Talking Heads

The execution of Saddam Hussein's 2-i-c rather makes the point about the death penalty that I have been trying not to pontificate about.
In the course of the execution his head came apart from his body.
The official spokesman (in all seriousness) assured the news conference...

"I want to assure you the rope did not break, the head just (sic) became separated from the body"

If we had any doubts about the barbarism of the death penalty this should dispel them. This little encounter demonstrates how our perceptions get twisted, and we begin to rationalise the irrational and defend the indefensible.
One only has to read Stephen King's "The Green Mile" which has 3 or 4 well crafted descriptions of executions in the electric chair ( which are clearly based on real-life accounts) to realise that it is nopt a sanitary affair, and indeed unnecessarily cruel.
Oh, how arrogant we are if and when we think we can be masters and mistresses of God's domain