Barbarians run Tennessee death machine

At about 10 a.m. EDT, the state of Tennessee use an overdose of pentobarbital to kill Byron Black for murdering his girlfriend and her two daughters. But this state-ordered killing was far different than any other lethal injection in thee United States.

Black, who suffered from dementia, brain damage, kidney disease and allegedly intellectually disability, had another medical condition that was the nexus of this controversial execution — congestive heart failure. And because of that disease, Black also had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. The device would shock the heart when it detected cardiac problems and those shocks designed to restart the heart are known to be painful.

Several attempts to get a court to order the device be disabled ahead of the lethal injection ended with the Tennessee Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the killing could proceed with the device active. Bill Lee, the Tennessee governor, refused to intervene. As The Associate Press reported, “Byron Black was put to death despite uncertainty about whether the device would shock his heart when the lethal chemicals took effect.”

In my view, “uncertainty” was the wrong word. There was no doubt that the shocks would be painful and would be triggered as the pentobarbital took effect. After the execution, The Nahville Tennessean live streamed a press conference at which the every media witnesses reported Black said, “It's hurting so bad.” They also reported Black showed other signs of discomfort.

If you’ve read my blog and posts, you know I am against the death penalty on principle, as my rhetoric here reflects. That doesn’t mean I side with the perpetrator or convicted inmate. Black’s crime was heinous. But so was Tennessee’s ignoring the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment.

Deep in the Pockets

Is violence inevitable?

 As the Trump administration continues to roughshod over our nation, some people in the media continue to use the phraseology of “Trump did this …” or “Trump did that … .” thereby creating the illusion that Trump is fully in charge. We are, therefore, misdirected by failing to recognize the coordinated attack, the result of decades of planning.

Why is this important?

Because the so-called “flood the zone” tactics are overwhelming our ability to respond. And, because the plutocrats, oligarchs and corrupt Republicans are so secure in their positions that they are now defying any sanction or court order trying to rein them in. Some have noted a quote attributed to Andrew Jackson, though it may be someone else, when he was a similar dictatorial president. In responding to a Supreme Court ruling that would have thwarted his genocide of the Cherokee people, he said, “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.”

The Trump administration is taking this approach, even in defiance of the GOP-owned Supreme Court. It’s already doing so in the mistaken deportation case. However, anticipate that this will be an outlier. SCOTUS will ultimately back this fascist regime.

It’s critical to understand this situation. Historically, the federal government’s Executive Branch has been tasked with enforcing a court ruling — often the U.S. Marshall’s service. Who runs the the Executive Branch? Yep. The oligarch-backed Trump administration that has already, as part of its tactics in place well before the 2024 election, appointed loyalists in key positions. In short, the administration can ignore court rulings without fear of enforcement.

In concert with this strategy, the Trump administration has employed other tactics. One is freezing or cutting off federal funds of the target entity. Another is lifting regulations and thus the guardrails protecting us from bad actors, such as removing rules of the Clean Air Act, for example. His minions and media friends have combined their efforts to attack the media by hassling those outlets that displease him. Further, as it rips government agencies out by their roots and purposely creating chaos to destroy them, the will of the oligarchy is fulfilled.

If things aren’t frightening enough, these right-wingers are anticipating, nay even spoiling, for violence. The administration and governor allies like Greg Abbott have lifted restrictions on gun ownership and freed members of hoc militias like the Proud Boys and other insurrectionists of the January 6 rehearsal. To thwart opposition in the 2026 mid-terms, there is continuing efforts to suppress voters.

This is bleak, made worse by the feckless leadership of the Democratic Party and its current failure to launch any meaningful opposition. All we see on social media is begging for more money from old guard Democratic organizations or individuals. The only legitimate fight now comes from the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Bernie Sanders joined with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in holding rallies across the country. These two are walking the talk. David Hogg, a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, is also taking action. He was elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee a few months ago and he and his allies are working to unseat old guard Democrats, calling them old, ineffective and out-of-touch. Some of the old guard fear that shifting the party to the left is an existential threat but their embrace of some perceived middle ground clearly isn’t working.

So, where does this catalog of angst leave us? I know no one, especially those on the left saying it out loud, but how can this nation stop a fascist dictatorship without violence?

Trump and Abbott, in particular among fascist governors, are preaching violence. Remember how Abbott brandished firearms and suggested shooting journalists? Do you really think that was only performative? No, it was an open invitation. So, one question is how far can the anti-GOP rallies go before the faux-militias are unleashed?

Or, consider, with the top positions in the military, the Justice Department and elsewhere, how far is a bridge too far for the remaining staffers to show loyalty to their oaths to the Constitution and stage a military coup?

Even worse, what if these traitors in the nation want and are willing to foment a civil war?

Ask yourselves this: How much of a voter turnout and resultant victories will it take for the nation’s democracy to be restored and the traitors bought to justice?

Think about this between now and the upcoming mid-terms.