Manners aren't like that.  You shouldn't only be polite to people who are also polite to you.  As for "they'll be dead anyay", so will you.  Does that mean being nice to you doesn't matter? 

I believe the death penalty is such an extraordinary punishment that it calls for a little special treatment of the doomed, no matter their crimes. 

For instance, that's also why they get so many chances at appeal. 

However manners are social behavior or habits, however society has made it very clear it does not want the person on death row. So I don't see why they should be extended to the person.

Also the difference between me dying and him is the certainty. I eat because I'm betting that I will not be dead in the next few hours, even more specifically, I eat so as to NOT die in the next several days. The sole purpose of eating is to not die. There is no point in feeding the dead.

If we're getting ready to deport someone are they no longer protected by the Constitution? 

So you don't care whatsoever about the food you're eating beyond its nutritional content?  It could taste like shit and you wouldn't care?  Food is more than fuel. 

If you're interested in cutting government waste in this area, why not campaign to stop the cremation/burial of unclaimed bodies?  Just dump them in a landfill. 

That is one of the most ignorant statements I have ever read. I can't even come up with words of how terrible that is. .In my eyes, that is the equivalent of someone saying all Canadians live in igloos. Don't believe stereotypes, how can you think a whole state and every single person in it thinks that way? Seriously, don't listen to dumb stereotypes and certainly don't believe them if you haven't even experienced them. That is just ludicrous.

Well, the reason why they get so many chances to appeal is to avoid executing people who are innocent. You can't really afford to make mistakes in this situation you know.

Some other words of wisdom:  read the damn posts and notice that kitler said he goes into Texas all the time for his work.  He may be painting with too broad a brush but the attitude he describes is something encountered in personal experience and not ignorant stereotyping. 

As a natural born Texan (Houston, but moved to Huntsville this August) , I find his statement kinda disturbing as well.  Whoever you have run into sure doesn't apply to the majority of our state, and I'm sorry but jackasses live everywhere.  The only complaints I have where I lived (again Houston mostly) was stupid drivers, but then again they may have those in all major cities, and the weather being really variable (sometimes its a drought and sometimes IT JUST WON"T STOP RAINING, o and the almost always 90% humidity). 

On the issue of stereotypes, I got my best taste of this in the Boy Scout program oddly enough.  Perhaps this is because of the various summer camps outside the state (New Hampshire, Alabama, and Oklahoma)  that I attended, where we spent a week with these people.  It did not matter if it was child or adult you ran into, various people had these crazy stereotypes about our state.  This ranged from riding horses to school, living on a ranch, being stupid, etc.  It was much more apparent when I started staffing summer camps (been working in the Nature Area of El Rancho Cima since 2005, which is usually a 6-8 week deal) among adults.  Again I've only expereinced it here probably because of living with people for an entire week, compared to just travling outta state where you have a much more reduced contact with people and thier views on your state. ;p 

Though as someone said earlier, your experience was personal (not like the ignorance of who I have encountred) .  What exactly kind of things did these people you encountered do to give this "fuck off" attitude?

Anywho to get on subject...

I read of this issue in yesterday's Houston Chronicle (which, I think gives much more info than the OP provided).  I'm kinda on the fence on this one.  At first reading the article I had already semi-supported this act on the whole idea of a last meal being a bit absurd.  However once I got to the second part of the article, which started talking about Brain Price's expereince (cooking over 200 "last meals") kinda changed my view.  To quote:

"They only get items in the commissary kitchen.  If they order lobster they get a piece of frozen pollack.  They quit serving steaks in 1994.  If they order 100 tacos they get two or three...Whitmire's just getting on a politcal soapbox.

After that, makes it look like it really isn't that much of a big deal.  It went on in this part to talk about Jim Willett, former Walls Unit warden and now director of the Texas Prison Museums.  He told of why we have the tradition, saying it started back in 1924 when the states assumed responsibility for excutions from counties.  The final meal was rooted from pre-modern Europe, where exceutioners thought a fancy last meal would soothe the soon-to-be-dead's ghost. 

The article also, on the front page, gave a bunch of sample last request meals which I found interesting:

Stacey Lawton

Crime:  Murder and Burglary

(Shot Dennis Price dead while stealing his truck, proceeded to steal two more trucks)

Executed: November 14, 2000

Last Meal Request: Jar of dill pickles

Robert Madden

Crime: Double Murder

(Killed Herbert Megason and his son Don Megason, hid the bodies in a creek)

Executed: May 28, 1997

Last Meal Request: Asked his meal to be procided to a homeless person.

Richard Beavers

Crime: Abduction, Murder, Rape, Attempted Murder

(Abducted a couple, shot Douglas Odle, raped Jenny Odle, and shot her in the head but she survived)

Executed: April 4, 1994

Last Meal Request: Six pieces of french toast with syrup, jelly, butter, six barbecued spare ribs, six pieces of well burned bacon, four scrambled eggs, five well cooked sausage patties, french fries with catsup, three slices of cheese, two pieces of yellow cake with chocolate fudge icing, and four cartons of milk.

Danny Harris

Crime: Murder and Robbery

(Beat Timothy Merka with a tire iron to death and stole what the man had on him)

Executed: July 30, 1993

Last Meal Request: God's saving grace, love, truth, peace and freedom.

Charles Rumbauch

Crime: Murder and Robbery

(Killed Micheal Fiorillo during a jewelry store heist)

Executed: September 11, 1985

Last Meal Request: One flour tortilla and water.

Did he actually eat that much???!!!

Anyways, it's surprisong how simple the others' meals were.

How in the motherfuck is the poll 31-17 in favour of murderers getting a tasty and expensive last meal?

I don't want my tax dollars going towards steak for a rapist/murderer.

If you feel so strongly about it start a charity called "Last Meals For Prisoners" and raise funding privately from people who care. Otherwise leave my money alone.

Again these were requests, if they actually got them or not, we don't know.