1. United States
2. Wisc.
3. Letter

The planned public livestreaming of Nidal Hasan's execution on December 3rd is a disgrace, and I want you to speak out against it and push for it to be stopped. Whatever one thinks of capital punishment or of Hasan's crimes, turning a state killing into a public spectacle is not justice — it is theater, and dangerous theater at that. The United States has not carried out a military execution in over 60 years. Reviving that practice is one thing. Broadcasting a firing squad to the world is another entirely. The countries that still use firing squads include Afghanistan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia. That is not company we should be proud to join. Pete Hegseth's stated rationale — that "people need to understand there's serious consequences" — is the logic of public hangings, not a modern democracy. This sets a precedent that should alarm every American regardless of politics. Once the government normalizes livestreaming executions as a deterrence tool, where does it stop? I expect you to use your voice and your office to condemn this decision publicly and to pursue every available avenue to prevent it.