PHOTO COURTESY OF THEDAILYBEAST.COM

Wake up, everybody; it is 2014 again and a horrifying video of a public execution just got announced. Oh wait, it’s the big 2026, in the land of the free, America. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the execution of former US Army Major Nidal Hasan, who was convicted for the Fort Hood shooting in 2009, will be broadcast for the public.

​If you do not know what the Fort Hood shooting is, on November 5, 2009, former US Army Major Nidal Hasan shot and killed 13 people and injured 32 others at the Fort Hood military base in central Texas. His reason was opposition to U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, frustration with overseas deployments and ties to radical Islamic extremism.

​He is scheduled to be executed via firing squad on Dec. 3, 2026. Now, I understand what he did was horrible as killing civilians in any capacity is unacceptable. When it comes to certain people, Americans sure like to pick and choose.

​I am not arguing that he should escape punishment. I am questioning the need for an audience. Nothing says “land of the free” quite like having access to an execution video at the comfort of your phone.

​I am not the only one thinking like this. When the statement was put out, many news pages and public officials voiced concerns over botched executions, following Christa Pike’s failed execution by lethal injection, and the death penalty.

​This would be the first execution by firing squad in the US Army since 1945, a method that several states already authorized to put people to death. Whether I believe in the death penalty or not is a conversation for another day, but even then, this is intense and inhumane.

​And if you are wondering what our President has to say about it, he is having doubts about the secretary’s comment. I doubt this because how is he making such a barbaric comment before checking with you in the first place?

​Trump feels uneasy about allowing the public to watch Hasan be executed by firing squad after hearing “negative inputs” from lawmakers and advisers; what a shocker.

​My main opinion is that, yes, Hasan did a bad thing and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. But broadcasting it is unnecessary and should not be allowed.

The comment being made so easily by no less than the US Defense Secretary is shameful, because he holds too much power to be saying something so concerning. Justice is about consequences and accountability, not a Netflix show.

Sources:

​https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-throws-hegseth-under-the-bus-over-execution-stunt

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cmpwg28vrexzo

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm89z7yz7842o

Categories: Opinion