Original Article: Crime and (Capital) Punishment

The death penalty was in the news again in March because of Utah Governor Gray Herbert’s decision to pass a bill allowing the death penalty to be carried out by firing squad in the absence of lethal injection drugs.

This is troubling to those against capital punishment across the United States. In 2011, European manufacturers refused to sell lethal injection drugs to American states who would use them for executions as previously discussed in Crime and (Capital) Punishment.

This law shows the lengths which state governments will go to after botched lethal injections caused questions on the news, Utah is one of multiple other states to rethink execution methods. Some states simply cut back on the amount of executions they had while others, like Utah, are changing the method of execution. These states like Florida, Texas, Missouri, Georgia, and Oklahoma (to name a few) are thinking of turning to methods like the electric chair, gas chambers, and hanging along with the firing squad.

Law makers claim that the firing squad is more humane than lethal injection. Republican representative Paul Ray, sponsor of the bill, says it is a more humane form of execution, however, Randy Lee Gardner, brother of Ronnie Lee Gardner who was the last inmate to choose firing squad over lethal injection in 2010, says that “There’s no humane way to execute anyone.”

Surprisingly, firing squads only went out of use 10 years ago. Utah gave death row inmates the choice to be executed via lethal injection or firing squad if they were convicted before. Utah state representative Paul said, “We would love to get the lethal injection worked out so we can continue with that but if not, now we have a backup plan.”

Original Article: Shakespeare Lied!

King Richard III was buried properly for the first time since his death in 1485 – seven years before Columbus sailed for America. Found under a car park and identified as Richard III two years ago, he was formally reinterred in Leicester, England in the Leicester Cathedral on March 26.

The procession of Richard’s casket was on Sunday, March 22. 35,000 people turned up to watch the horse-drawn hearse on its parade/procession. People stood in crowds of five people deep to get a chance to see the remains of the dead king, the street was filled with white roses which people threw at the coffin. The white roses symbolize the house of York, Richard’s house, and of the War of the Roses in which Richard died.

This procession is redemption from Richard’s first burial where his naked body was strewn across the back of a horse and subject to public abuse before disappearing until it was found in 2012. Another redemption is the re-examination of Richard’s reign instead of the Shakespeare version. Cardinal Nichols said, “The fashion for reconstructionist biographies in which saints can become villains and villains can become saints.”

The funeral on Thursday, March 26, was attended by many famous people like the Countess of Wessex, the Duke of Gloucester, and actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Benedict Cumberbatch has been named by genealogists as a third cousin, 16 times removed of Richard III. He will also be starring in a television series called “The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses” where he will play King Richard. Cumberbatch read a poem specially written for the reburial by Britain’s poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy.

Queen Elizabeth II was not at the service which was slightly questionable. Although making it clear via social media how important this occasion was, she was notably absent from the occasion. News officials say she is wary of validating a man (although long dead) whose actions question her and her predecessors claim to the throne.