Archie has a vinyl dog coat, quite colourful and with the admonition, ‘Just Chew It’ in big letters on the back. Some people might think it’s a bit kitsch but I think it’s quite clever, referring as it does to the famous Nike motto, Just Do It.
I wonder how many people know that Nike took the inspiration
for their motto from the last words of a convicted murderer. Gary Gilmore was the first man executed in
America after the ultimate penalty for murder was restored to the statute books
in 1976. It is said, on the day of his
execution, he had some food and something to drink, stood up and said to the
guards, “Let’s do it!” He was shot by
firing squad. Firing Squad is one of the
options you can choose; others include hanging, electric chair or lethal injection.That would be a harder decision than choosing which burger to have at Maccas.
Since then, there have been 1543 executions carried out in that country, not all by firing squad; the vast majority (1261) were in southern states and 573 in Texas alone. There have been only 4 executions in the north-eastern states in that period. The latest US execution was of Gilbert Postelle on 17th February, 2022, in Oklahoma County. He was 18 years old at the time of his offence and intellectually impaired.
The website where I found this information (The Death Penalty Information Center) also has data on upcoming executions so that people can plan their holidays to be in the right place at the right time. March 8th will be a special day in Texas when Michael Gonzales meets his maker. Afficionados know it’s usually a good bet to head south if you’re planning on sitting outside the jail when an execution is taking place and Texas is always worth a visit.
I thought at first that this was a fan site where proponents of the death penalty could get their kicks but, apparently, it’s there to alert people to the barbarous way that some American states treat their citizens. It certainly made me sit up and take notice.
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