Killing #1

Question 1

The Holocaust

Answer 1

Genocide during WWII by Nazi Germany
Actions: Targeted Jews as “life unworthy of life”, used death squads, ghettos, gas chambers, and medical experimentation
Outcome: Over 10 million killed, including 6 million jews
Denial: Some claim it never happened despite extensive evidence

Question 2

Rwandan Genocide

Answer 2

Location: Rwanda, Africa
Trigger: Hutu extremists blamed Tutsi minority after the president’s assassination
Duration: 100 days
Outcome: 800,000 Tutsis killed; 2 million Hutus fled; ethnicity discussion now banned in Rwanda

Question 3

Capital punishment overview

Answer 3

Execution after conviction by a court of law
Global: 1000 executions in 2017; the U.S ranked 8th globally
U.S trends: death penalty active in 27 states; federal executions are rare but spiked in 2020-2021

Question 4

Execution methods

Answer 4

Lethal injection: primary method; uses barbiturates, midazolam, or a 3-drug combination

Question 5

Electrocution

Answer 5

Formerly common, now rare due to botched attempts
Lethal Gas: Cyanide gas causes death; known for causing visible suffering
Firing squad: Rare; used for precise heart or head shots
Hanging: used historically; death caused by vertebrae dislocation or asphyxiation if done improperly.

Question 6

Lethal injection details

Answer 6

Barbiturates: sedates the brain and stops breathing if given in high doses
pentobarbital: long-acting, also used in veterinarian euthanasia and assisted suicides
Controversy: Some drugs wear off too quickly, potentially causing pain; midazolam, for example, is criticized for inducing suffering (botched executions in Ohio and Arizona)

Question 7

Botched Lethal Injections

Answer 7

Doyle Lee Hamm: Alabama execution was postponed after 2 1/2 hours of painful attempts to find veins
Joseph Wood: Arizona’s experimental drug combination took 2 hours, during which he gagged and chocked
Dennis Mcguire: Ohio’s lethal injection process took 20 minutes, with visible chocking and gasping

Question 8

Electrocution Execution

Answer 8

Method: High-voltage electrical shocks to the body
Process: Initial shock of 2,300 volts for 8 seconds, repeated if death isn’t immediate
Issues: Can cause severe burn; historically replaced due to botched attempts

Question 9

Rwandan Genocide Aftermath

Answer 9

Impact: Approximately 5 million deaths linked to subsequent conflict
Refugee Crisis: 2 million Hutus fled to DR Congo fearing revenge
Legal Changes: Discussing ethnicity is now illegal in Rwanda to prevent future conflicts

Question 10

Capital punishment attitudes in the U.S

Answer 10

Public Opinion: support dropped from 78% in 1996 to 58% in 2018
Demographic trends: more support among men, white evangelical protestants, and republicans
Death row statistics: 3,000 inmates on death row, with decreasing numbers of executions carried out annually