TELEVISE THE EXECUTION

Victor Bloom MD

There has been a lot of controversy about the impending execution of Timothy McVeigh, mostly about the validity and morality of the death penalty. But he has been found guilty by due process and faces execution by lethal injection. McVeigh is an unusual death-row inmate in that he is waiving his right to stays of execution pending appeals, freely admitting his guilt and wanting his execution to be televised.

At first blush it would seem that he is simply grandstanding and wanting to be a martyr and hero to those few who champion his cause--- war against the federal government. There are those who see the government as the enemy, rather than the will of the people. Their battle cry is Ruby Ridge and Waco. They think the rest of us are sheep to go along with harsh government tactics in enforcing federal law, even to submit to paying income tax.

These beliefs certainly deviate from the norm, but this is a country that tolerates extreme differences of opinion. Still, those opposed to certain laws are still expected to obey them. What McVeigh and others did went far beyond civil disobedience, exerting their will and making their message with terrorist tactics, in this case a massive explosion which destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City. A Ryder truck was used to carry tons of diesel-soaked fertilizer to the large downtown office building and the detonation literally destroyed it, killing 68, wounding hundreds more, including women and children.

The scenes of destruction were televised and the fact of what happened was indelibly imprinted on our minds. The survivors--- family, loved ones, friends, neighbors and fellow-workers, numbered in the thousands. Mounds of flowers commemorated the occasion and honored the dead, and now a permanent memorial is in place.

By happenstance the perpetrators were caught and arrested, tried and convicted, but McVeigh is the only one who was given the death penalty, largely because of overwhelming evidence of his guilt and his own confession and remorselessness.

He sees himself as a warrior and wants a warrior's death. He might have preferred the firing squad, or like Eichmann, the electric chair, but what is planned is a lethal injection, the way pets are put to sleep. This is a sissy way for a warrior to die, but he no longer has control over his fate. He would gain a measure of control if in fact his wish is granted, that his execution be televised.

The authorities have agreed to allow closed-circuit television because those entitled to witness the execution add up to a considerable number. Many media people are certain that once the event is televised and taped, somehow a copy will be leaked and it will be shown on the Internet and eventually the tabloids. People are concerned that the whole atmosphere will be sensationalized. Even George Will, a staunch conservative and defender of the death penalty is against the execution being televised because it would interfere with the solemnity of the occasion. We can imagine a scene outside the prison with opposing groups of demonstrators, for and against the death penalty, and yet another group, selling baseball hats, T-shirts, bumper stickers and balloons.

What would make sense, instead of hiding the execution from The People, We the People who found him guilty, is to show it, simply and matter-of-factly. For those who want justice and 'closure,' they will have it. For those who say that lethal injection is not 'cruel and unusual,' that is what will be seen. And for those who insist that the state must not commit or condone murder, they will see an abomination. Each side will see what they want to see, and the discourse will climb to new levels and/or descend to lower depths.

But I do think it important that the public not be shielded from the reality of the death penalty. A convicted person is actually put to death. In the past this process was traditionally made public. Some people really believe the death penalty is a deterrent. Others are convinced it truly is retribution. Still others faithfully believe that it breaks a God-given code, one of the Ten Commandments. For them, only God can rightly take a life, and so to be consistent, these people would also be against abortion. But some, despite being against abortion, are for the death penalty.

What we are dealing with is the deep-down fear, horror and fascination with death. We don't want to look it in the face, despite the fact that we enjoy movies like "Saving Private Ryan," "Gladiator," and "Schindler's List." The latter film is famous for telling the story of how the lives of a thousand Jews were saved by a Gentile in the midst of the Holocaust. Each film about death must carry a redeeming message, otherwise the plot would be unbearable.

If we see McVeigh's execution on television, it won't be a movie or fiction. What will be the redeeming message? It would be the last chapter of a documentary that remains to be produced, one starting with a self-styled military group in the thumb area of Michigan, a secret organization that is complete with an arsenal of weapons, regular military maneuvers and plans for strategy in a war against our own government. It would show the Ruby Ridge and Waco controversies, the rage of these para-military people, the plans for retaliation using easily obtainable materials, the decision on a particular federal building and a particular date, the second anniversary of the Waco disaster. What would follows would be footage of the actual devastation of the Murrah Building, showing the bodies, the blood, the screams and tears, the lasting rage and abiding sorrow, the feelings of shock, helplessness and amazement. Finally, it would show the capture, the trial, the conviction, the sentencing, and finally the death penalty carried out for all to see.

Such a documentary could be a valuable lesson, hopefully one that would promote more meaningful discussion and better answers than those we now have. It would show JUSTICE as we presently define it and leave open the question of whether we want to keep it that way.

Dr Bloom is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University School of Medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and on the editorial board of the Wayne County Medical Society. He welcomes comments at his email address--- hyperlink. URL- victorbloom.com