But it is ritualistic. The time and place and method are all pre-determined. All the steps are laid out in advance. It is cold-blooded. Pre-planned, pre-organised if you like, a long time after the crime that provoked it, the very essence of cold-bloodedness. It is a human being that you're killing. It is sanctioned by the state. My characterisation is intended to be unemotional and, above all, accurate. If that makes you uncomfortable and wanting to rail against the words, I see that as your problem. Please feel free to express my statement in whatever euphemisms you prefer. You might not like the words, but they do no more than describe what is being done. I would find it quite hard to describe the deliberate and premeditated killing of a bound person in terms that could be described as prosaic, but maybe you could do better.