This is Vanese Ferguson with Coffee Talk. In medieval Europe, public executions were held in town squares, marketplaces, or outside city gates. You probably remember the movie Braveheart and the final moments of William Wallace’s life when he was hung, and drawn and quartered. That movie came out in 1995 and I remember how shocked I was watching it – how emotional – because of course he was the hero, the patriot who championed Scottish Independance. A report from Amnesty International indicates there are places in the world where public executions still take place. The organization says in 2025 Iran publicly executed at least 11 people, and Taliban-led Afghanistan publicly executed at least six people. Public executions have been used as a moral instruction and a deterrent as well as a way to keep a population within the boundaries the ruling entity has set for them. In real life the execution of William Wallace took place in 1305 and his head was displayed on London Bridge. 1305. Not 2026. But like Iran, the very country Donald Trump picked a war with, the Pentagon which is to say Trump, has decided to livestream the Texas execution by firing squad. Have we not evolved as human beings?