Pete Hegseth Wants to Livestream a Snuff Film
This week, Donald Trump approved the military’s first execution by firing squad since 1945. The Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced, will livestream it. The execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, who opened fire on dozens of people at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center in Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, is now scheduled for December 3. […]
Donald Trump has approved the military's first execution by firing squad since 1945, with the Pentagon announcing that the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed on December 3. Hasan, an active-duty major in the Army at the time, opened fire at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center in Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, killing dozens and leaving the shooter paralyzed.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed excitement over the livestream, comparing the spectacle to video game brutality. Hegseth envisions the execution as a public event, with the military ensuring that it is accessible to the public. Veteran Mississippi death penalty lawyer Jim Craig described the brutal nature of the firing squad as the attraction, emphasizing the visible harm inflicted on the victim.
The execution, which would be the first livestreamed in the United States, draws parallels to past public executions, such as those carried out by ISIS in 2014 and Muammar Gaddafi's Libya in 1984. However, this execution would mark a significant departure from the administration's penchant for brutality, evident in its foreign policy and policing.
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