Annoyed

First, let me just tell all those people out there that have cute little family stickers in the rear window of your cars: broadcasting your families names to the weirdos in the world is STUPID! Now the predator who lives down the street knows that Mommy’s name is Mary and Daddy's is John, but also that the cute little brown haired girl, of about 6 tender years is Susie. You are GIVING bad people an "in" with your children! I know you tell your kids not to talk to strangers, but are they a "stranger" when they know your name and your mommy’s name and daddy’s name? Little kids can't make that kind of decision. THINK PEOPLE!!!!

Second, our Governator, Arnold has submitted a revised lethal injection plan based on a December 2006 ruling that the current California lethal injection practices may violate the Eighteenth Amendment constituting cruel and unusual punishment. I heard this revised plan (on NPR this morning) described as "allowing the condemned prisoner to die with dignity." I’d like to state for the record, that generally I keep my mind out of the morality of the death penalty. Every time I allow my mind to wander in that direction I end up getting dizzy. I’ve decided I don’t yet have enough input to make a decision on it. On the surface I think the death penalty is justified. In my heart, it makes me uneasy. So I’m stuck.

BUT, I do have plenty of input on death with dignity. I am generally appalled at a society that is concerned about the ease of death of condemned prisoners (murderers) but allows it’s hard working, contributing citizens to slowly die in excruciating pain and misery. We do not extend the same comfort to our human family members that we do to our animals or our prisoners. I watched my grandmother die from cancer. Slowly, painfully, as each of her body systems started to shut down. No amount of morphine she was allowed eased her pain. Not to mention the emotional agony she endured knowing without a doubt that she was dying. She had been a strong, independent woman. She took her last choking breaths in bed, half starved, in a diaper with bedsores. Surely, we should have given her the opportunity to die with dignity. After all, our convicted murderers are given that consideration.