How Cruel and Unusual is Death?

Why does the State have Authority to Kill Civilian Citizens?

Two things happened this week that may have caught your attention. Virginia killed off that DC Sniper who terrorized citizens of Virginia, Md and the District by literally taking potshots from his car at random people just pumping gas or being in the wrong place. Secondly, Ohio tried to lethally inject someone but after multiple attempts at jabbing to unsuccessfully find his vein had to reprieve and try later- at which point Ohio determined that they would not go for the three shot "cocktail" but use one "more humane" shot to knock someone off. This is reported on page A10 of today's NYT.

No hue and cry except from a few veiled weeping spiritual widows of Muhammad the Sniper was heard castigating the injustices of the death penalty--- because a large number of people think if anyone deserved it-this guy did.

But that goes to the heart of the question- does anyone deserve it- and if anyone does, does the State have the right to inflict it. Do they have jurisdiction to take a life, even a really bad one?

The 8th Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits government from inflicting "cruel or unusual punishment." Gone are the racks, the thumb screws, the stockades, public floggings, etc. But not gone are jabbing with needles for lethal injections that kill off a prisoner, electrocution while strapped to a frying chair and in some cases, even facing a firing squad.

Is Death more or less "cruel" than thumb screws? Is death more or less "cruel" than public flogging? Is it more or less "unusual" to strap someone with thick leather straps to a frying chair and shoot electric charges through them until their hair singes and their nerves fry-to death.

This question is long settled for the bulk of the rest of the civilized world.
How civilized are we really?

I submit that a discussion over whether a three cocktail series of injections to first paralyze someone before killing them or just one that is used for euthanizing animals to death is more "humane" is such an oxymoronic question that it ranks among the most absurd ever debated in public policy.