r/askanything • u/icecream1972 • 1d ago
Political Question Do you think it is barbaric to livestream an execution by firing squad?
Will you try to watch it?
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u/unaskthequestion 1d ago
When the Taliban did it it was condemned as barbaric by most of the world
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 23h ago
The US is also being condemned as barbaric by most of the world.
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u/No_Escape4998 1d ago
Didn’t isis do something familiar?
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u/okeysure69 1d ago
They do, and still do. If we do this we are no better.
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u/No_Escape4998 1d ago
I feel like this could turn into like Rome was making, a audience of blood hungry people watching for the colosseum for fun
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u/PeyredB 1d ago edited 14h ago
It's something we stopped doing decades ago and for good reason, along with all other developed countries. Now we're making a public spectacle of it again, just like other oppressive dictatorships like Iran and NKorea.
For the record, I don't have a problem with us executing this SOB, and I'm glad he's finally paying for his crimes. But the comments I've seen online where people are ravening to see this? That's just sick.
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u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 1d ago
There are movies that show actual deaths, I have no desire to see any of it. I don't understand those people who do.
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u/ButtStopsHere 1d ago
I mean it's not like they staged UFC Freedom 250 at the White House or anything...
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u/Last_Bus_1264 1d ago
Where are you seeing comments about people excited to see it? No exaggeration, I have not seen any comments about anyone that has said anything positive about it being livestreamed
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u/Ok_Appointment7522 1d ago
I have. In the Aussie sub, of all places. I assume they're just bots going on about how dare our government try to tell them what they can and can't watch
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u/Kiiaru 23h ago
/ conservative. I'd link their post to it but idk if that's allowed on this sub
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u/Short-Hotel7648 1d ago
Yes it is. The argument in favor I keep hearing is that Islamic theocracies do it all the time.
Is that what we want to be like?
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u/UX1Z 22h ago
Your secretary of defence is a Christian Nationalist.
So yes, unironically. This is a step towards a Christian Theocracy that is effectively just one of the Islamic ones with slightly different paint. That is what they want.
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u/After_Perspective180 20h ago
War. They have a secretary of War.
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u/UX1Z 20h ago
He insists on calling himself secretary of War but I refuse to honour the bloviating war criminal's wishes. But yes, it's an additional useful note on what they're like.
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u/Accurate_Ad_3233 3h ago
"a Christian Nationalist."
That's gotta be the biggest oxymoron of 2026. :)
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u/ItsCalledDayTwa 21h ago
Who would have thought that ultra conservative christo-fascists and ultra conservative Islamic extremists had a lot of overlapping ideas, other than everybody ever?
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u/No_Effective1715 1d ago
Give it a year or two and we will have gladiator battles in the White House Coliseum.
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u/One_Breadfruit_301 23h ago
You have already executed Renee Good and Alex Pretti on camera.
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u/chbb 22h ago
We already had: UFC match on White House lawn
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u/Mammoth-Record-7786 18h ago
Roosevelt used to host boxing matches in the White House, he even got in the ring.
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u/Sandy-Eagle-3273 14h ago
That sort of already happened. Or did you miss the mixed martial arts on the Whitehouse lawn?
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u/Huge-Version-1368 9h ago
Normal people don’t like to watch snuff. It’s kind of weird that some of the administration figures don’t get that.
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u/Plastic-Molasses-549 2h ago
An impressionable 17-year-old Christopher Lee witnessed the last public execution by guillotine in France, and then embarked on a legendary career in horror.
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u/OLacAlmost 1d ago edited 8h ago
The original post content no longer exists here. The author used Redact to remove it, exercising their right to control their data & privacy.
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u/rsgbc 1d ago
Saudi Arabia does too.
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u/Outlandish_Gringo 1d ago
I can attest to this. Been to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and they have a place called “Chop Chop Square”. Hands/Arms/Beheadings/Stonings all take place there - publicly
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u/ColdDesertEagle 23h ago
They're normalizing it, getting the public to accept it. You should be asking who they're going to execute next, and next, and next, and next...maybe eventually it'll be Biden or Obama or whoever he hates the most at that time
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u/OldBlueKat 1d ago
Yes it’s barbaric. If they do it, I will not watch.
But if they DO livestream it, I hope DJT does watch, and someone gets footage of his reaction.
That, I’ll watch.
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u/mjdl92 1d ago
What reaction do you expect from him? He's a psychopath, he doesn't feel a thing when stuff happens to others.
A person collapsed on one of his Mar a Lago parties and Trump was pissed about the blood on his marble floor. Couldn't care less about the person.
Unless the execution takes place in his new ballroom or in the oval office, he won't feel a thing watching it.
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u/pockels42 1d ago
Definitely echoes of Saddam Hussein. If the government likes this association, it really says more about them than it does about the prisoners actions.
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u/OnkelSchmutzig 1d ago
They're going to wheel this paralyzed man out in a wheelchair and Pete the Preening Prick is going to film his body being riddled with bullets. It's both barbaric and weak.
Christian Nationalism is a cancer and should be excised from the halls of government with extreme prejudice.
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u/inmatenumberseven 1d ago
I don't know about barbaric, but I know that the only countries that have public executions are dictatorships.
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u/SecretOrganization60 1d ago
Serves no purpose.
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u/PlanetaryPickleParty 1d ago
It does though..... Entertainment for the sadists. Desensitization and a warning for everyone else.
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u/proactivecaptive 1d ago
It is the most sick and cringeworthy suggestion ever made by an American president and his cabinet members. What a bunch of perverted, psycho fuckheads!
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u/beenknowntosuckcock 1d ago
Just another way for society to devalue human life. Whip the violent folks into a frenzy. Where headed for Madmax and thunderdome.
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u/86triesonthewall 1d ago
This is what you people voted for.
Ever see the movie idiocracy? Terry Crews as president? Dax Shepherd as a lawyer? One of the Wilson brothers main character? Watch and you’ll see it was just a documentary 👏
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u/Subject_Rabbit1073 1d ago
Makes him a martyr and gives propaganda to help train the next generation of radicals. We need to be better than that.
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u/astroaxolotl720 1d ago
Yes. I think capital punishment is barbaric, and should be abolished. This is extra barbaric, with bonus points for public live-streaming.
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u/Money-Sundae-1519 1d ago
It's a direct threat to the population. It says that the government can kill with impunity. It is saying out loud it can kill any one of us.
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u/Edmsubguy 1d ago
Absolutely. It is nothing but bread and circuses and stupid people will fall for it
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u/j_rooker 1d ago
this country has de-evolved since that fat orange pedo came down the elevator.
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u/GoslingIchi 22h ago
It's exceedingly barbaric and I won't watch soldiers shoot a paralyzed man in a wheelchair.
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u/MagnetAccutron 18h ago
Of course it’s barbaric.
No civilized nation should be doing this. Oh, it’s America. I’ll get my coat.
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u/No_Cow5153 2h ago
I think this is one of those things that a bunch of posturing tough guy weirdos think sounds cool and tough, but ultimately a lot of people have a hard time even thinking too hard about where grocery store meat comes from.
If it really happens, it isn’t going to go over well, no matter how much it’s maybe meant to be a threat to the rest of us/the military in case of revolt. But I also think it’s probably one of those things that’s ostentatiously in poor taste and uncomfortable on purpose for the media frenzy of it all, which happens any time too many people are unhappy with the government in the same way. I’m not really pro-death penalty anyway, but if he’s going to be executed anyway, the difference between live stream public and more private regular style are mostly philosophical, you know? But it sure would be awful to be someone that knows and cares about him.
Regardless, I’m not going to watch it because I don’t really want to, just like I’ve never been one to seek out snuff films.
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u/numbersthen0987431 1d ago
It's immoral, and anyone who watches it is immoral.
A lot of people who watch it are going to be shocked from how gross it is, and those who aren't gross are going to be disappointed at how unsatisfying it is.
No one wins.
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u/NotACockroach 1d ago
I think the death penalty is inherently barbaric. I think these kinds of things reveal the barbarism.
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u/TraditionalPhone3992 1d ago
It’s a pro-Republican election ad paid for by American taxpayers.
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u/SaltySelkie217 1d ago
First, I have no sympathy for that terrorist. That being said, live streaming the execution of an old man in a wheelchair is going to recreate him as a martyr, & inspire more violence.
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u/PalgraveParadise 1d ago
Did you think watching the Taliban beheading people was barbaric?
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u/Icy_Schedule_2052 1d ago
Yes, I think it is absolutely barbaric and overall I believe it is a new low for this administration. I will not be watching nor will anyone in my house.
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u/PhantomAmethyst0 22h ago
I would advice anyone from saying yes. Reddits automated bots will issue you a warning for approving violence. Happened with me when i answered a question about military aggression, saying that fighting back is one of the options. Appeal was denied.
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u/RichardBlastovic 22h ago
It's the moment America as a concept is dead. There is no more to say about this.
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u/Clio_Vita 22h ago
I think murder is barbaric. I believe in the death penalty for it.
I think the victim's family and friends should have the right to see justice done.
I'm more sanguine about the usefulness of public executions, and worry about creating martyrs among different groups of fanatics. No, it's not something I want or intend to watch. YMMV
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u/RubCocksWithThePope 19h ago
I think it was far more barbaric for an army major to murder 12 of his fellow soldiers, one of whom was pregnant, in the name of allah.
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u/Package_Objective 18h ago
Yes its barbaric, no I will not watch, however I hope many people in this administration and the Epstein Files face the same fate by the same new rules the just came up with. It's just justice after all, right?
The world is sick and if you're rich they let you do anything so that's probably not going to happen
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u/MyGruffaloCrumble 17h ago
The guy’s guilty af, but killing him is exactly what he wants, and by firing squad in his eyes makes his death even more worthy of reward in the afterlife.
Put it on television too? It’s going to be like jihadist Super Bowl Sunday.
This administration is dumb as shit.
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u/LikesToTravel53 17h ago
Definitely barbaric and is in line with the values of the current administration and all those who support the GOP.
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u/Massive_Tradition176 15h ago
I think it's stupid to livestream the creation of a martyr as it is very likely to serve as a recruiting tool for bad actors.
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u/nightfall2021 7h ago
It is performative.
It is not justice.
It serves no purpose but to tickle the hate boners of those who want to hurt people.
This guy murdered like a dozen people.
He deserves the chair.
Let him be executed in a dark room with no one watching, otherwise he will become a symbol of the victory the people who think like him have brought.
The people who attacked the US on 9/11 did it to threaten our way of life.
Since then, America has become a place ruled by fear and outrage.
We are only proving that they won.
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u/Golf38611 2h ago
Put it on pay-per-view. Give the proceeds to the families of the people he killed!!! I’ll pay and watch!! BTW - retired military.
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u/MajorDrain 1d ago
It not in line with current American values in my opinion.
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u/CumPacketGuy 1d ago
As of 2024 US elections, it is very much in line with American values.
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u/SourceStrong9403 1d ago
In what way? Seems pretty in line with the values of the administration that was voted in….
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u/almost-ready-2026 18h ago
The administration does not get to define our values.
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u/Melodic_Side_9437 19h ago
People seem to call for the public execution of pedophiles a lot. And lots were upset that Osama’s body was buried at sea and not dragged through nyc.
By and large, the US is a lot more barbaric than we’d like to think of ourselves.
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u/57Laxdad 18h ago
Bin Ladens body was not put on display etc to prevent shrines and memorials and additional targets for radicals to attack. His burial at sea served the same purpose, no temple, no memorial, no shrine. If we dragged his body through NYC that makes us no better than him or other radicals.
I dont think people want public execution for pedos they just want them killed, which if you let the gen pop in a prison know the pedo will not be alive much longer.
Our values are defined by how we interact with those around us, how we treat others and ourselves.
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u/ah5178 17h ago
Osama's burial at sea in line with an Islamic burial was also the right thing to do in order not to inflame further tensions. Americans working in Islamic countries were having their lives put in danger every time some attention-seeking prick publicly burned a Koran from the safety of the US.
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u/myenemy666 2h ago
As a non-American from my perspective it is definitely in line with their values.
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u/Ok-Try-857 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think it’s horrifying and they’re psychopaths.
This is in direct violation of the 8th amendment. “nor any cruel and unusual punishment be afflicted”
Here’s something more specific: Cruel Punishments: It forbids torture, physical abuse, barbaric execution methods, and any sentence that is grossly disproportionate to the crime committed.
These oath(s) breaking traitors need to step down/be removed.
I wish the real military would step in and put a stop to all this by arresting politicians who break their oath. Then a list of the amendments/times they broke their oath would be read out loud
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u/ImpressiveRecording2 1d ago
Will be an excellent recruitment pitch for the next terrorist. Look what footage of Waco did with Timothy McVeigh...
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u/Natural-Albatross997 1d ago
I don’t even like to watch UFC type of fights. Just seems wrong. Boxing never bothered me though so I guess we all have our line in the sand.
Ultimately I think televising this type of thing promotes violence. For example, I realize we can’t keep it out of the news, but I feel like we’d have fewer mass shootings if the news wasn’t allowed to show it.
When Charlie Kirk was shot a friend showed me the video that went viral minutes after. I was like “why would you show me that? You should probably stop showing people. There’s no way he survived that and it’s disgusting.”
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u/Spargonaut69 1d ago
Yes, and what will make it even worse is that they'll probably make a huge spectacle out of it, like they'll roll the guy out to AC/DC's "Highway to Hell", have fireworks and pyrotechnics, military flyovers, and the thing will be sponsored by draft kings.
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u/neverallornothing 1d ago
Let's not forget that he will be seated in a wheelchair. Just to dial up the barbarism that much more.
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u/Born-Gur-1275 1d ago
In this day and age, a firing squad shooting a man who is now in a wheelchair is barbaric, cruel, and obscene. Hegseth is no better than Isis.
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u/0rganicMach1ne 1d ago
Yes. If this happens it will set a dangerous precedent and show how fall this country has fallen.
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u/weHaveThoughts 1d ago
No one should be watching someone in a wheel chair get executed by many bullets at the same time. It will make most people sick.
And yes it is insanely barbaric and the footage will be used against the United States for next 100 years and will most likely lead to terrorist attacks against the United States.
The footage will definitely be used by terrorist organizations to show how barbaric the USA is.
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u/Adis_Gruntledfatty 1d ago
Literally doing anything but watching state sponsored executions from shithole countries
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u/Unlikely_Jockey 1d ago
I'm going to try and go to the execution via a request to the Post Commander.
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u/DontKnowWhereItsBeen 1d ago
My concern would be the televised martyring of an a-hole that most of Islam never heard of and making the guy the equvalent of a Saint.
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u/nsrvvrgm2b 1d ago
Yes it is barbaric. It’s sick. I would never want to watch someone be killed. It bothers me that children may see this most importantly.
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u/Legitimate_Peach3135 1d ago
Yes. End of discussion. If we live for spectacles we are the spectacle. Do it like normal and don’t give this person anymore attention
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u/Tavernknight 1d ago
No i won't watch it.
But maga loves a violent spectacle so that is why it is happening.
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u/HourApprehensive7754 1d ago
Probably not as itll probably be at an inconvenient time. But i hope its atleast recorded so we can watch it in case we missed it
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u/WhereBaptizedDrowned 1d ago
If it were another person that was well known to be a child rapist and swindled American money from taxpayers
I’d pay to watch
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u/Hamiltoncorgi 1d ago
Yes. It's barbaric. It should not happen ZERO good will come from this. Children will see this.
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u/DarkAngel900 1d ago
People on Reddit used to say "We should start televised Glad**tor games using inmates from pr**ons so often, Reddit banned the concept.
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u/Blank3k 22h ago
Pretty vile to live stream a firing squad execution.
But I gather the guy is paralysed & rumours he is unresponsive too, so basically theyll be live streaming shooting a guy wheel chair, and potentially a vegetable in a wheel chair.
When it comes to a bad image I think America takes the crown if they do stream it, I understand the execution itself and I support the death penalty but yeah, it should be something done behind closed doors.
Especially when the trump regime blames everything they possibly can for corrupting children etc, then they want to live stream that? Jeez.
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u/sexless_vampire 22h ago
Abs FUCKING loutely.. Before you know it,we'll be having roman gladiator style battles in the White house collesium. We who are about to die salute you 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢
Yes,it's Barbaric,horrific, disgustingly despicable. Etc
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u/Ornery-Hand1473 22h ago
It will very likely leak out across the internet and traumatize the youth. My first memory of being truly traumatized was the first time I was exposed to gore/death on the internet
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u/Training_Wonder_5066 22h ago
Yes it's barbaric, and it's going to lead to pay-per-view events that will encourage those that want infamy to go out and commit more crime.
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u/Promature 21h ago
Yes, this is indeed barbaric and beneath what this country stands for. No, I will not be watching it and I hope virtually no one does.
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u/Mirawenya 21h ago
Yes it’s barbaric, no, will not watch it.
I have nothing but disdain for anyone that would enjoy watching something like that. Absolutely ghoulish.
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u/DarkTowerOfWesteros 19h ago
"We was Americans once! This isn't how Americans act! Now you're just going along with it because some murdering freak in cowboy boots told you to?" - The Stand
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u/DooficusIdjit 17h ago
The firing squad is barbaric. The streaming is virtue signaling political theater for imbeciles.
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u/Don_Barzinni 17h ago
Its a foolish thing to do. It gives the guy the big martyr status he wants. Do it quietly
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u/OriginalDao 17h ago
Yes, it’s barbaric. No one needs to observe someone being killed. It serves no purpose.
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u/GH88-PNW 2h ago
Nope. And, it’s not for US, it’s for the terrorists.
You betray our country and wear a terrorist uniform. Come onto our military base and commit a terrorist attack… these people need a visual reminder of what will happen.
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u/SuperVegito559 2h ago
Public executions used to be a whole show. People left their houses to watch in a Coliseum.
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u/auburn2eugene 2h ago
Absolutely not. I think there should be more public executions. There would be far less violence in this country.
I think they should dip the bullets in pig lard and have an all female firing squad
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u/Oregon-outdoors2358 1d ago
It’s barbaric, sick, macabre but that is what MAGA is -their bloodlust is so great, they will only be happy if Trump holds gladiator games to the death on the White House lawn for them. Sick macabre disturbing reprehensible.
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u/Certain_Return_6274 1d ago edited 1d ago
Trump is a monster. I would not be surprised if Trump somehow makes money off of this broadcast. We are starting to look like a third world country run by a dictator. If this execution is broadcasted a lot of people will never look at this country the same way ever again. We have already lost most of our dignity because of trump and the cowards that surround him and if that is broadcasted publicly it will cement our fate.
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u/Geezerglide1 1d ago
Kennedy, Kirk, are just two people I saw shot and killed on major television stations, so having the Ft. Hood murderer's execution on an obscure web site is fine with me.
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u/Grand-Cup-A-Tea 22h ago
This shouldn't even have to be asked. It's fucking deplorable regardless of the crime committed. It's not who we are. Plus it's a cop out.
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u/MSampson1 17h ago
Yeah, it doesn’t really serve any purpose other than making the US look like assholes
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u/sturmkraehr 1d ago
My main issue isn’t the barbarism (yeah, it’s barbaric) but I was a firefighter for over 30 years. I’ve seen a lot of people die, and seen a lot of trauma. Sometimes I just have to close my eyes and I can vividly relive any of these events even without choosing to. Back in the day I laughed it off. Sometimes I walked into scenes just to see what was going on and didn’t really need to. When someone tells you that you can’t unsee something they are saying something profound. They might not know it. Hell, you won’t know it either. It’s exciting. 40 years later? It’s not exciting. I wish I could turn it off. Do yourself a favor. If they televise this travesty don’t watch it unless there is a bonafide need to.