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@@@ Speaking in the aftermath of <a href=http://www.museosangennaro.com/Public/anel.php> Christian Louboutin Shoes Sale</a> events in Ferguson, Gov. Jay Nixon stated: 鈥淭o get justice it has to be transparent justice, it has to be thorough justice.鈥滺e was right. His assertion should apply in all cases, including, maybe even especially, in the administration of the death penalty.Missourians, as well as the men to be executed and their families, have an absolute right to know the truth about the execution process. Instead, Missouri鈥檚 Department of Corrections has misled the public and obstructed access to the truth. Appointed by the governor and represented by the attorney general, these public officials must be held accountable for transparent, thorough justice.Last week, the Post-Dispatch reported on a St. Louis Public Radio story exposing misrepresentations and possible perjury by state officials in court cases concerning executions in Missouri. The state has executed nine men in the past nine months. The 10th execution is set for 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Unless the court or Gov. Nixon intervenes, Earl Ringo Jr. will be executed with a process that is intentionally and grossly deceptive, and in some ways, unlawful.The recent series of botched executions of three inmates in Ohio, Oklahoma and Arizona had one common thread 鈥?the use of a drug called midazolam or Versed, a powerful sedative that is frequently injected as an anesthetic before surgery. According to the public radio report, large doses of the drug can obstruct the airway, suffocating the inmate, or can cause an immense amount of pain, paralyzing the inmate, making it impossible for him to alert anyone to his pain. The use of midazolam was involved in the recent agonizing and prolonged deaths of Dennis McGuire, Clayton Lockett and Joseph Woods.For the past year, Missouri officials have repeatedly insisted, at times under oath, that Missouri does not use midazolam in executions. DOC Director George Lombardi stated under oath: 鈥淚鈥檓 testifying right now to tell you that will not be the case. We will not use those drugs.鈥漁ne glaring problem: It was a lie.The public radio report relied on DOC internal documents that revealed midazolam had been used in all nine of Missouri鈥檚 most recent executions. Even more troubling, the drug apparently has been administered intravenously and before the time the executions were scheduled.What鈥檚 more, it appears that the drug is being injected while the inmate is affixed to the gurney and the curtains are closed. In other words, the inmate may be suffering immensely, or could even be comatose and already dying, before the legal warrant to execute is in effect 鈥?and before <a href=http://www.alportico.net/gosoc.php> true religion uk</a> witnesses are able to witness anything.This is not the first disturbing revelation to emerge recently about the DOC鈥檚 execution policies. In January, it became clear that DOC officials were carrying bags of cash across state lines to purchase execution drugs. Moreover, the DOC has admitted publicly that it buys its pentobarbital from an unregulated compounding pharmacy, a clear violation of federal drug law.Despite this, no one has investigated these apparent violations. In public statements, Attorney General Chris Koster has claimed that the courts have approved Missouri鈥檚 execution protocol. But that also is not true. In fact, no court has ever conducted any substantive review of Missouri鈥檚 execution process. Koster has consistently blocked such review. And now we know that the court itself has been lied to.Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, a strong supporter of the death penalty, has announced a moratorium on executions in her state until a complete investigation takes place surrounding the use of midazolam in the execution process. Ohio may soon follow suit. Gov. Nixon should do likewise.One famous Missourian kept a sign on his desk: 鈥淭he buck stops here.鈥?Gov. Nixon should endorse the maxim that defined President Harry Truman鈥檚 role as chief executive and take a stand. He should <a href=http://capstone.edu.sg/clreplicashoes.php> Christian Louboutin Outlet Online</a> show leadership, courage and a faithful embrace and extension of the promise he made about Ferguson.Nixon should stop the execution of Earl Ringo and not allow his DOC execution team to hide behind word games, muddled timelines or smokescreens. He should not rely on the court or anyone else to perform his duty and responsibility for delivering transparent and thorough justice.Joan Bray served a total of 18 years in the Missouri Senate and the Missouri House of Representatives.
