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The cost of obesity in the US

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080805/ap_on_re_us/death_penalty_cooey

Quote:

ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, Associated Press Writer Tue Aug 5, 1:12 AM ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A death row inmate scheduled for execution says he's too fat to be put to death, claiming executioners would have trouble finding his veins and that his weight could diminish the effectiveness of one of the lethal injection drugs.
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Lawyers for Richard Cooey argue in a federal lawsuit that Cooey — 5-feet-7 and 267 pounds — had poor veins when he faced execution five years ago and the problem has been worsened by weight gain.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court, also says prison officials have had difficulty drawing blood from Cooey for medical procedures.

Cooey, 41, is sentenced to die for raping and murdering two young women in 1986. His execution is scheduled for Oct. 14.

His attorneys say a drug he is taking for migraine headaches could affect the execution process. The drug Topamax, a type of seizure medication, may have created a resistance to thiopental, the drug used to put inmates to sleep before two other lethal drugs are administered, Dr. Mark Heath, a physician hired by the Ohio Public Defender's Office, said in documents filed with the court.

Heath says Cooey's weight, combined with the potential drug resistance, increases the risk he would not be properly anesthetized.

"All of the experts agree if the first drug doesn't work, the execution is going to be excruciating," Cooey's public defender, Kelly Culshaw Schneider, said Monday.

Prison system spokeswoman Andrea Carson and Jim Gravelle, a spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office, both said Monday they hadn't seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment.

Last year, Carson cited the obesity of condemned inmate Christopher Newton as one of the reasons prison officials had difficulty accessing his veins before his execution. Newton was 6 feet tall and weighed 265 pounds.

Two years ago, convicted killer Jeffrey Lundgren was put to death after a federal appeals court rejected his claim that he was at greater risk of experiencing pain and suffering because he was overweight and diabetic.

I'm okay with shooting the fat convicts.

Is it just me, or does this sound like something from Bizzaro World?

Quote:

Originally Posted by POS (Post 1930627)

I'm okay with shooting the fat convicts.

Only if those bullets can be tested thouroughly and determined to be effective on fat condemned people . . . .

I say put him to sleep the old fashioned way:
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...enger/VA15.jpg

we need to light up ole sparky

I'm sure that in some other country people would just "rape and murder" him just like he did to his victims. OR, make that motivation not to get fat (ie: if you are fat, and commit capital crimes, your death sentance may be "excrutiating")

I dont agree on a philosophical base, but damn it feels good to say.

If all the drug does is put him to sleep, arent there other, more powerful drugs to put people to sleep ? Can't we medically determine whether or not he is asleep before they inject the 2nd drug ? (and if he's not asleep, then try more drugs...)

-John

I don't think punishment should be unneccessarily cruel, but neither should we go to too great lengths to accommodate the needs of the condemned when they had so little regard for the lives of their victims.

Here's the answer,my confused Sports....RENDERING!....Think of the benefits of recycling,not to mention possible organ harvesting AND bone marrow for transplant.

http://www.obsessionwithfood.com/2006_01_01_blog-archive.html#113709378997673043

I know there is a state in the union somewhere that still has death by firing squad on it's books and I'll just bet there is someone in Texas who has an elephant gun they'd like to dust off and use.

I think Utah may actually still have death by firing squad as an option. That's how Gary Gillmore was executed if I remember correctly.

After this is all said and done, could we maybe make a couple of gallons of bio diesel out of the guy’s fat?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kpmurphy (Post 1930839)

After this is all said and done, could we maybe make a couple of gallons of bio diesel out of the guy’s fat?

The FDA are still in the testing phase of the study but I'll just bet we could ship the carcass(sp) to China and do it there.

The real cost of obesity is the skyrocketing health insurance premiums. Fat people are making things more expensive for the rest of us.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carleton Hughes (Post 1930789)

Nothing in this world smells like a rendering plant. :eek:
(And the neighbors of the concentration camps knew nothing? :rolleyes:)

But I like the idea. You are what you eat!;)

Fatties for fuel!

"Can I help you sir?"

"Yes, can I have $50.00 of Michael Moore please"!