Is it just me, or have we reached the age of what I call “ridiculosity”? I know it isn’t really a word. But, well, sometimes it just fits.

Let me explain when the state of ridiculosity exists: Whenever an action taken or discussed has one looking around the room to see if anybody else is laughing. An example might illustrate this.

On Jan. 12, the state of Texas executed Gary Johnson. Twenty-four years ago in April, Johnson was interrupted when he and his brother were trying to burglarize a ranch in southeast Texas. Because Johnson really wanted the things he planned on taking, he shot two men who tried to stop him. He shot one begging for his life.

But here’s where it all gets ridiculous. Remember, this crime happened in 1986. In the last 24 years all appeals have been exhausted, and the judicial process has been followed.

The execution date draws near. It’s the night before the execution, and the attorney speaks in a last-ditch effort to delay his client’s death. The media is focused on this unfolding drama that is unfortunately becoming all too common in Texas.

News reports flash across the television screen: “Condemned inmate’s attorney pleads for leniency, saying his client is nearly blind in one eye and is too physically ill to be executed.”

Whapah! Ridiculosity!

Another sign of ridiculosity is that since no one else is laughing, you begin to worry there might actually be some validity to what is being said. Questions start running through your mind. Is it possible to stop an execution because the condemned is too sick to die? Is there a precedent for this? Exactly what goes on during the execution process that is so physically exerting?

After some research I was unable to find a precedent delaying an execution by injection due to the condemned being sick. However I did uncover some facts that made me feel a little better about the whole thing. I went online to my favorite research site and discovered that at an execution, there are three physicians and two spiritual advisors.

I don’t know what your experience has been, but that’s way more attention than I ever received when I was in the hospital.

For the record, Johnson’s execution took place and Texas justice was served. End of story. However, next time a TV news blurb about something absurd catches your attention, and you glance around the room and discover no one else is laughing, relax.

You’ve just entered the realm of ridiculosity.

Margie Kinney is a registered nurse who has been employed by the Waco VA Medical Center for more than 25 years. She is writing a contemporary novel and eagerly awaiting retirement.