If the Trump administration goes through with its proposed execution livestream, America will adopt a practice it has condemned abroad: making a person’s death a public spectacle. The Pentagon announced that Nidal Hasan, convicted of the Fort Hood killings, would face a firing squad with the public watching online.
The Taliban gather crowds in stadiums to witness executions. Our proposed version would deliver the spectacle through a screen, potentially reaching a worldwide audience. The technology is different; the decision to make killing a public display bears an uncomfortable resemblance.
Hasan’s crimes were horrific. His victims and their families deserve justice, but broadcasting his death would add a spectacle to the punishment. What exactly would Americans learn by watching a firing squad kill a prisoner?
The last widely recognized public execution in the United States occurred in 1936. Apparently, making America great again may include reviving practices Americans spent decades leaving behind.
Trump is reportedly still considering whether to permit the livestream, so this remains a proposal. He should reject it: a government that claims moral superiority ought to demonstrate some restraint when deciding whether to invite the world to watch someone die.
