EDITORIAL - Death live

Last week, a decision was made to have the execution of a terrorist who killed soldiers in the U.S. livestreamed. Yes, you read that right.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth earlier said the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, accused of killing 13 people and wounding 31 in Fort Hood in 2009, will be livestreamed online.

However, the latest development is that U.S. President Donald Trump has ruled against having the execution made live. Hasan is still set to die this coming December 3, but his execution will no longer be viewed by millions all around the world.

Which is a good thing.

We don’t say this because we approve of what Hasan did. For those who are not familiar with the case, Hasan was a medical intern and resident at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center who went amok in November 5, 2009 in Fort Hood where he shot U.S. servicemen to prevent them from going to Afghanistan and kill Muslims.

His act was described by the U.S. Senate as the worst terrorist attack on American soil since the 9/11 attacks.

No death, especially one that promises to be particularly violent, should made a live public spectacle. And this not necessarily out of respect for that person, but how that public death will impact people watching.

Watching someone die can be traumatic. It is not for everyone. This is why soldiers, policemen, and others in professions where they have to kill only when absolutely necessary are psychologically trained to deal with it.

Making someone’s death live also won’t win his executioners brownie points, certainly not the supposed defender of the Free World. We know some extremist and terrorist groups and even some authoritarian governments do this for whatever reason, mostly to intimidate their enemies. That still does not make it right.

We wonder what Hegseth was thinking when he made the decision. Was he so disgusted at what Hasan did that he wanted the man’s death to become so unforgettable? Did he want to scare the enemies of the U.S.?

Considering how radicals think, Hasan’s livestreamed death would have likely had the opposite effect and galvanized terrorists instead.