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'Making an example of him’: Retired US colonel backs firing squad execution at Fort Hood
Treason is the crime of betraying one's country or government, specifically by attempting to overthrow the state, waging war against it, or materially aiding its enemies.
I think it is important to understand what has changed that Hegseth and Trump feel the need to live stream this execution. Reminds me of the two witnesses who will be killed in Jerusalem and how their death is live streamed to the world. I am not likening this man's crime of murder to that of the two witnesses. Instead I am likening the punishment. Jesus was crucified on the cross, the same punishment that was given to the worst offenders. This was a public spectacle designed to strike fear in the enemies of the state. Jesus suffered the same punishment. I am simply pointing out that this punishment will be established as the punishment for the worst offenders and ultimately that will be Christians and the two witnesses.
I think we should get a refresher history course on how both Hitler and Stalin weaponized treason laws to silence dissent.
Both Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany and Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union fundamentally redefined legal systems to weaponize treason and dissent laws. Instead of using the law to protect the state from external threats, both dictators transformed "treason" into a flexible, all-encompassing concept used to eliminate political rivals, terrify the public, and criminalize any form of non-conformity.
Here is how each regime achieved this.
Hitler -- Treason against the People
Nazi Germany: The Elasticity of Volksverrat (Treason Against the People)
Following Hitler’s rise to power in 1933, the Nazi regime dismantled traditional legal protections and introduced a highly subjective system of political justice.
The Reichstag Fire Decree (1933): Triggered by the Reichstag fire, this decree suspended basic civil rights, including freedom of speech, assembly, and the press. It allowed the state to arrest political opponents—primarily Communists and Social Democrats—without charge, effectively making political opposition synonymous with state treason.
The Malicious Practices Act (1934): This law criminalized making "malicious" or "subversive" remarks against Nazi Party leaders or policies. Even telling a joke about Hitler or complaining about wartime rations could be prosecuted as a form of treason, heavily relying on denunciation by ordinary citizens.
The People’s Court (Volksgerichtshof): Established in 1934 to handle political crimes, this court operated outside the normal constitutional framework. Legal defense was a formality; trials were theatrical scripts designed to humiliate defendants before their execution. Under Judge Roland Freisler, the court radically expanded the definition of treason.
Broadening "High Treason" (Hochverrat and Landesverrat): The Nazis shifted the focus from actions against the state institutions to actions against the Volk (the racial community) and the Führer. Passive dissent, listening to foreign radio broadcasts (like the BBC), or expressing defeatism during World War II were classified as treason and regularly punished by death.
Stalin -- Enemy of the People
The Soviet Union: Article 58 and the "Enemy of the People"
Stalin’s regime weaponized the legal system primarily through the RSFSR Penal Code, specifically the infamous Article 58, which was introduced in 1927 and expanded during the Great Purge (1936–1938).
Article 58 (Counter-Revolutionary Crimes): This article was specifically engineered to be vague and elastic. It criminalized any action—or lack of action—directed toward weakening the Soviet state. It was divided into sub-paragraphs that covered everything from "propaganda or agitation containing an appeal to overthrow" to "suspicion of espionage."
Wrecking and Sabotage: Under Article 58, industrial accidents, factory equipment failures, or falling short of unrealistic agricultural quotas were legally treated as intentional "economic counter-revolution" (wrecking). Engineers, scientists, and factory managers were routinely executed or sent to the Gulag for treason when production targets failed.
Intent and "Counter-Revolutionary Thought": The Soviet legal system, heavily influenced by jurist Andrey Vyshinsky, eliminated the need for concrete evidence. Vyshinsky asserted that a defendant's confession was the ultimate proof of guilt. Ideological deviations, associating with foreigners, or failing to report a suspect neighbor were treated as active treason.
Collective Punishment: Family members of those convicted under Article 58 were legally designated as "Members of the Family of a Traitor to the Motherland" (ChSVR). Under Soviet law, spouses and children of "traitors" were automatically subjected to arrest, internal exile, or forced labor, effectively forcing society into total compliance through collective terror
