The state of Mississippi has the honor of having the most obese population in America with 34.9% of its citizens 30 pounds or more over a healthy weight, but Ohio has the fattest inmate on death row. You probably saw on the news recently that 53 year old Ronald Post who comes in at 486 pounds now claims through his attorney that his execution, “simply will not work (and will cause him a) torturous and lingering death.” The attorneys claim that “Ohio’s statute requires a quick and painless lethal injection and the potential 200 needle sticks and up to 16 hours (predicted to execute him)…is not quick and painless.” This is another reason why the death penalty should be abolished. This guy has been on death row, get this now, since 1985. 27 years of appeals and spending hundreds of thousands of tax dollars with special prison facilities designed only for those on death row. Post was convicted of killing a hotel employee in Northern Ohio and here we go back to the courts once again. Time and time again the cruel and unusual punishment comment comes up when it comes to executions. Back in 1994, a Washington State federal judge, after numerous court rulings and a third trial, agreed that another killer’s sentence should be life in prison. The convicted man sued that he weighed more than 400 pounds and hanging him would constitue cruel and unusual punishiment because of the risk of decapitation. Executions is this country take sometimes decades. In this case, Mr. Post has been riding it out for 27 years and during that time he gained according to news reports 246 pounds on death row. Let’s face it will always be very difficult to execute anyone in this country and the appeal process will continue to cost us millions for each death row inmate. It’s time for life without parole and stop this silliness. By the way, I am on a diet.Obese on Death Row