As Florida prepares to execute its fourth U.S. veteran this year, more than 130 U.S. veterans in nearly every branch of service have requested for Gov. Ron DeSantis to end the state's executions of convicted vets.

Had no idea of the high proportion of military veterans on Florida’s death row.

  • ChetManly@lemmy.world
    69·
    10 days ago

    How about end then death penalty entirely. Just because you existed in the military doesn’t make you better than anyone else.

    • Cypher@lemmy.world
      12·
      10 days ago

      Given the prevalence of CTE in military veterans it’s plausible that many of them are ending up on death row due to their service.

      • EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com
        9·
        10 days ago

        It seems like commuting the sentence to LWOP on medical grounds would be more sensible in such cases. A non-military person with CTE should be treated similarly.

        • Cypher@lemmy.world
          7·
          10 days ago

          I agree.

          Also I suspect that would be nearly all inmates on death row if it was expanded to any brain injury.

    • Rachelhazideas@lemmy.world
      3·
      9 days ago

      It does, to the average Floridian and to Ron DeSantis.

      Advocating for veterans is one of few things that has the chance of appealing to Republicans.

      I’d argue that saving some people from the death penalty is better than saving none at all. It will open the door in the future to fully ending the death penalty.

  • flandish@lemmy.world
    16·
    10 days ago

    “hey kid wanna join? new benefits include no death penalty. good for when after a decade of service to capitalist owners you can no longer reconcile with being a war criminal and decide it’s best you snap and shoot up a place.”

  • sartalon@lemmy.world
    13·
    10 days ago

    JFC what was your unit like!?

    There were shitty people sure, but it seemed to match the same percentages as everywhere else.

    I will say this. The military taught me that every color/gender has a similar distribution of people who are solid and people who I wouldn’t piss on if they were on fire.

    The worst ones absolutely were white officers. (But some of the best were too.)

    The worst fucking enlisted leader I ever had was a skinny black Master Chief that said some of the stupidest shit. He didn’t believe in building up your people through mentorship and just shit on everyone.

    He did some dumb but hilarious shit though. One time a pair of sailors violated DADT so they could leave (Claimed.they were gay). He said, “Sure, but prove it. Let me see you kiss. Have you ever had your ass penetrated? What does cum taste like?” They both turned beat red and admitted they weren’t gay.

    I thought it was hilarious at first, but then very disturbed when I realized they were fucking trapped in this job. And how really fucking inappropriate he was.

    But I did learn some important things.

    Of the enlisted, all the shit bags came from shitty backgrounds which taught me that your family and environment have a huge say in how you turn out.

    That made me realize that systemic racism and poverty go hand in hand and blacks have been fucked from the beginning.

    That and you get out of it what you put into it. Embrace the suck, make some friends, and you will have amazing and cool experiences you could never have anywhere else.

  • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
    5·
    9 days ago

    They want to end the death penalty because so many of them are violent criminals.

    I want to end the death penalty because I don’t agree with the morality of it.

    We are not the same.

  • Lexam@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    10 days ago

    I’m not saying there are second class citizens in Florida, but Military and Vets are definitely first class citizens.