Twitter Used to Announce Criminal Execution

[codemartin]

As for as tweeting while "on the job" much like being on the job as long as he was professional about it, I see no reason why not. I read the tweet, no chat l33t speak. The tweet in question was professional, why can't he tweet about it.

 

[Saerain]

Mythologies with afterlives sure make it easier to pretend revenge is justice, don't they?

 

[Treblaine]

Just disgusting. Both the tweeting and the execution.

I hope JaredXE is never accused of murder and has to defend himself in the wonderful US system. Otherwise, we'll see if he still likes states with the balls to execute "criminals" (yeah, it was a clear case this time, but the number of executions of wrongly accused people keeps rising).

Wait, are you saying you find using twitter - for anything - is as disgusting as you find capital punishment? Or just the combination?

(PS: it takes more than "accusation" of murder, this is not slander, there at least needs to be SOME evidence that they committed a crime. Prosecutors don't like to take cases to trial they will lose)

 

[Jack_Uzi]

I don't understand the whole twitter thing. On one hand we are talking about how much of our privacy has corroded, on the other, we happily seem to twitter about all kinds of stuff. Could someone please explain, what is the reason for it?

*Edit. OT: They should stop making these executions into more of a show than it already is.

 

[Jumplion]

To be honest I find such a thing highly unprofessional and slightly ludicrous; he's almost treating this highly serious, and, as stated, morally grey area like a game. The fact he'd go out of his way to post on Twitter, of all things, that he'd ordered another person to death makes you question his character - his tweet seems almost of a bragging nature.

I agree with this completely, whether or not you agree with Capital Punishment, tweeting someone's death, especially if you're the guy who's sentencing him to death is completely unprofessional and reeks of immaturity.

I will not state my opinion on the death penalty, I'm mostly neutral on it anyway, but you do not tweet someone's death, especially if you're the guy who's sentencing him, like you found a dollar on the street.

 

[VitusPrime]

Sorry, I think announcing Criminal Execution...shouldn't really be on twitter. Just my two cents though.

 

[Eldarion]

All Twitter is is a means of conveying information. It doesn't have to be flimsy and cutesy like other social networking sites.

Also, good on him and his state. It's nice to see some places still have the balls to execute their criminals, not to mention announce it to the public.

This. Its not immoral to tweet anything. Freedom of speech anyone?

 

[Bretty]

Excuse me if I get a bit righteous here, I am a member of Amnesty International after all, but the death penalty really has no redeeming merits. punishing murder with more murder simply results in one more person removed from existence. And don't try the "It costs less in the long run" argument, because each individual execution costs the state hundreds of thousands of dollars (see source), which is money that is sorely needed elsewhere.

I know this ain't really the place to rant about it, but the more people I make aware of this on as many mediums as possible means I'm making at least some progress.

http://deathpenaltyinfo.org/costs-death-penalty

Death for a death, I would expect no less from my law system.

As for the OP: Good, I am sure some people read his tweet and were happy.

 

[Formica Archonis]

However, it does seem a little strange to be hanging out at an execution and tweeting its progress through your Blackberry just like you would at a Kanye West concert.

There should be a meme moratorium on mentioning Kanye West in unrelated articles. Because now I got this image in my head of West interrupting the firing squad with "Imma let you finish, but Elijah Page had the best execution of all time."

 

[Warstratigier]

There are some levels of ridiculousness regarding Twitter that should not be turned up a notch....

.....This is one of them.

 

[Simalacrum]

Hmmmm...

I think, considering the way he is justifying his actions, this man was using Twitter not as a social website, but rather as a tool to inform the public upon a serious matter, similar to newspapers - Twitter just happens to be one of the most effective means of informing people of such information.

We saw the same kind of surge during the Iranian riots over the presidential elections - Twitter became more than a simple way to keep in contact with friends, but rather a very serious tool to inform the world of crucial incidences and events.

While it is morally questionable to announce an execution if you see Twitter as a simple social website, could the same be said if it were compared with something like a newspaper...?

 

[Hiphophippo]

Pretty sure I don't see any problem.

 

[Digikid]

That is just wrong...seriously he should be FIRED for that.

 

[Zackary Yakumo]

What's next everyone tweetting their bowel movements "I had a Piss, it went well"

OT:It seems a bit extreame to tweet the death of someone

why i quit twitter. stupid posts like "going to eat lunch"

Ive spent more time on the annoying facebook.

 

[Captain Pancake]

If it really costs the state more money in the long run....they're doing it wrong. A box of bullets is insanely cheap.

Also, you are both right and wrong in that execution just removes one person from existence. But then that person happens to be a murderer, and most of the time they happen to be REPEAT OFFENDERS. Meaning Murder+. Meaning THEY HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE. If they had been executed cheaply the first time, their later victims would still be alive. THAT is what the death penalty is. Removing scum so that they can't do it again.

You're forgetting the insane cost of a trial with the death penalty involved. the court case alone costs millions of dollars. the method itself isn't the stem of the cash drain. Ultimately it saves far more money keeping them in a high security prison. And not once did I say that we should release anybody like this, just that murdering a murderer still makes you a murderer. There's still inherent guilt for the executioner, that's why in a firing squad one rifle is loaded with a dud so the men have a little less on their conscience.

 

[Eldarion]

That is just wrong...seriously he should be FIRED for that.

For what? He didn't do anything wrong.

 

[FallenTraveler]

What's next everyone tweetting their bowel movements "I had a Piss, it went well"

that would be bladder my friend

OT: I think this is just fine. Well... I suppose the real question is was he in the courtroom, and literally whipped out his blackberry while sentencing. If he left the courtroom after the trial and tweeted that, then I say it's perfectly fine.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

OMG!!1 I PWN'D H1M IN C0RT! H3 15 G3TT1NG F1R1NG SQAD! LOOOOOOOL!

Really, have we come to this?

This is why I never even touch Twitter.

 

[Unesh52]

I think the reason people are so taken aback by this story is that Twitter is largly associated with banality and frivolity. Corporal punishment, on the other hand, is very solemn and morbid. Mixing the two just seems ironic, like a joke, which makes it seem inappropriate. You'd get a similar response if, say, the man's death warrant had been signed in crayon.

Now, this emotional response belies the actual merit of tweeting the thing. There are no rules suggesting that Twitter posts exclude any mention of "serious business," nor does it truely suggest any disrespect or disinterest on the part of Mr.Shurtleff. I mean, he may have limited enough experience with the site to not have the associations I mentioned earlier, so it didn't occur to him that the post would seem incongruous. And it's not like he was with the guy or in a meeting or something. He was probably sitting down to lunch or walking to his car when he posted, and probably fully conscious of the gravity of the situation he was writing about, judging by his wording.

I think it was fine and people are over-reacting.