Why have I followed this whole thing so carefully? Because he kept popping up in my Google Alerts because I am vain and Google Alert myself.. It is a strange thing to follow almost daily the progress of your name steadily towards death by the state. Yes, he has an extra last name but still it is disturbing to read
"Christopher Scott Emmett, who had been sentenced to death for the April 2001 murder of John Fenton Langley, 43, was executed at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia, said Department of Corrections spokesman Larry Traylor."I don't want to go on a whole capital punishment thing here – even though go knows I've been thinking about it a lot this week. I think it is wrong, etc.. I also understand the appeal, etc.. Christopher's final appeals were based on lethal injection being cruel and inhumane. I don't know about that. Putting someone to death is pretty cruel and inhumane. Once we have decided that, yes, we are going to execute people, I am kind of the mind that you shouldn't try to sugar coat it and hide it. Seriously, how many people (who haven't listened to me talk about this for the last two weeks) knew that Virginia killed a man last night? Televise it or something. Not as specticle but as facing up to it. "So, we all voted that we are going to take a man's life. We should witness what it is like." Of course, it would become specticle. Somehow humans always turn things into The Running Man. (I've been reading about pirates and Shakespeare and the broad time period between 1500 and 1800 lately. It makes me think we are actually genetically geared towards watching reality television.)
I've been joking about this whole thing a lot in the last week. Because that's how I deal with uncomfortable topics. I think I have offended (or at least disturbed) some of my friends. I was some pleased with Christopher's last words though:
"Tell my family and friends I love them. Tell the governor he just lost my vote. You all hurry this along, I'm dying to get out of here."Okay, not the most original material but I appreciate the effort.
