Politics & Ethics: Capital Punishment is Hot in Nebraska.
Colorado’s next door neighbor, Nebraska, is currently knee deep in the death penalty debate. One big topic hitting the headlines is the purchase of illegal execution drugs from outside the country.
The State of Nebraska announced it has purchased 300 vials of illegal sodium thiopental from a small distribution company, HarrisPharma, located in India, even though said drugs are not approved by the Food & Drug Administration.
Interestingly, it seems that each time these execution drugs are sold, the purchaser winds up not using them due to questions being raised over the legality of the drugs. Additionally, the FDA states it will seize the shipment upon arrival.
“Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes told Harris[Pharma] that the sooner they could connect, the better. A few weeks later, the two had worked up a purchase order. Their correspondencep shows Nebraska officials made little to no effort to verify that the deal complied with the law. When he sent the invoice, Harris described the shipment as ‘harmless medicine,’ probably not the most accurate way to describe drugs intended for an execution.” (1)
As it turns out, Nebraska has only 10 inmates on death row, yet they are purchasing 1000 vials, as HarrisPharma’s minimum order requirement. To me, this certainly is not conscientious spending on the part of the State of Nebraska. Further, this transaction occurred in April, while in the month of May, Nebraska voted to ban capital punishment, proving that this 1000 vial purchase truly will be wasted taxpayer funds –over $54K.
“The Nebraska legislature voted on Wednesday to override Governor Pete Ricketts’ veto on a bill to abolish the death penalty. The legislature voted in support of bill LB268, making Nebraska the first conservative state in decades to ban executions…. The legislature voted overwhelmingly last week — with a veto-proof majority of 32 to 15 — to repeal the death penalty.” (2)
Of course, this opens up the controversial and ethical debate over the death penalty, once again. Is it okay to take the life of another human being, especially considering he or she may have taken the life of another? I truly don’t know. Alternatively, is it okay to take the life of an unborn child? Where do we draw the line? Is there a difference between the death penalty and abortion?
Often most people bring to the table valid and yet opposing views of such debates –how do we know what’s right? I can only trust my own intuition and sense of values in situation like these.
Developing my inner guidance on a daily basis empowers me to hear my Guides much easier. I invite us to explore our inner spiritual world, which will help us better identify and honor our own ideals, making such controversial topics easier to digest.
2. Nebraska Abolishes The Death Penalty by Tasneem Nashrulla. Buzz Feed.
Economy: Minimum Wage to Increase in Los Angeles.
How exciting: We’re moving in the right direction. Minimum wage will be increased to $15/hour! The downside for me is that it won’t go into effect until 2020. Of course, I won’t “yuck our wow” by negating a good thing, but it’s hard for me to wrap my head around such positive change that is not actualized for years down the road, yet negative change seems to occur instantaneously.
It’s not my intention to be a negative nelly, rather my intent to point out that which we sometimes miss, such as having to wait five years, or longer, for the good change. For me, I see a pattern: The “negative” scenarios are immediately incorporated, while the progressive positive changes are scheduled many years out.
Another pattern you might have noticed: Our governments and corporations decide to follow through with harmful behaviors, all the while, planning to apologize once said actions go public, instead of asking our permission or getting our cooperation beforehand.
Of course, I understand what’s happening, and yet I whole-heartedly disagree: I’ve heard it’s easier to do something and afterward ask for forgiveness, then to ask for approval in advance.
Fortunately, our world is moving toward transparency where harmful actions, such as chemtrails and mercury in vaccinations, will be discussed and voted upon, rather than our current system of a few in control deciding what’s “best” for the majority.
“The law, which would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020, affects hundreds of thousands of workers and makes Los Angeles the largest city in the country to mandate higher pay for workers at the bottom of the income ladder. Backers predicted the action here could reverberate across the nation, ultimately aiding millions of Americans.”
While most of the city are rejoicing from such good news, there are of course, some council members very displeased. As we know, even before 202o arrives, there may be some amendments made to this law, which might negatively impact this decision before it is ever enacted.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, stay in the moment, and appreciate the new reality. While the details may still need to be ironed out, I will highlight that this does set us on a course of aiding people to increase their standard of living, and that’s always a beautiful thing!
Further, what often happens is that California is an impetus for national change, initiating movement that spreads across the country …sometimes across the world. I’ll focus my attention and intention there, knowing that the Law of Attraction states that “energy follows intention!”
Across this beautiful world, We Are All One.
Gavin