bitflipper
I heard this joke on Prairie Home Companion last week...this is a somewhat abbreviated version.
 
Guy is led to the guillotine, but the mechanism fails, the blade doesn't drop. He is let go. Another guy's turn, same thing happens and he's let go. Third guy is an engineer. Lays down on the machine, looks up and says "hey, I think I see your problem".
 
 

auto_da_fe
The guillotine was the first attempt at democratic execution.
 
Prior to its invention, if you were poor you would languish for days under all sorts of bizarre tortures until you were finally drawn and quartered.  If you were rich you got beheaded (a relatively better exit)
 
Dr Guillotine invention was proposed so that all would be executed in the same quick manner, rich and poor.  I do not think he ever imagined the assembly line use of it in the French revolution.  
 
Today of course things are much better, if you are poor you get executed and if you are rich and can afford the legal team you get life (or even acquittal...!)
 
Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.
 
JR

bitflipper
Sounds awfully messy. You'd think the culture that gave us the Kama Sutra would have been a little more inventive.