Death As An Administrative Procedure?

I am not against the death penalty.  I believe that there are some persons who are so evil, their crime so heinous that society cannot rationally let them survive.  That being said, I think using death as a sentence is something that should be done with extreme caution.  Society and the state should not take the ending of a human life lightly, rather as a very serious matter worthy of some very serious thought.  A jury who is deliberating a capitol case should be 100% sure beyond a reasonable doubt that the person they convict is guilty of the crime they are accused of.  A judge should be absolutely certain that imposing death is the only way to ensure that the person will not cause further harm to society.  A persons ability to harm other inmates or prison officials should also be taken into account before one rushes into imposing a life sentence as an alternative to death.    I would even go so far as to propose that the financial risks vs. benefits of the death penalty should not even be discussed.  I have a very high regard for human life and I don’t like the idea of using dollars to quantify killing or not killing someone.

In the specific case of Ronnie Lee Gardner who, at the time this post is published is scheduled to die in 1 hour and 13 minutes, I am in favour of him being executed.  I wont take the time to get into the merits of using a firing squad, I think its irrelevant given that Mr. Gardner choose this method.  I think the State of Utah has made a good case against Mr. Gardner and he has been afforded every opportunity to make his own case.  I think the Utah State Prison has done a very good job of handling the media and security aspects of this execution; in particular I think the prison spokesperson, Mr. Steve Gehrke has been very cordial and professional during his press conferences to this point.  I admire the prison officials for the apparent humane way in which they are treating Mr. Gardner during his last hours in allowing him access to his family, his clergy and some snacks.  Though I am not saddened by Mr. Gardner’s pending departure from this Earth, I am saddened that this situation has led to a loss of life, Mr. Gardner’s included.  Provided that his execution not be stayed, may he rest in peace.