Tookie & the death penalty

As I write, Arnold Schwartzenegger is pondering the fate of Stanley "Tookie" Williams, a San Quentin inmate sentenced to die this upcoming Tuesday. Tookie was convicted for killing four people in two separate Los Angeles incidents in 1979.

Over the years, my opinion of the death penalty has vacillated between pro-death penalty and anti-death penalty. If our legal system were accurate, swift and efficient, I'd be for it. You kill and you shall be killed. End of story.

But our legal system is slow and cumbersome, and it costs far more to carry out the death penalty than it does to incarcerate a convict for life. So, on that basis, I'm against the death penalty. I see no need to spend any more money on convicted murderers than we must.

But as long as we have the death penalty on the books with people on death row, I say kill the bastards. If we don't have the balls to do it, we shouldn't have the law. It's that simple.

I'm amazed that Arnold and the rest of the politicians cannot make a decision on Tookie. It seems so cut and dried to me. In 1981, a jury was convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Tookie committed these murders, so they convicted him and he was sentenced to die. What are we waiting for? Why are we spending more time, energy and money to defend this criminal? Did he give any consideration to his victims before he killed them?

The pro-Tookie camp says that Tookie is a changed man. The mass murderer and co-founder of the Los Angeles Crips gang deserves to live, they say, because he can now help others improve their lives by dissuading them from a life of crime. And he has written children's books opposing gang life.

Give me a break.

What Tookie has accomplished since the murders is irrelevant to me. His chance to contribute to society ended the second he killed those four people. After all, how many books have Tookie's victims written since he pulled the trigger? That's right, none. And that's the same amount of opportunity Tookie should be given. The fact that he has even been allowed to distribute books to children ought to make us all shake in our collective boots. A convicted murderer is the last person who should have access to the minds of children, regardless of intent.

Although marginally effective, I do believe in rehabilitation for criminals. However, I draw the line on mass murderers. Once you end opportunity for others, your opportunities should also end, I believe. No exceptions.

Arnold, make the right decision and send the right message. We owe this man nothing, and he deserves to die. I, for one, am tired of paying Tookie's lawyers. And I'm tired of buying his lunch.

Fuck Tookie.