It’s confusing. What does “free range” mean? Or “organic” or “grass-fed”? If you want to buy meat from animals that have been treated humanely, you need to begin by understanding what the labels mean.
For an easy-to-understand (and enlightening) guide, go to http://www.humaneitarian.org/what-is-humanely-raised-meat/meat-labels/#.Vo7q4hUrKM8. It will give you an idea of how complicated eating humanely can be, and how our thinking is so often manipulated.
What do events in Arizona a few days ago, in Oklahoma in April, and in Ohio in January have in common? Three botched executions, in which the condemned man tried to gulp air for nearly two hours (Arizona), writhed in agony for several minutes before dying of a heart attack (Oklahoma), and snorted, gasped, and struggled for some time before the lethal drugs killed him (Ohio). These–and many similar events–also show that carrying out a death sentence can be far from the humane practice it’s legally supposed to be.
I feel compassion for families of victims. I understand their need for “closure” (whatever that is) and that they believe in “an eye for an eye” (even Christians, whose faith says that Christ came to bring mercy and forgiveness, replacing the Old Testament law of getting even). And I know that executions are codified in our laws. But unless they can be carried out in a legal (meaning humane) fashion, they should be discontinued. Otherwise, they aren’t justice but simply vengeance.