With the announcement that the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will be livestreamed, came the predictable and tiresome backlash from the left, who are now attempting to tell Christians that they're not being very Christian by executing a prisoner and making it a watchable event.
Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau immediately brought up J.D. Vance's Catholicism and asked if he'd be watching the "death of a human being."
I would like to hear our Catholic Vice President explain why they're intentionally choosing to broadcast the death of a human being for the entire world to see, including children.
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) October 8, 2026
For his part, Vance seems to understand Hegseth's decision but said he won't be watching the event if it is livestreamed.
JD Vance distances himself from Hegseth's televised execution: "Look, if it's ultimately livestreamed, I'm not going to be watching it" https://t.co/PnpmjfNTi0
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 9, 2026
Personally, I'm not Catholic, and while I bear no ill will toward Catholicism, I'm not in agreement with some of its conclusions, including the one about capital punishment. From what I can gather — and my Catholic readers can correct me if I'm wrong — capital punishment seems to be something it wants to abolish because it's an offense to the image of God.
According to my Biblical reading, however, capital punishment seems to be not just licit, but often necessary. It was one of the things God told us to do directly off the Ark, and it seems to be reiterated from time to time in various passages. Naturally, Biblical readings can and will be debated, but I've settled on the understanding that it's a green light.
It seems Charlie Kirk settled on the same understanding I did as well, and I'll let him explain it better than I could.
So, on Biblical grounds, I'm not bothered, but it goes further.
I think it's wise to execute Hasan publicly because we need, as a nation and a culture, to send a message. For well over a decade, we've been broadcasting weakness to our enemies, effectively telling them we're so passive that murdering us doesn't move us. We'll not just roll over and shrug it off; we'll even welcome them into our midst as brothers and sisters, as if this will somehow convince them to put away their ancient grudges and beliefs and embrace this new humanist idea of global unity.
Anyone who knows even a little about radicalism of any kind knows better. They won't see this as an olive branch that can lead to understanding and peace. It's a free ticket to further violence and eventually subjugation. They don't want peace. They want to dominate. They make that very clear through both their words and their bloodshed.
By tying Hasan to a post and executing him live, we're sending the message that this is no longer the attitude of America. We want peace, yes, but we're not going to wait for you to come around and want what we want. We'll achieve it through strength, and that means spilling innocent blood is inviting that strength to act against you lethally. We've made examples of this repeatedly through drone strikes and SEAL Team operations, but we will also take vengeance in a judicial and official setting as well. The message needs to be made clear that we will not be trifled with in any regard, and you will pay the price dearly for any action against us.
There's something intimate and personal about a public execution, despite it being public. To watch all the focus on one person in their last moments has a wholly different feel to it than watching some people on an IR camera suddenly disappear in an explosion and a large dust cloud. You didn't know their names, see their faces, or even fully understand what they did. You saw enemies have the Grim Reaper drone delivered. If you want, you can find several video games that will give you a very similar experience.
Not a public execution, though. You know Hasan's name and have seen his face. You know what he did. He is a person to you, and you're about to see his last moments before his life is snuffed out by the people he betrayed. That brings a different flavor of understanding, not just to people, but to the enemy. There's something about being looked in the eye before someone kills you that is, frankly, terrifying, and I want our enemies to shiver at the thought of having to experience that kind of death.
That said, the one aspect I do have a problem with as a Christian is my personal reaction to it. I shouldn't want to celebrate the death of another image bearer, but I take pleasure in the idea of one of the enemies of my people, who would gladly kill me and anyone I cherish, be it my son or my mother, having to march himself to a specific spot where he will then be shot to death for the whole world to see.
I will be watching the livestream and know I'll feel a thrill watching the guns go off and his body go limp. I don't think that's the kind of attitude my Lord would wish me to have about the execution of another person, and I think that's where some Christians also start to get shaky on the idea of executions. We enjoy watching our enemies die on a personal level.
Maybe when I'm older and wiser, I'll be able to feel genuine remorse for this having to happen, but the world shouldn't wait for my feelings. We should do what we need to, and I think we need to make public executions of our enemies something we embrace for the sake of our people.
