photo: MarkShurtleff Twitter

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff’s nod of approval was the final step before the execution of Ronnie Lee Gardner could begin. Shurtleff sat by a phone to make sure that there were no last minute execution stays awarded or appeals recognized. He also apparently sat by a mobile phone which he used to tweet, “I just gave the go ahead to Corrections Direction to proceed with Gardner’s execution.” There has been widespread complaint about his decision to tweet this. However, he was merely trying to use today’s method of communication to share information with the public. Perhaps the disapproval of his decision to tweet about the event represents the public’s disapproval of the death penalty; some people couldn’t shake the feeling of being that close to the execution.