Entry: My take on Tookie

Well, as many people know, Stanley "Tookie" Williams is set for execution in California tonight just after midnight. Interesting how I'd never heard of this guy until a couple weeks ago. It just goes to show how quickly news can creep up on you.

So...the question...should Tookie be given a reprieve from execution...

(And again...these views are not intended to be incendiary)

Here are the thoughts that keep going through my mind:

1. "He's a reformed man."
That's excellent to hear! Seriously...I don't mean that sarcastically.
If, in fact, he did commit the murders and did found one of the
bloodiest gangs in US history (the latter being a certainty) then
I would hate to see someone meet his fate without seeing the error
of the events that lead him to it. As an aside though, I'd be interested
to know the statistic on the percentage of death row inmates who are
"reformed" before heading down the isle for the last time. I'd be
willing to bet that it's quite high.

2. "He's written children's books."
Another good point. It's great to know that he has left the world with
a legacy that was born from his adolescent mistakes. I sincerely hope
that his works have the ability to steer the young and impressionable
away from that kind of life. Again, though, I've heard some pretty
wild stories about the kinds of works done by people who are waiting
to die in the prison system. The fact that this will be leaving the world
a tad more enlightened and selfless than when he entered it is no
surprise.

3. "Should #1 and #2 earn him clemency?"
Again, how many people who have been executed by the system can
claim the same thing? Quite a few probably. Are they spared?
Probably not. The difference is that Tookie is famous (or infamous) and
has wide notoriety. I have a hard time believing that that deserves special
consideration.

In conclusion, Mr. Williams was convicted of some pretty heinous crimes. He still has yet to pay the cost of those crimes. Many would argue that his 26 years in prison should be enough. Personally, I would argue that those were 26 years of extra life that he was granted. Perhaps, after his execution, after his tab is paid in this world, his later works will earn him a clean slate in the next (speaking spiritually, not religiously, of course).

***DISCLAIMER***
Again....simply my humbled opinion. This is also going on the assumption that he was guilty. It's not exactly my place to assume that the not-quite-perfect judicial system got it right.