by Kurt Nimmo, Global Research:

“If I’m in charge later, we won’t just have a three strikes law,” declares Palantir co-founder, multi-billionaire (net worth: $3.6 billion), and Trump supporter Joe Lonsdale. “We will quickly try and hang men after three violent crimes. And yes, we will do it in public to deter others. Our society needs balance. It’s time to bring back masculine leadership to protect our most vulnerable.”

Lonsdale’s desire to publicly execute criminals “quickly”—apparently minus the ability to appeal or petition for post-conviction relief—harkens back to the Middle Ages when public executions were common, particularly in England where the monarch Henry VIII executed nearly 60,000 people. According to the Italian jurist Cesare Beccaria (On Crimes and Punishments, 2009), “the death penalty is not useful because of the example of atrocity it gives to men.” Public executions largely ended in the 19th century, with significant legal reforms occurring in various countries. Following these reforms, executions were conducted behind prison walls. “As ideas about natural rights and human dignity took hold across Europe,” writes Claire Lehmann,