GEORGE CARLIN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A COMEDIAN, NOT A GD PROPHET.
When did American justice become a spectator sport?
WARNING: Foul language ahead. This particular shitshow deserves every word.
“Mommy? Daddy? What's happening on TV?”
“Oh, nothing, sweetheart. That's just our government executing somebody. Finish your Cheerios.”
WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. F*CK.
Apparently, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thought livestreaming the execution of Nidal Hasan, the convicted Fort Hood mass murderer, was a brilliant way to demonstrate that actions have consequences.
By firing squad. On camera. For the whole damn world to watch.
Are we seriously doing this?
Before somebody starts screaming, “BUT HE'S A TERRORIST!” — save it.
I know what Hasan did. Thirteen innocent people were murdered. Families were destroyed. He was convicted and sentenced to death through the military justice system.
This isn't about defending him. It's about what the hell we're becoming.
The military already has procedures for carrying out lawful sentences. It doesn't need a camera crew, an audience, or a fucking production team.
GEORGE CARLIN CALLED THIS SHIT 30 YEARS AGO
In 1996, George Carlin joked about executions becoming televised entertainment. Sponsors, spectators, the whole ridiculous production.
People laughed because it was supposed to be absurd.
Thirty years later, the Pentagon is discussing livestreaming an actual execution.
George Carlin was supposed to be a comedian, not a gd prophet.
Somewhere along the way, satire became a government press release.
WE ARE CITIZENS, NOT HOSTAGES TO GOVERNMENT VIOLENCE
What the hell is the point of broadcasting someone being shot to death?
Deterrence? Intimidation? Fear? Entertainment?
Is this supposed to make us feel safer?
Because I don't feel safer knowing my government wants to distribute footage of itself killing a restrained prisoner.
I feel like we're being forced into the audience of some grotesque demonstration of power.
I am a citizen. Not a captive audience to a government-sponsored snuff film.
And yes, I question whether there's a psychological component to this. Call it a psyop, conditioning, intimidation, or just spectacularly shitty judgment.
I'm not claiming to have proof of a secret operation. But when a government proposes broadcasting lethal violence, asking about the intended psychological effect is entirely reasonable.
WHAT ABOUT THE F*CKING KIDS?
We spend years trying to protect children from graphic violence, then our own government considers releasing footage of an actual execution?
And spare me the “just don't watch it” argument.
Have you met the internet?
Once that footage is released, it's everywhere. Downloaded, clipped, reposted, turned into memes, and eventually stumbled upon by some kid looking for cartoons.
And adults aren't immune either.
Veterans. First responders. Survivors of violence. People who have already seen more death than anybody should.
I spent over two decades in law enforcement. I've seen what violence does to people.
There's a difference between witnessing death because your job requires it and having your government package it for public consumption.
We should be concerned about desensitizing people to violence, not looking for creative new ways to broadcast it.
WHERE THE HELL DID DECORUM GO?
Remember when our government was expected to conduct itself with dignity?
When justice was supposed to be measured, disciplined, and administered under law?
Not filmed like some sick reality show?
What's next? Multiple camera angles? A countdown clock? Commercial sponsors?
Laugh all you want. George Carlin already wrote that routine.
And here's the part that ought to scare everybody: Once we normalize public executions as entertainment, where exactly do we draw the next line?
You can support the death penalty and still recognize that turning an execution into a spectacle is a grotesque abuse of judgment.
Justice does not need ratings. Justice does not need an audience. And justice sure as hell doesn't need a fucking livestream.
ONE LAST THING
The victims of Fort Hood deserve to be remembered for their lives, not used as the justification for a worldwide execution broadcast.
And Americans deserve a government that understands the difference between exercising lawful authority and flaunting lethal power.
As of this writing, the livestream proposal is reportedly being reconsidered.
But the fact that anyone thought this was appropriate in the first place should disturb the hell out of us.
We're not supposed to be entertained by government executions.
We're not supposed to become numb to watching people die.
And we sure as hell shouldn't be teaching our children that public killing is just another form of content.
George Carlin made America laugh at the absurdity of televised executions.
Thirty years later, we're arguing about whether to actually do it.
The joke isn't funny anymore. And the fact that our government apparently needed someone to explain that is fucking terrifying.
— Lieutenant Taylor (Ret.)
