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The administration of United States President Donald Trump has announced plans to expand the use of the federal death penalty, including through the deployment of firing squads.

The announcement on Friday was part of a policy document issued by the Department of Justice, setting out the legal argument for various methods of execution.

It touted steps for “restoring and strengthening” the death penalty as integral to the pursuit of justice.

“The Department of Justice acted to restore its solemn duty to seek, obtain, and implement lawful capital sentences — clearing the way for the Department to carry out executions once death-sentenced inmates have exhausted their appeals,” the Justice Department said in a news release.

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[-] Formfiller@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

Can we start with the pedophiles?

[-] some_designer_dude@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Sure, but only the poor ones.

[-] RagingRobot@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

I hope he does this, then the next president comes in and trump gets sentenced to death for treason lol.

Unlikely but a nice dream

[-] ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk 11 points 1 week ago

Nothing should be a clearer indication that the death penalty should not exist than lunatics like him controlling it.

[-] HubertManne@piefed.social 3 points 1 week ago

also that countries that work to reduce violence like this and disparity is actually advancing. theory crafting societies of violence is just never going to work out in any long term way.

[-] Witchfire@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago
  1. Build massive secretive camps that house thousands and thousands of people

  2. Raise a personal gestapo to hunt down and disappear immigrants

  3. Pass laws that brand anyone left of Reagan as a domestic terrorist

  4. Call for more firing squads

  5. ???

[-] DeathsEmbrace@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

They don't call it fascist dystopia for no reason.

[-] alekwithak@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

You forgot to profit between each step.

[-] WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago
  1. Americans continue to do fuck all, giving it their tacit approval
[-] BillyClark@piefed.social 8 points 1 week ago

Whenever capital punishment comes up, I am reminded of the hypocrisy of American Christians.

Pretty much every Christian claims to believe that killing is prohibited by the ten commandments. In a democracy, if you vote for a politician who supports the death penalty, you are asking them to kill a person on your behalf. A Christian should not be able to vote for a politician who supports the death penalty.

Compare that with abortion. The bible says virtually nothing about abortion except how to pray for one. If you vote for a pro-choice politician, nobody is being killed on your behalf.

Compare these two, and it's obvious that a Christian who votes for a pro-death-penalty and anti-abortion candidate is voting against their own religion. But they claim to be voting for Christian values, which is pure hypocrisy.

[-] leoj@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago

I think we are reaching a point where its an open secret that the words of Jesus are purely marketing for Christianity and the reality is quite uglier.

[-] Hawke@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago
[-] leoj@piefed.social 0 points 1 week ago

yeah but the realization for large portions of the population is what is new, although I agree that it has always been just marketing!

[-] jimerson@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

It might not even be the amount of people realizing, but the ability to share and express ideas has gotten a little easier. ..at least for now.

[-] leoj@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago

yeah, although I feel like open communication leads to more people realizing, but I get your point.

I feel like the democratization of global communication led to "a new hope" of sorts, and now we're living through "The Empire Strikes Back"

Just got to make it to the third movie before things get too bleak... Hopefully...

[-] jimerson@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Totally agree with you on all points. People seem willing to rise up, even if it's taking a bit longer than I'd have hoped, but there is still hope.

[-] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

I'm an atheist and I know not to subsume all of Christianity under white evangelicalism.

[-] Enkrod@feddit.org 2 points 1 week ago

Yeah, I think all religion is superstition and all superstition is a negative force on humanity, but even I think that some religions and denominations are worse than others. And yes, evangelicism is among the very worst.

[-] kmartburrito@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

As someone raised in the church, but did not fall into white nationalism like so many Republicans, they will absolutely never be swayed by logic. They're literally brainwashed in a cult. Jesus is no different than a member of antifa to them. They only care about themselves, their cult, its leader, and seeing other people hurt. None of those things are in the ten commandments. If judgement day came today, every single one of them would have a reserved seat in a particularly nasty place in Hell.

[-] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 7 points 1 week ago

I warned about this before the election. People thought I was crazy...

Republicans have literally been talking about this for years...

[-] Iamcanadian@piefed.ca 6 points 1 week ago

Searching for ways to go as low as possible, this orange administration. Very creative.

[-] jtrek@startrek.website 4 points 1 week ago

I hope this is foreshadowing for the trump regime being executed as war criminals.

[-] cmbabul@slrpnk.net 0 points 1 week ago

Firing squads are too clean, I want gallows, I want gallows run by someone who ain’t any count at running a gallows, so they all die in terrible ways

[-] jtrek@startrek.website 4 points 1 week ago

I think I read that some WW2 Nazi wanted to be killed by firing squad after Nuremberg, but they told him no. Firing squads are for soldiers. Hanging is for criminals, so he would hang.

[-] ReachMinusOne@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 week ago

Sounds like we need to resurrect this guy. He was allegedly pretty terrible at his job, and several of the individuals he hanged did not die a quick death.

[-] cmbabul@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 week ago

That is who I was thinking of lol

[-] theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago

Abolish the death penalty completely no reason to trust the state with this power.

[-] kokesh@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Trump should be met by a firing squad. I'm sure there would be lots of volunteers.

[-] Mannimarco@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 week ago

Seems on brand

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

If I supported capital punishment, I'd be in favor of firing squads over lethal injection. It's more honest. Shooting someone is clearly meant to kill while lethal injection dresses it up like a medical procedure.

I oppose capital punishment though. The criminal justice system is not reliable enough to only punish those truly guilty of the worst crimes, it doesn't seem to be a more effective deterrent than imprisonment, and it usually ends up costing more than imprisonment for an offender's natural lifespan.

[-] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

I mean...

There's completely painless ways to die.

That's what the whole assisted suicide thing is in civilized countries.

The "problem" is, that's completely painless, you just go to sleep. And the people who want this, want it to be a painful gruesome death.

It's not justice or even removing an uncontrollable element, it's vengeance. And vengeance has to be painful.

There's nothing stopping an ethical death penalty except the ethics of the people implementing

[-] frongt@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 week ago

And the "can't take it back" aspect. Conviction and execution of innocent people does happen.

[-] curbstickle@anarchist.nexus 2 points 1 week ago

I mostly am just against the state having the right to kill.

But innocent people being killed is definitely a top list issue.

[-] floofloof@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

For Republicans this is a feature, not a bug.

[-] AutistoMephisto@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

And the people who want this, want it to be a painful gruesome death.

Yeah. If done correctly, a bullet to the head is quick and painless, as in, you are dead before your body has recognized that you've been shot.

But the people who want this want suffering, so likely firing squads will be ordered to hit body parts that will not result in instant, painless death but rather a gruesome and agonizing death from shock and blood loss.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

Yeah but Harris was once a district attorney. So we get this. Its all the Demmicrats fault.

[-] Wataba@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 week ago

The fact this is still getting downvotes is pathetic.

Lemmys gonna lemming themselves in front of the firing squads they did nothing to oppose.

[-] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 week ago

Trump could run as a Democrat and you'd be on here telling everyone they're an idiot for not voting for him and that's why we are where we are right now.

this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2026
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