(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . How Low Can You Go [1] ['Tom Marberger', 'Chitown Kev', 'Chloris Creator', 'Sabrina Haake'] Date: 2026-10-11 When I was a kid, Chubby Checker released a song entitled Limbo Rock. I don’t remember much about it except for the line “How low can you go?” Out of curiosity, I googled the limbo record and found it is held by Dennis Walston at a height of 6 inches. (AI Guinness World Records) I wouldn’t really have believed that except that Pete Hegseth has just shown us that it is possible to go even lower when he announced that former U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan will be executed by firing squad, probably on December 3. Although I am opposed to the death penalty, I can understand why people support it. Hasan’s case does make a good argument in favor of capital punishment. My opposition to this execution isn’t because of method. Given the botched execution in Tennessee at the end of September, it is hard to argue that a firing squad is any worse than a supposedly lethal injection. My opposition is that Hegseth wants to stream this live for the whole world to see. That, my friends, is how low Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump can go. MAGA wants books about slavery taken off shelves in libraries; MAGA wants pictures about slavery removed from museums. MAGA wants photos of the WW II bomber Enola Gay removed from historical records because of its name. Yet Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump think it is a good idea to stream live to the world a man being shot to death. Hasan also happens to be confined to a wheel chair. Great optics. In ancient Rome, prisoners, sometimes with a weapon of sorts, were sent to the colosseum to fight animals. It was spectacle — part of the bread and circuses approach. Public hangings were common in England well into the 19th century. Famously, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen, France in 1431. Witches were hanged in Salem in 1692. And let’s not forget the guillotine of the French Revolution and Reign of Terror. The last public execution in the United States took place in Kentucky in August 1936. (dh.scu.edu) In most of the world, execution as entertainment or spectacle has ceased. Countries that have had public executions in more recent times include Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia. When it comes to observing human rights, that’s a less-than-distinguished list of nations. But that’s the group we will join if we carry out Hegseth’s plan. It is said by many organizations that “you are what you celebrate.” So now thanks to Hegseth and Trump the United States celebrates public executions. The world was aghast a decade or so ago when the Islamic State used public beheadings to spread propaganda by terror in the mideast. I imagine death by gunfire is less gruesome than beheading, but should we be any less appalled if the U. S. conducts an execution that can be seen by any and all who want to watch? In July of 1969, the whole world watched in awe and wonderment when Americans walked on the moon. For six days in April of 1970, the whole world watched in anxious hopefulness, and ultimately with joy, as the United States brought the crippled Apollo 13 space craft safely back to earth. In the aftermath of 9/11, all of NATO and much of the world offered us immediate sympathy and/or military support as we dealt with the horrors of that day. If we execute Nidal Hasan for all the world to see, what will the world think of us? The act will sicken those who cheered for us during the Apollo 13 crisis. Will the execution also give rise to a new generation of Jihadists? Who will be in the firing squad? Is it voluntary? Do those selected have the option to refuse? Shooting an “out of the fight” unarmed enemy combatant is a war crime. On December 3, Hasan will definitely be “out of the fight.” Is shooting an unarmed prisoner, even one convicted of murder, a war crime? Pete Hegseth seems to have blood lust; he promotes the warrior ethos. Is he going to be a member of the firing squad? Donald Trump likes to show up at sporting events. Will he be in Texas to witness the execution that he “absolutely” supports? On Friday, Donald Trump, the man who absolutely approves of public executions, was in Syracuse, New York bemoaning the fact that he was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize which went to South African lawyer, Navanethem Pillay. Trump said, “I have never heard of the person. I know a lot of people. I never heard of this particular person…. The United States of America, represented by me as your President, should have received the Nobel Peace Prize, but didn’t. And this is an indelible stain on the country of Norway and those people that made such a disgraceful and embarrassing decision. The Nobel Peace Prize has been forever discredited by a handful of radical ideologues who are anti-democracy and really enemies of civilization, and we will not forget Norway, that you didn’t give this prize with the greatest record in history.” Trump, who was in Syracuse to support GOP candidates running in New York, wasn’t finished. He could, and did, go lower when he said, “And on Election Day, New Yorkers should tell both [Gov. Kathy] Hochul and that disgusting Letitia dog — she’s a dog — you’re fired, get the hell out of here.” (Remarks about Nobel Prize and Letitia James found on nbcnews.com) Trump’s comment about Norway and the Peace Prize is moronic, although, as usual when attributing certain characteristics to others — in this case anti-democracy and enemies of civilization —he is really describing himself, and in that regard, he was at least speaking accurately. His rant about Letitia James is just plain offensive and disgusting, but it is unfortunately what I have come to expect from him. What bothers me even more, is that Trump’s crude perorations continue to receive applause from the crowds. How many men in the audience would cheer if someone called their wife a dog? How many teens in the audience would laugh if kids at school called their mom a dog? Last week a cable news reporter was at Trump’s Nebraska rally and interviewed some of the people in attendance. The reporter asked the people if they still supported Trump even with the high cost of things. The voters said they did. The reporter asked them if they would consider voting for a Democrat. They said no, they hated the Democrats. The reporter said that that was about 50% of the population. They responded that they hated all Democrats. In the past week or ten days, MAGA leaders have suggested that Iran could bomb two American cities; they have called for a public execution of a prisoner; they have called a candidate for the United States Senate “Annie Trannie;” they have called the New York Attorney General a dog; they have called five Norwegians enemies of civilization; they have told another candidate for the United States Senate to leave the country. Those are the things our leaders have said, and their followers laugh and say they hate all Democrats. That was all in the last two weeks. Nearly four hundred years ago John Winthrop said we “shall be a city upon a hill,” and about 160 years ago Abraham Lincoln said, “With malice toward none; with charity for all….” MAGA would have us be a city in the gutter with malice towards all and charity for none. Where did we go astray? How low can we go? Who are we? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/10/11/800110657/community/how-low-can-you-go/ Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/