The Daily Dose/January 15, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
HERE WE GO AGAIN: In America’s never-ending quest to execute people, Alabama has received the go-ahead to execute Kenneth Eugene Smith by putting a mask over his face and gassing him to death. The process is called nitrogen hypoxia and has never been used to execute a human in the US.
Dry, Technical Matter: The inmate dies when they exhale carbon dioxide without replenishing oxygen. Smith was condemned for a 1988 murder-for-hire. That conviction was overturned and he was convicted again in 1996.
I’m Outta Here: Smith, also, is one of the few condemned men to walk out of a death chamber alive. In November 2022 he was on the gurney for a lethal injection, which was called off when no one could find a vein.
Not The Verdict He Was Hoping For: On Friday the Alabama Supreme Court turned his appeal that trying to kill him a second time constituted violated the 8th Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Earlier in the week a federal court had turned down his appeal.
The Bottom Line: We are against the death penalty here at your Daily Dose, on the theory that innocent people have been executed and this is enough to shut the entire system down. Smith’s guilt has never been an issue, but we still favor locking him up and throwing away the key because you and me – we the people – deserve better than a state going off half-cocked to kill someone. Life in prison without parole takes killers off the street and saves millions of dollars. All the death penalty is good for is revenge, and we should be better than that.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow is obliged to wait for a snow plower to do his work. Today’s Diary.
…so we started the car and went back into the lobby to wait for Mr Plower to finish his work…This had the added benefit of warming the inside of the car, plus melting the ice off the windshield.
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1777 – What is now the US state of Vermont declares itself an independent republic, taking the name New Connecticutt. A convention in order to free itself from claims from New Hampshire and New York. A convention was held in Windsor, a constitution was later drawn up at a tavern and on June 2 the name of the republic was changed to Vermont. The republic never received diplomatic recognition and was admitted to the Union as the 14th state in 1791.
In 1984 – Martina Navratilova’s record 54-match winning streak comes to an end, with 76-, 3-6, 6-4 loss to Hana Mandlikova in the finals of the Virginia Slims of California tournament in Oakland. Navratilova then went on to break her record with a 74-match winning streak, which included wins in the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open, and ended in the semifinals of the Auatralian Open with a loss to Helena Sukova.
In 1972 – Don McLean is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of four consecutive weeks with American Pie. It was the first of six Top 40 hits for McLean, his first of three Top 10 hits and remains his only #1 song. The song also went to #1 in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s third biggest song of the year. In 2000, a version by Madonna peaked at #29 on the Hot 100.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
The mass never comes up to the standard of its best member, but on the contrary, degrades itself to a level with the lowest.
Henry David Thoreau
Lecture at Concord Lyceum
4/11/1838
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Billboard’s #1 song for 2012 was Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye featuring Kimbra, which spent eight weeks at #1.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Which tennis player holds the men’s record for the longest winning streak? – Answer next time!