I Don’t Think He Should’ve Been Executed, But…
Let’s not deify the man..Stanley “Tookie” Williams, after many denials for appeal, many years of concerted research and review of his case by dozens of dedicated legal analysts and professionals, failed in his bid to convince the governor that he is a changed man and should be given clemency. Oh, dear.
I think what did it in for Tookie was the fact that he showed not one ounce of remorse for the heinous crimes he committed. He proclaimed his innocence right up till the end, no repentance for him -- never mind the hours upon hours of testimony from credible witnesses, never mind that he co-founded the Crips, never mind that he helped spawn a whole new level of violence and misery. And he hated whitey way too much, which, in my whitey opinion, would’ve been best left unsaid. I mean, jeepers, dedicating his books to other whitey haters probably wasn't a good move. (Wish I had the link to that info, but all searches prove fruitless today.)
Schwarzenegger’s decision to deny clemency must’ve been a no-brainer, really.
Now, I admit that I’m not a Tookie expert -- far from it. I paid cursory attention to all the Save Tookie! brouhaha, mainly due to the fact that in the few details I gleaned while skimming news reports and blog entries regarding his case, I saw nothing that would indicate there was even a remote possibility he was an innocent man. I’m all for helping innocent folks kick the death sentence, and I probably would’ve done something real liberal like and sign a petition or protest in public by wearing lettuce leaves over my private parts while holding a FREE TOOKIE placard, but the dude murdered four people in cold blood, and thus, my interest was minimal, despite my belief that capital punishment should be reserved only for serial killers and child killers.
I was intrigued, however, that he was a writer, that he wanted to help steer at-risk kids away from gang life, but HE MURDERED FOUR PEOPLE IN COLD BLOOD! Cold is probably a huge understatement. I didn’t realize what an understatement until just yesterday when I Googled Tookie and discovered all sorts of things, things that made my usually bleeding heart form a clot. Some of those things can be found in the links above, and also here and here. Addendum: I've now learned that Williams didn't even write those children's books himself, that he had a ghost writer. A big kick in the crotch to the "intellectuals" who nominated him for the Nobel, eh?
I’m sorry that this man wasted his life the way he did, and I’m sorry for his loved ones -- Williams could’ve been a great, important human being, a leader, a true godsend for society, IF he’d chosen to use the brains nature gave him, and IF he chose to not be a murdering, racist fuckwit. But he didn’t now, did he? So, as sorry as I am for all of that, my sympathies really lie with his victims' families, the hardworking innocents he murdered. He killed three members of the same family, you know. Mom, dad, daughter. Will they be remembered, I wonder? Will their loved ones receive thousands of dollars from well-wishers and sympathizers? Will Hollywood trip all over itself to help them out?
Somehow, I don’t think so.
posted by Ms. Lori @ 12:58 PM
8 Comments:
Totally agreed.
AMEN
Lori, this guy co-founded a large following of people who made the lives of tens of thousands of people a living hell. He started it to get a piece of the drug trade that helped destroy his own people and community, bottom line, he started it for his own greed.
I don't care how many children's books he wrote, how can that justify the fear of every mother and father who worried when their child was minutes late from school or when their child had to dodge bullets when they went outside? How many lives full of promise were compromised because of the fear and intimidation pushed on them by Tookie's gang members or how many lives were destroyed because they joined the gangs added with the families that had to watch them self destruct? How many families had to move from their homes or shut down their business' due to Tookie and company?
If Tookie was indeed innocent of the murders of these four people, he was still responsible for all the other thousands of lives destroyed directly or indirectly by his gang.
It was not an innocent man who was executed this morning.
Thanks Stephanie and Ms. O.
I'm waiting with baited breath for some knucklehead to call me a racist, which, as you know, has happened for far less controversial posts than this. ;-)
Jeni, yes indeed. And he conducted gang-related business while inside the clink -- he also was not exactly a model prisoner, what with his frequent shank attacks on others, as well as his foiled escape plans, fights, threats on jurors' lives...Dude was more than bad.
G-Man said: "I would say that if one of my family was murdered I personally would deliver the injection no matter which colour make or model the fucker was who committed the crime."
I hear you, G-Man. So, are you in favor of the death penalty across the board, then? I'm interested in your opinion, especially considering there's no death penalty in Canada.
Jas, wouldn't surprise me.
Not that I give a "chickenfuck." ;-)
I have to say I agree, as well, and honestly it has nothing to do with race. I would feel the same if he had been white or any other color.. that he knowingly did some incredibly bad things and therefore should deal with the consequences. However, I have mixed feelings about the death penalty in general and also Tookie's execution.
The thing is, had he not lied to the end and professed his innocence, had he admitted his mistakes and wrongdoings, or at least showed a modicum of remorse, I would be so much more inclined to sympathy in his case. There was so much evidence against him and yet he still denied the charges, either he was totally in denial or more likely he felt no remorse at all.
It's difficult to feel sorry for him when I think of all the lives he affected negatively, the four people he killed, the fear and hatred he propagated.. Unfortunately he chose the route of claiming innocence in an attempt to save his ass, which not only makes him look even worse, but it robs the people he has affected of an apology or an acknowledgement of what they went through.
Thanks for your comments, Alena. And the more I discover about him, the angrier I become at his supporters. Came across some horrible, horrible crime scene photos of his victims via someone else's blog, and my blood sizzled with hatred toward the man.
Snoop Dog and all the rest of the Tookie lovers can go suck his ass in hell for all I care.
Thanks, G-Man. I feel much the same as you do.
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