-9-2011 by Dr Love because: (no reason given)

This is true. Next it will be...we think the lethal injection is costing too much...even bullets are not cheap these days so for economic reasons we are going to just slit your throat while you are sleeping to avoid the cost of a painkiller.

We could go back to the old tried and true method of the victim's relatives stoning them to death. Rocks are still cheap....

Originally posted by nixie_nox

Texas drops special last meal for death row inmates

www.cnn.com

(CNN) -- The hefty last meal ordered but not eaten by an executed Texas inmate brought a complaint from a state senator and the end Thursday to the practice of special menus

(visit the link for the full news article)

Whats wrong with these people. It's hardly worth going out killing these days.

Originally posted by ThirdMind

I doubt Texas tax payers pay hardly a thing for last meals, so you don't have to worry about them saving precious glorious almighty Dollar, she's safe for another day.

I think it is much more cheaper to put a person in prison for life than it is to put them on death row for 15 to 20 years then kill them. Our system is screwed up no matter how you look at it. I say let the person have a limit to repeals, or just do away with the death pentaly and put them in a speical for life prison in isolation. There is no right or good in any of this starting with the person's evil actions that started it all in the first place.

So what do you do? Can't ever have them back safely in society and it is extremely costly process to execute them not to mention prison for life is costly in its own right.

Originally posted by Xtrozero

Originally posted by newcovenant

Originally posted by Dr Love
This is so corny. The person's gonna die FOR SURE in the next couple hours, let 'em eat (or not eat) whatever the hell they want as far as I'm concerned. Take it outside and give the meal to a homeless person if the inmate doesn't want to eat it

"They" just keep chipping away and chipping away at our moral and ethical fiber as a whole.:shk:

Peace

edit on 23-9-2011 by Dr Love because: (no reason given)

This is true. Next it will be...we think the lethal injection is costing too much...even bullets are not cheap these days so for economic reasons we are going to just slit your throat while you are sleeping to avoid the cost of a painkiller.

We could go back to the old tried and true method of the victim's relatives stoning them to death. Rocks are still cheap....

Maybe it is not for us to kill them? How is that protecting society? That is making animals out of society.

reply to post by nixie_nox


i wonder if they'd give me a bottle of jack and a 6pk of schweppes ginger ale.


who the heck wants to eat at a time like that?

Originally posted by Carseller4
Not against last meal requests.

I am against it taking 20+ years for them to receive it.

you got that right!

en.wikipedia.org... (last meal history)

i knew it was traditional in the states but

seems to be a wide spread practice, tho.


there goes my jack, maybe.

reply to post by DaMod


If someone takes away someone I love, your damn sure I wont want them to get any "last meal"

Your kidding right ?