I sure as hell don't think he deserves one, but if they're gonna pay for it (and not the tax-payers), knock yourselves out moonbats. Do it up nice...
SAN FRANCISCO -- The argument over whether convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams was a man of peace or a death-row con artist raged on after his execution Tuesday, with supporters announcing they would give him a funeral "befitting a statesman."
The 51-year-old founder of the bloody Crips gang died by injection at San Quentin Prison just after midnight for the murders of four people in two 1979 holdups, professing his innocence to the very end, even when an admission of guilt might have helped save his life.
His last, best hope was an act of mercy by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the governor was unconvinced by Williams' supporters -- several Hollywood stars among them -- who argued that he had redeemed himself behind bars with memoirs, children's books and lectures against the dangers of gang life.
After the execution, Williams' supporters vowed to continue his work to discourage youngsters from following in his footsteps, and promised another book from writings he left behind.
"If they think they succeeded by killing him in getting people to forget about him, they have done just the opposite," said Barbara Becnel, his collaborator and most vocal supporter. |
OK... these guys have really missed the point. The death penalty was a punishment for his four gruesome murders, robberies, and for creating a ruthless gang responsible for thousands of other murders. It is not meant to obliterate him from the memory of all people, it does not erase him from ever having existed. It just kills him; now he no longer lives. To his supporters: Don't be retarded. Continue his work, discourage kids from joining gangs, write more books "inspired by Tookie", etc... Just because the state killed him for killing four people doesn't mean you can't carry the anti-gang message to kids... (and so you know, you actually could have been doing it all along, but if his death inspires you to do more, so be it...) just one other benefit of not having him alive anymore. |
