National Review Online's Jay Nordlinger's "Impromptus" column has this little item:

I’m a little confused by something I read: ?Iran’s hard-line judiciary today sentenced an outspoken reform activist to death, 8 years in jail, 74 lashes, and a 10-year ban from teaching.? So, what’s the deal here? The execution comes after the eight years in jail?

The mullahs’ justice has always confused me.

I'll e-mail this little item to Jay, but what he doesn't realize is that the mullahs have an excellent idea.

When the anti-death penalty types are appealing a murderer's sentence here in the United States, one of their common claims is that keeping them in jail for so long, and setting numerous execution dates, is cruel and unusual punishment. If we simply sentenced them to 15 years in jail and death (the time in jail first), that would solve one of the complaints of the ACLU-types.