Friday 2 March 2007

THE GREAT FLORIDA WHITE-WASH CAPER - a comedy in one act

THE GREAT FLORIDA WHITE-WASH CAPER - a comedy in one act



After reading the Final Report of the WHITEWASH Commission, my opinion only changes with respect to the Medical Members of the Commission.

(1) I understand the dilemma wrapped around them, and I do not know what I would write if I were on the commission. However:

(2) It should have been clear to all of them that Mr Diaz was in extreme pain,
probably from the first botched intercath insertion. They should have voiced that conclusion if nothing else, which would not have violated any ethical constraints--- fait accompli, obvious conclusion that others (non medical people) were able to make, and their conclusion merely confirmed other people's observations.

(3) Ms Snurkowski's remarks are an oxymoron; the commission was charged with making suggestions on how to improve Florida's killing machine, wasn't it? If that is all that she found wrong, it affirms the whitewash.

4) The Commission made some "good suggestions" but of course cannot be implemented, because they go to the very heart of the issues; it well and good to say that the killer team be better trained. However, who is to train them, an accountant? Implement procedures? They are only interested in form over content. If the [procedures are too rigid, they break down when something goes wrong; if they are too fluid, they allow for easier deviation that can be contraindicated.

a) Page 15 ¶1: "...and the third chemical, potassium chloride to take effect before the first drug, [thiopental] was able to fully take effect..."

This is nonsense; Thiopental® is a first run drug, and takes less than ten seconds to take effect; waiting merely diminishes the desired effect as the drug detaches from the g receptors in the brain, after the first run through the circulation.

I do not think a line-by-line critique is necessary to demonstrate that the report, without the medical input, does not fulfill the Commission's mission, and many of the suggestions cannot be implemented, because there is no one who can ethically train the personnel engaged to do the murder. Having a lawyer or Goon design the procedure is like have a two year old do brain surgery. Any rational person would conclude that Diaz felt pain.

Unfortunately, the problem is not confined to Florida; one Virginia inmate took 40 agonizing minutes to die, and Texas had botched executions as listed on the DPIC web site. If the Goons insist on killing this way, they should at least own up to it, and preserve whatever creditability they might still have. The lies about Diaz's liver and the infiltration occurred after Diaz was dead were a vapid attempt at cover-up. The Commission report failed, and left more questions than before to be covered with a diluted white paint.

G M LARKIN MD
Charlotte NC USA



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