Dirty Dishes	Dirty Dishes Archive

Thanks to the reader who sent news about New York State's move to ban "anal and genital" electrocution of fur animals (think mink, foxes, chinchillas, etc.) that causes a "painful and protracted cessation of life." (The squib sent did not make clear if anal and genital electrocution that was deemed less painful or quicker would still be allowed.)

Legislation sponsor Frank Padavan (R-Queens, N.Y.) said, sensibly, "I draw a very strong correlation between how we treat domestic animals and all animals and how we treat each other."

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Would that Mr. Padavan bring his insight to his party, full of members who advocate execution of prisoners. Indeed, the U.S. Supreme Court's Republican majority just authorized a death-by-injection protocol whereby "doctors" (that is, folks who have medical degrees but have opted to use their training to bring death instead of life) kill humans with painful, caustic injections -- but since the condemned are first given a paralytic agent, onlookers are "spared" having to endure the dying's agonized grimaces, twitches, and screams. Of course, a morphine drip would bring sure, peaceful, and painless death, a reality that makes clear that excruciating pain is part of the executioner's goal. And no doubt, part of the victim's "healing experience."

Perhaps once we stop subjecting farmed mink to needless, lethal brutality, we can consider extending the same concern to humans.