Pretty Please, Mr. Holder

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto joined 11 other attorney generals recently in asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for help in either finding new sources for sodium thiopental or making the federal government's sources available to the states.

That was yesterday's news.  But we didn't have the letter then.

Now we do, and it turns out the letter was wrong.  It wasn't 12 at table but 13.

1. Alabama
2. Colorado
3. Delaware
4. Florida
5. Idaho
6. Mississippi
7. Missouri
8. Nevada
9. Oregon
10. Tennessee
11. Utah
12. Washington
13. Wyoming

And the request was actually in two parts.  First, get us a weapon.  Second, we want to talk.

Therefore, we solicit your assistance in either identifying an appropriate source for sodium thiopental or making supplies held by the Federal Government available to the States.  We also request an opportunity to discuss this important matter with you.

Here, you can read it for yourself.

AGs' Letter to Eric Holder

Anyway, just why is it so damn important?  I don't mean to be particularly crass about this, but it's pretty clear by now that while it's hard to kill people nicely and neatly, it isn't particularly difficult to find ways to kill.  Oh, sure, you change the protocol and there'll be litigation.  So it takes a bit longer.  These states are committed to killing.  They'll find a way.

But you know, what's really interesting is the list of states that signed on.  Of the thirteen states asking the feds to help them kill, nine are among the plaintiff states challenging the constitutionality of the health care law. Now, I'm absolutely not staking out a position on Obamacare.  But I do think it's interesting that states that don't think the feds have any business getting the states to help them secure universal health care are eager to have the feds help them commit murder.

It's not a contradiction exactly, but it's a pretty short distance from one.

And, by the way, what is there for them to chat about?