Carty Crusade, Homegrown Honey, Easter Extravaganza

Posted on April 9, 2015 by brent

With the temperatures hovering all week in the mid-70’s and a high temperature of 82 in the forecast for tomorrow, life is pretty sweet in Myrtle Beach right now. With the days getting longer, I still have time to enjoy the sunshine before it gets dark so let’s get started with the Thursday Rundown.

Coach Carty Crusade – The momentum has started to shift at Mead High School. The shady attempt by a small group of parents to oust Sean Carty from the head coach football position has met resistance…a lot of resistance. In my original blog post testifying to how much Coach Carty shaped me as a man, I sadly stated that it would probably take a “Hail Mary” for the termination to be overturned. It might now just take a 30-yard pass.

The Mead community has stepped up to the plate for Coach Carty while the embarrassing actions of a handful of parents are being exposed. Here is what you need to know: Carty’s appeal will be heard first by the principal. It will then go to the superintendent. The final possible appeal would be to the school board. Keep in mind that with the time Carty has to file the initial appeal combined with the two five-day periods he will be allotted to take the appeal higher if needed, this whole process will most likely stretch over a month. Although the days might pass with little news, know that you can write Dr. Rockefeller at any time. He is a fair man who will personally read what you have to say. You can e-mail him by clicking here.

SnapchaNt – Last week I reported on the massive success of SnapchaNt. Although it is cool for our social media events to be covered by the local Myrtle Beach media it is always special when the student newspaper recognizes your efforts. SnapchaNt made the front page of The Chanticleer. To read the article, click here. For awkward entertainment, click here for my Social Circle segment that I used to recap SnapchaNt.

You can read the article (recommended) or watch me (not recommended).

One Final Turf Photo – Last night I devoted a whole blog post to our brand new teal turf. However, as of last evening the field did not have the yard markers and conference logos applied. In the past 24 hours, more progress has been made. I can now officially give you the completed product.

The completed teal turf inside Brooks Stadium at Coastal Carolina University.

Homegrown Honey – I work with the best people. Late last week I was beyond miserable. Although I grew up around pollen, I had never battled South Carolina pollen. With the yellow stuff covering the CCU campus I was in pretty bad shape. But our Director of News and Public Affairs Martha Hunn came to my rescue. She told me about an old remedy for allergies that consisted of consuming honey each morning. She didn’t just tell me about the remedy though, she brought it to me. In an extremely nice gesture, Martha brought me a jar of 9 Lakes Honey, the best stuff in Conway, South Carolina.

Of course I would be totally remiss if I didn’t thank my girlfriend for really nursing me back to health. In addition to the medications she provided me and the hot meals she cooked for me, she put up with a grumpy Brent. Thanks Sidney!

Martha presented me with this jar of 9 Lakes Honey.

Easter Experience – By the time Easter rolled around I was feeling much better. Although I didn’t get to spend the holiday with my family, I had a joyous time spending it with Sidney and her family. I went on an Easter egg hunt (no joke), attended Easter Sunday mass, created and sent out my holiday message, and enjoyed great Easter meals on both Saturday and Sunday. What a wonderful time of the year Easter is! I hope you all had a blessed holiday as well.

I had a very nice Easter!

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Thanks for sticking around for another rundown. Remember to write to Dr. Rockefeller, admire our teal turf, and always take honey for allergies. Don’t Blink.

The Best Turf in College Football

Posted on April 8, 2015 by brent

I know I might be a tad bias, but I feel that Coastal Carolina University now has the best looking field in college football. Throughout my blog I have consistently given you updates on the teal turf project from the initial sketches to the grass removal to the early stages of the turf installation. Minus some hash marks and the Big South Conference logos, I can now present to you the final product.

I present to you the teal turf at Brooks Stadium.

I am oozing with pride about this. In my opinion, it turned out beautiful. Many of the original critics of the turf now feel the same way I do as most have conceded it looks much better than what they thought. Of course the nay-sayers were vastly outnumbered to begin with. For the most part, the Coastal Carolina community was behind the project. We all recognized that the turf would bring our athletic program a higher level of safety, efficiency, branding, and national exposure.

Here is a photo I snapped from the end zone.

It only took the laying of the first strip of turf for the realization of the latter benefit. Immediately upon the first pieces of teal and bronze hitting the surface, various national organizations ran stories on the new rug inside Brooks Stadium. Respected media outlets such as NBC Sports, USA Today, and Yahoo Sports all reported on it. Football fans from all over the nation swarmed to message boards to discuss it. Local media crews had an absolute “field” day.

Me hanging out on the turf. I love how it looks!

Of course our social media channels here at Coastal Carolina won big with the turf as well. The images and video I put on our main accounts garnered massive engagement. The main Twitter account of Chanticleer Athletics (@GoCCUSports), however, was the big star. Many of the national organizations used the account’s tweets in their stories. You can’t beat that exposure.

Another angle of the field, affectionately referred to as “The Surf Turf” (photo courtesy of Jada Bynum).

Already nicknamed “The Surf Turf,” the Coastal Carolina football field has a brand all its own. Much respect to our athletic department for taking a chance and going with something very unconventional. The initial result is nothing short of gorgeous and I can’t wait for all the additional publicity that will come during the 2015 football season when teams actually start playing on it. What a big victory for our University! Don’t Blink.

Courtharbor Match Madness

Posted on April 7, 2015 by brent

*** To participate in Match Madness and help us choose the name of our product, please click here.***

At the end of February, I started helping out with a company called Courtharbor. Based in North Carolina, this business specializes in an innovative tennis product that will make any fan of the sport jealous that they didn’t come up with the idea.

Courtharbor is an innovative company with an awesome product.

The founders of Courtharbor created what is currently called a court divider. What it consists of is a durable HDPE frame that holds a 4 ½ foot long by 4 ½ foot wide cover. You place the court divider perpendicular from the baseline fence in a tennis facility and let it go to work. The apparatus will catch stray balls that would otherwise move from one court right into the middle of another court, thus interrupting whatever match, clinic, or lesson is going on. It is all about efficiency and uninterrupted tennis.

A look at a Courtharbor court divider.

But it is also about branding opportunities. Courtharbor smartly constructed the court dividers in a way that any logo, slogan, hashtag, or quote can be placed front and center on the cover for every person at the tennis venue to see. How about that?! A product that specializes in both practicality and marketing!

However, even with such a dynamite product there was one issue: the name. Although the two words “court divider” describe what it is, it doesn’t really express the creativity and attitude of which the product embodies. It is also just way too generic. We decided that we wanted something catchy and fun, something that will capture the attention of the tennis community.

Today we introduced a major company promotion called Courtharbor Match Madness. Playing off of March Madness, we created an eight-line bracket for the placement of eight possible product names. One of the eight names that will fill the lines below will make it through to the single line on the right and replace “court divider” as the name of Courharbor’s signature product.

This is what the bracket looks like. We are unveiling the names two at a time each day.

This Facebook-exclusive promotion started at noon today with the initial first round matchup. The potential names of Court King and Court Hub are battling it out against each other to make the semifinal round. Over the next few days we will unveil the six other potential names through the other three first round matchups. Our Facebook fans will decide which name advances to the next round by voting. It is easy to vote! When a matchup is live, our fans simply have to comment with the name they prefer underneath the post asking the community to vote.

This is today’s initial first round matchup. This graphic is now posted on Facebook and to vote all you need to do is respond underneath it with either “Court King” or “Court Hub.”

As with any good social media promotion, participation is encouraged and rewarded. At the end of Match Madness, a drawing will be held. At stake is a Courtharbor gift package full of tennis goods. Making the chances of winning more interesting, users can earn entry into the drawing up to seven times. You see, each time someone votes, he/she will be entered into the drawing. With four first round matchups, two semifinal matchups, and a championship round, a person who lets his/her voice be heard each time will have seven chances to win the gift package.

This is a gigantic step for Courtharbor. A product name is absolutely crucial to a company. I humbly ask that you participate in Match Madness because we need your input. Click here to visit our Facebook page. While you are there, make sure to like our page but must importantly vote. Help decide the name of a product that some of you will probably hear a lot down the road. Don’t Blink.

My Permanent Mark at Coastal

Posted on April 6, 2015 by brent

I have slapped my website URL and social media handle on pens, t-shirts, stationary, business cards, and more. However, up until this point, a slab of concrete had alluded me. That all changed today.

A few months ago, I wrote about an opportunity for members of the Coastal Carolina community to leave their legacy. For a $250 donation, Chanticleer supporters can have their own brick engraved on the “Alumni Walk,” a pathway that leads up to the newly renovated Atheneum Hall Alumni Center. Wanting to give back to my employer while also maybe receiving a few website hits in the process (so shameless of me), I purchased a brick.

Atheneum Hall is where the Alumni Walk is located. Atheneum Hall is also the structure that makes up our University logo (Photo courtesy of Jada Bynum).

This morning, workers installed the first wave of personalized bricks into the walkway. I smiled proudly when Alumni staff member and #CCUSocialMedia Dream Team member Erika sent me a photo of my concrete square. Not soon after the text I went over and looked for myself. Making sure I promoted my employer before myself, the first two lines of the brick show allegiance to my University. The next two lines spell out my social media handle and my blog address. While I know I left out my life motto, I figured down the road I could always purchase another brick and add it in.

My brick being laid (Photo courtesy of Erika Pomerantz).

It just really appeals to me to have something like this. That brick will grace that pathway for a long, long time. Fifty years from now that marker will still be there. While I know I probably won’t still be authoring my blog in 2065 my hope is that the web address will still be working and the content archived. How cool would it be for a freshman to stumble upon it and use whatever crazy device invented at the time to look me up?

They installed the first wave of bricks this morning. (Photo courtesy of Jada Bynum).

A great part of this brick campaign is how the final product has turned out. I have seen other schools install personalized brick projects and the engraving just doesn’t look very good. These bricks are crystal clear and well done. If you are one of my local readers, you can order your own brick by going here.

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We have the men’s basketball NCAA championship game on tonight. I respect Coach Krzyzewski so much but this evening I am rooting for Wisconsin. First off, I think it looks great upon our basketball team at Coastal if the Badgers win the title just because our guys played them so close. Secondly, I would like to say that I watched the national champions play from the closest vantage point possible during their NCAA Tournament run. Whoever you are cheering for, enjoy the game! Don’t Blink.

Silly Rabbit, Easter Bunnies are Weird

Posted on April 5, 2015 by brent

This morning I read a very interesting argument. Pam Stone, a syndicated newspaper columnist, might be the Scrooge of commercialized Easter traditions. However, I think maybe every now and then we need a little holiday buzz kill if the proposition is legitimate.

Stone’s advice for shopping malls across America is this: Get rid of the Easter Bunny.

After finding the mascot of Americanized Easter celebrations creepy, out of place, and cheesy, the final straw came recently. News came out that a company that specializes in contracting out Easter Bunnies to malls (yes, apparently these exist) placed a sex offender in a shopping center here in the South. This disturbing image of a pervert in an awkward, strange cartoon rabbit outfit pushed her over the edge. Get these weird costumed goons out of American culture, Stone urged.

Easter Bunnies are just odd.

I will say this: I don’t think I have ever seen a “classy” looking Easter Bunny. Honestly, I don’t think I have ever seen an Easter Bunny that wasn’t hideous. But in my opinion, that is the fun part! In my experience, it seems like no two Easter Bunnies are the same. You go into any mall or to any Easter Egg hunt and the mutated rabbit is going to have its own original take on the word bizarre. If I don’t say to myself “Oh My!” when I see a giant bunny sitting in a throne, something isn’t right.

Most Easter Bunnies look like they are carrying diseases.

I enjoy laughing at the various ways costume designers try to make an Easter Bunny look “natural”, “cute”, or “appropriate”. It is the definition of putting lipstick on a pig. It just isn’t possible. But what I found even more funny (and sad) was the scene I witnessed last night. On Easter Eve when Sidney and I walked through Coastal Grand Mall a mere 30 minutes before closing there was a line of 20 adults with their kids waiting for last minute photos with the Creeper Bunny. Why?

Creating a “cute’ Easter Bunny is impossible.

I don’t feel strongly enough to banish the Easter Bunny. I get that some parents have traditions that involve their kids and the furry disaster. I also realize that children receive joy out of meeting the Easter Bunny and receiving whatever coloring book or fake ring that it hands out. But come on, can’t we all agree that these things belong more in our nightmares instead of shopping malls? Don’t Blink.

Coach Carty Update, Teal Turf, And More

Posted on April 2, 2015 by brent

I never suffered from allergies until I moved to South Carolina. For whatever reason, the pollen here has me feeling all types of miserable. But you know what?! It is Thursday, and some minor discomfort won’t stop me from delivering my weekly rundown. Here we go…

Coach Carty Update: On Tuesday night I wrote about the way my high school football coach, Sean Carty, helped make me the man I am today. The post came on the heels of an announcement that his contract would not be renewed. The response was remarkable*. From players who graduated from his program 12 years ago to students currently enrolled at Mead, person after person stood up to thank and recognize Coach Carty. This support was enough to overwhelm me, I can’t imagine how Carty himself felt. Over the past couple days I have learned many disturbing tactics that a small group of parents carried out. However, instead of wasting space on them, I rather just focus on Coach. I encourage you to write the Mead School District Superindentent and voice your support for Sean Carty. I never do calls to action on my blog but this is a very special circumstance for a very deserving person. You can e-mail Dr. Rockefeller by clicking here.

Roll Out That Turf!: Today on our campus at Coastal Carolina University, workers from a company called Medallion Athletics started to roll out our long awaited teal turf. Revealing the bronze end zone first, the teal portion of the surface started to get installed soon thereafter. It will take about four days for the whole field to be laid out. Next will come the stiching of logos, hash marks, and other field elements. This project screams “Coastal Carolina Chanticleers” and I can’t wait to see the finished product. Next Thursday I will be sure to have an update for you on the field’s progress.

How cool does Brooks Stadium look?

Out For Lunch: Did you know that teachers enjoy Spring Break as much as students? With Sidney away from her second graders for a whole week, we had the opportunity to go to lunch a couple times. Throw in a birthday lunch for one of our student-workers here in University Communication and I ate my noon meal at three different restaurants. You got to understand, for a guy who is used to eating a peanut butter sandwich every single day this is quite the shift to my dining schedule. On Monday, Sidney and I went to Moe’s, a mission burrito joint. Yesterday I went with our office to a place in downtown Conway called Dilly Beans where I indulged in a pot roast sandwich. Then today I went with Sidney to Rotelli’s, an Italian restaurant right next to campus. I had the “World Famous Lunch,” an $8 meal that consists of a cup of soup, slice of pizza, and a half sandwich. Although I don’t want to make these mid-day excursions a habit, it has been nice indulging in a few quality lunches this week.

Sid at Rotelli’s today and my pot roast sandwich from Dilly Beans.

What I Watched: On Sunday night I watched “Foxcatcher,” the award-winning wrestling movie. I was not overly excited to watch the film but ended up enjoying it. I absolutely loved the character of David Schultz and how he was portrayed by Mark Ruffalo. Steve Carell also did a superb job of depicting the creepy/insane millionaire John du Pont. The movie is not for everyone though as Sidney did not care for it. If you don’t mind whether a movie has a major plot and you like great acting, you might be entertained by “Foxcatcher.”

Talking about a whole different genre, I watched about half of the Comedy Central Justin Bieber Roast a few nights ago. It was funny, but it wasn’t hilarious enough for me to continue watching it. Although I didn’t know her before the roast, I laughed when Natasha Legerro took the podium. I found Shaq’s presentation a little lame. Ludacris was okay. I personally thought the jokes about Kevin Hart were funnier than the ones about Bieber. I went to bed before either Snoop Dogg or Martha Stewart could “roast.”

Congrats, Guff: To end tonight’s rundown, I want to warmly congratulate Dave Guffey on his College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Lifetime Achievement award. When I worked at Montana, Dave was a great mentor to me as we worked right next door to each other. He has served the Griz for 37 years and will be extremely missed. I encourage you to read the article about his award because it is really well-written.

Congratulations, Dave!

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I want to wish everyone a very happy Easter. It is my favorite holiday and I hope it brightens your whole outlook on life like it does mine. Thanks again for your loyal readership, it means a lot. Don’t Blink.

* – In the first few hours of writing the Coach Carty blog post, it had over 1,600 views. As of right now, it has been viewed over 5,000 times.

Giving Valentine’s Day a Run for its Money

Posted on April 1, 2015 by brent

I think Valentine’s Day has company when it comes to the most hated holiday on social media. No, I am not “joking around with you,” I am talking about April Fools’ Day. While I have said before that V-Day doesn’t bother me as much as some people, I am with the growing masses when it comes to detesting April Fools’.

Never before had I seen the resentment toward the First of April more than this year. A whole week before April 1 I saw warnings about the stupidity others stoop to via social media posts, morning FM radio, and even news programs. The message was simple: Be on the lookout for bogus digital claims by people looking for attention.

I am not a big fan of April Fools’ Day on social media.

I hate what has become a yearly exercise for many. A person sits down and conjures up some story about having twins, getting married, going off to prison, moving to another country, being abducted by aliens, etc. While most people detect the B.S. immediately, some fall for it. The folks who are duped will respond back with lots of capital letters, emoticons, and questions. Of course this gives the prankster satisfaction and maybe even the motivation to pull a similar stunt the next year.

I don’t care for these stupid Facebook jokes mainly because they are just so unoriginal. Millions of people do them each year. The stories are so tired and cliché that these social media users come up with. When I think of a good April Fools’ prank, I think of someone going above and beyond to pull off a legitimate and creative physical joke on someone else. I don’t think of some goober sitting at his computer typing up some tall tale. That is just too dang easy.

I also am weary of these “pranks” because the people who do them cheapen the legitimate good news of others. If you get married, receive a big job offer, or have a baby, that should be your moment in the sun on social media. You earned it. However, just because it is April Fools’, others who have not actually achieved anything can act like they did and receive praise for it. To me, there is nothing more undeserving or foolish-looking.

I don’t particularly care for it when companies and organizations attempt to pull off elaborate pranks on social media either. Some entities will go to crazy lengths. I much prefer a more subdued approach. Here at #CCUSocialMedia we just created a cool/funny graphic (A Chanticleer is a rooster) and wished our audience a happy April Fools’ Day. We commemorated the holiday while making people laugh. I think this is much more credible and respectful than trying to pull a fast one.

This was our April Fools’ graphic.

With all of this said, I have decided that this will be my last blog post ever…(SHUT UP BRENT!!). Okay, just kidding. Happy April Fools’ Day to all, have a wonderful month! Don’t Blink.

Feeling Bad for Coach Carty

Posted on March 31, 2015 by brent

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NOTE: Almost two months after I wrote this post, Sean Carty was reinstated as head football coach at Mead High School. Backed by the community, Coach Carty fought hard against a very small group of parents. It didn’t take long for all allegations to be completely discredited. The district struck down the decision of the principal and immediately reinstalled Carty to full head coaching duties. CLICK HERE for my wrap up blog post that includes reaction from Coach Carty.

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Late last night a good friend and former high school teammate of mine sent me this link. I read it with sadness. The article conveyed the news that the head football coach of Mead High School in Spokane, WA., would not have his contract renewed. I attended Mead (2005) where I played football under Sean Carty’s program for all four years. My brother (2008) also played four years of football for Coach Carty. Preceding both my brother and myself, my sister (2002) was a track athlete and a gymnast in high school. While Carty surely didn’t coach her in gymnastics, he was an assistant coach on the girls’ track and field team.

As you can see, my family has had a long history with Sean Carty. With this timeline established, I want to say two things.

It has been ten years since I played for Sean Carty. During this span, the only time I actually had the chance to speak with him was after a football game in Missoula one year ago.

First, when I was a member of the Mead High School football team, Coach Carty ran a clean, honest program. During my three years suiting up for varsity we had a losing season, a championship season, and a 500 season. Throughout these very different experiences, Carty always did what was best for the team. I can honestly say that the four years I spent in the Mead football program made me a better person. I learned how to persevere, win, work, think, compete, communicate, work out, fundraise, prepare, and more. I am not embellishing anything when I say the following, many of the most important lessons I learned came under the tutelage of Sean Carty and his staff.

Now, I will admit that it has been ten years since I played football. It has been seven years for my brother. Things change, people change. However, I have a hard time believing that Coach Carty’s philosophy and methods could change so much as some might allege.

This rock that I am standing next to (excuse the hair) plays a large part in the legacy of Sean Carty. Read on to find out how.

Second, parents ruin things. I saw it when I played, I saw it when I worked in intercollegiate athletics, and I even see it now…people who should just keep their mouths shut don’t. Luckily for me, I grew up with two parents who respected all of my coaches and would never think about confronting them, let alone going behind their backs and over their heads. But it happens every single day in America. Dads and moms live through their kids and/or erroneously believe that they know more than the coaches who spend countless hours pouring their souls into a program. It is an absolute shame. What is an even bigger travesty is when parents take it upon themselves to make the life of a coach miserable, or, in some cases, ruin it.

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Coach Carty could be a tough coach. But he was also a fair coach. As he throws what many might consider a Hail Mary as he appeals the termination, I hope the school district really analyzes its final decision. An overall winning record with fourteen issue-free seasons should always trump a group of disgruntled parents.

A couple years after Coach Carty took over as head coach, he hauled a giant boulder from his property and had it installed on the edge of the football practice fields. He painted it gold, called it “The Rock”, and started a beloved tradition where the hardest working football player each week would have his name written on that rock. At the start of every new season it was painted over and the process started again. If Sean Carty’s appeal falls on deaf ears and he is not head football coach of the Mead Panthers next season, I sure hope the high school rightfully names that rock after him. It is the least they could do. Don’t Blink.

Successfully Bolstering Our Snapchat Account

Posted on March 30, 2015 by brent

Last week I excitedly wrote about a social media event I was holding called SnapchaNt. Having already established a solid Snapchat account for Coastal Carolina University I wanted to bolster it up a few notches. Before we started marketing this past Friday’s event we had 304 followers and for each snap we added to our story we received around 150 views.

I was a little nervous on how SnapchaNt would go.

The premise of SnapchaNt was simple. On March 27 we would shut down all of our other social media outlets and communicate with our audience solely through Snapchat. Because our family of social media networks would be absent of content for the day, we would make up for it on Snapchat by snapping interesting images/video all day long.

I didn’t know exactly how SnapchaNt would go. It is definitely not beyond me to create an event that turns out to be a dud. I didn’t know if I would receive a backlash from the folks whose only social media consumption is viewing Facebook from a desktop. Sure we already had 300 people following us but was that the cap? Did any more students out there really want to connect with us on Snapchat?

Although my fears were legitimate, they never materialized. The minute we started to promote SnapchaNt early this past week we had a steady stream of users adding us. By the day of the event, the steady stream had turned into a ferocious stream. Early Friday morning it became apparent that campus was on board with our Snapchat push. Between my intern Jada and myself, we added about 50 images to our Snapchat story. The only hiccup was about mid-afternoon when for whatever reason some Snaps wouldn’t upload to the story.

We sent out fun Snaps but we also sent out informative Snaps.

A couple really cool things happened. First, I ran a few contests where I would send a Snap out inviting our student body to visit my office for a free promo item. That morning I greeted numerous students who walked through the door for a complimentary prize. Second, also through a Snap, I asked students to send us #CCU-related Snaps. Once again, we received a heavy response.

Just a few of the Snaps we received from our audience.

Of course the best thing of all was the tremendous growth our account profited from. At the end of the day Friday, our account had grown from 304 followers at the start of the week to a whopping 851 followers. Better yet, the majority of our Snaps added to our story received well over 600 views.

As you can see from these numbers, SnapchaNt was a huge success.

I would recommend that all universities have a presence on Snapchat. From there, I would definitely encourage that one day be set aside to devote completely to Snapchat in some sort of fun way. I don’t get to say this with all of my events, but SnapchaNt was a massive success. Don’t Blink.

Death Penalty: The Quicker the Better?

Posted on March 29, 2015 by brent

A memory I have as a young child is watching a documentary on the death penalty with my dad. The program showed old black and white videos of firing squads carrying out executions and officials leading the condemned to gallows. It was pretty graphic stuff, especially for a kid. The documentary stayed with me and I grew up with a mild curiosity for the death penalty.

Yesterday in the paper, I read an editorial that was lifted from the Bloomberg View. The piece had a very interesting premise. It argued that modern execution methods such as lethal injection and the gas chamber are much more inhumane than other methods. If the goal is to be as humane as possible to death row inmates, the Bloomberg View states, then lawmakers should embrace options such as the guillotine and firing squad to end life. The quicker the better. The author says that a method such as lethal injection is used to make the process easier on executioners and bystanders, those who don’t want to see blood and guts. However, it increases the misery of the condemned.

I disagree.

I understand the Bloomberg View’s main point that an instant death is ideal, even if it means a nightmarish blood bath. However, I can’t come to grips with it. First off, I don’t think lethal injection or the gas chamber are that inhumane. Yes, there have been a couple cases where the execution didn’t go according to plan and the condemned didn’t die right away. However, that is the exception. In most cases, the process is flawless and a quick death is achieved.

But what I disagree with much more is that the condemned would prefer a primitive death over a more modern execution solely because the end result might take a couple less seconds. The piece believes that only the living would receive relief from the absence of decapitation. For me personally, if I knew I was going to be put to death I much rather depart the world fully intact as opposed to in pieces.

Thinking about having my head chopped off makes me sick. How awful would that be if my family was given my remains in two boxes? Or what peace would I find knowing that my vital organs/head/throat were about to be blown up by a firing squad? It makes me very uneasy and it also makes me feel very much for my family. I would take a couple of “Mississippi” counts if it meant that I would look like I had just fallen asleep as opposed to if I was butchered.

Give me the injection over the head chop any day. Maybe I care too much about the condition of a corpse, after all I don’t care for cremation, but I also have family in mind as well. I am not here to argue for or against the death penalty but rather to answer the hypothetical question about best execution method. In my opinion, a two second death is not necessarily the best or most humane way to go, especially if it means losing your head. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser