Cyber wrote:
"He did the thrashing on his own accord. He was acting to make a statement."
Correct.
I wrote the following before I read your post. I'm posting it anyway:
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Regarding the reports of this guy "writhing" before he died.
Seems that I read he purposely tried to HOLD HIS BREATH for as long as possible, around two minutes (which was about the time the media reported he "struggled").
When he finally had to give up and breathe, it was over.
OK, here's an off-the-wall comment for ya:
The guy did this because he was PUT UP to do it by anti-death penalty advocates.
He was asked to "make it look bad" -- precisely because nitrogen hypoxia in reality is a passive, painless death. That's why it's promoted by assisted-suicide and right-to-die folks, and why it's designed into the Sarco Pod (in which case the pod-user activates the nitrogen from INSIDE).
The anti-death penalty people DON'T WANT this to become "the norm", because it would actually eliminate the argument of "cruel" "punishment".
Hence, their attempts to stop it.
Also, I'm not sure I understand why they used a "mask" on the guy.
Much better to have a "gas chamber" like enclosure, into which the prisoner is strapped into a chair. Just let him sit there and breathe normally, nothing on his face, then introduce the nitrogen to replace the oxygen. There will be no struggle, the prisoner won't know anything, other than to fall unconscious.