Way to let criminals know that there are no second chances.
I'd just like to thank all the white people in California government for showing us just the kind of elitists you are. I'd also like to thank the minorities in California government for laying down on the job. I'd also like to ask why more Californians didn't speak out against this man's execution. I at least emailed Arnold. Sure, I didn't protest, but nobody listens to protesters at rallies any more. Still at least protesters and people like me tried.
Lastly, I'd like to thank Arnold. The man had a chance to do something special. To do something good--something good is something he has yet to do in office. Instead, he let this man be killed by the state. Now we'll never know if he was truly rehabilitated.
Oh and did you notice the Reuters article mentions Williams "brutally killed four people in 1979" which assumes that our legal system is flawless? The proper way to report that aspect of this story would have been to say "Williams was found guilty of four counts of murder in 1979."
Reporting it the way they did is just going to make the white folks who like seeing darker-skinned people die feel better about it.
You've heard of NIMBY, well, this is NMWA--Not to My White Ass.
Pete...I read your website everyday and have great respect for your writing. That said...I must disagree with your take on "Toookie" Williams. As a black man it makes me sick to my stomach to see anyone feeling sorry for Mr.Williams. He was a cold blooded killer and he ruined several lives. To see the likes of Jesse Jackson, Snoop Dog and even Nelson Mandela praise this killer breaks my heart. No one ever thinks of all the families crushed by what this man has done. Sure I respect him for turning his life around and getting an education and writting childrens books ...(but that was after he served his first 6 years in jail in solitary confinement for several assults on guards and other inmates) but he had to change his ways if he hoped for any type of pardon. I guess what my point is ... dont make this man into a martyr. He doesnt deserve it. I grew up in a poor area of Chicago and now I work with poor kids that grew up in the same area I did...they look at Tookie as a hero. Thats a shame ..I guess if thats the best the black community has to offer then we will never advance as a race. Thanks for your time.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't trust many parts of the government. This includes the legal system. It is flawed, it isn't fair and if you look at the statistics, it sure seems like it's just a little bit racist. Combine that with the fact that Williams had never admitted that he killed those people after all this time after all he's been through, knowing that it would help him look good in the eyes of everyone, makes me think that just maybe he didn't kill anyone. Now, I said maybe because I fully admit I could be wrong. But, in my opinion, killing is wrong, too--of anyone. I'm not trying to make Williams into a martyr. I just felt that he should be left in jail for life. There are very few people I think should be put to death for their crimes and someone who may have killed four people (despite the brutal style of the killings) should not be killed. Frankly, in prison, he's not going to harm society, so far, he's managed to contribute positively to society.
ReplyDeletePeople I do think should be put to death are mass murderers who are so dangerous even prison isn't a safe place to put them. And I mean mass murderers--not four or five people, but ten, fifteen or twenty. These are people who are irredeemable. These are people who are programmed to kill. However, Williams did not seem to be one of those people. But now, we'll never know if he was capable of continuing his good works. Now we'll never know if he would kill again, or not.
Again, I'm not trying to make a martyr of him--he's not Jesus. But I do believe that the death penalty is wrong for most people who are put to death. I also feel that when a state kills a person, it's indicative of a people who can't solve society's problems by any other way but by sinking to the level of the problems when clearly in Williams' case, locking him away will stop the problem in its tracks.
We seem to be a nation of contradiction these days. A huge number of people are against abortion, but death penalty cases and the war are OK. As it turns out not all life is sacred to these people. I don't understand them, because I believe all life is sacred and that freedom is even more sacred than that. Er on the side of life and/or freedom is what I say. Let's not "play it safe" by killing a man the way we did with Williams and with Iraq.
And hey, Steve, I respect your opinion greatly, too. If you had a blog I'd visit it every day. :) If you ever decide you want to write for this site, just say the word, man. I'd love to have anything you write about on my site. You could write about the work you do with inner-city kids and how people can help. Or at the very least, tell me about the work you do so I can blog about it and draw some attention in your group's direction.
So, I do appreciate your opinion and understand where you're coming from. I've lived a very safe life so I don't understand certain things the way you and others do. I fully admit that. I just know what our ideals are and feel like we are compromising them with things like unjust wars and the death penalty. But we're allowed to disagree--this is still America, after all.
Thanks, Steve, always good to hear from you. Sorry I didn't reply to your comment sooner.