The six correctional officers, wearing surgical masks and stationed three to a side like pallbearers, lifted the inmate off the gurney and strapped him to the execution table inside the Idaho state prison on Tuesday. They attached intravenous lines to Richard Leavitt's arms and electrodes to the convicted killer's chest and stomach to measure his breathing and heart rate. A week ago, no one aside from the prison officials would have seen the state's lethal injection process in its entirety. But a federal judge ordered it open, siding with more than a dozen Idaho news groups, including The Associated Press, who sued in federal court for access. Those first steps — including the insertion of the IV lines that deliver the lethal chemicals — have become increasingly controversial in recent years as opponents question the efficacy of the lethal drug cocktail and the training of the execution team/Rebecca Boone, AP. More here.

Question: No matter how you feel about capital punishment, are you glad Rebecca Boone/AP and 3 other media witnesses were present to watch execution of Richard Leavitt today in Boise?