n. a: disposition to be merciful and esp. to moderate the severity of punishment due b: an act of instance of leniency
Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition 2001
I honestly don't know exactly how I feel about the death penalty. I'm probably 95% against it, but my personal fears wins about 5% of a favor for it.
However, 100% of me is against the execution that will be carried out in a little over two hours. Stanley "Tookie" Williams allegedly commited the crimes for which he will die before I was even born. I have no idea what South Central LA was like back then. I know what it's like now, though, and the fact that he was a founder of a gang does not make me think less of him as a person.
I do think better of him for what he has done during my lifetime. Nobody has disputed his sincerity in ending his gang life and keeping kids from joining gangs. His life has become an iconic one, and his change is one that should be celebrated. The fact that a punishment that was dealt out nearly 25 years ago is carried out tonight seems to be unjust. Things change. People change. (How much have you changed since 1981?) But the death penalty doesn't allow for it.
And as the execution draws near, the fact that clemency was not granted in this case has truly made me consider my views on the death penalty. Until the last few years I was pretty much indifferent. But as I become more cold and less caring in my personal life, I find myself becoming more compassionate and merciful in my political views.
No matter how I feel, though, the execution will be carried out, and sometime late tomorrow morning, one Californian will try to go to sleep as he remembers he just killed a man.
4 comments:
Yes, a person does change quite a bit in 25 years and he has accomplished a lot. But what might the people he possible murdered accomplished if they were still alive? Maybe he did it, maybe he didn't, but don't you think that if he was innocent that someone could've proved it in 25 years? I'm not saying you're wrong, just bringing some questions to the table. Maybe one Californian (Are you refering to the governor or the man that did the lethal injection) killed a man last night, or maybe a nation did.
Ah, yes...the victims. They may have led a great life...but we will never know. But what we do know is what Williams did.
As far as proving innocence...if there's no statute of limitations on convicting someone of murder, should we have one on sentencing someone of it? I'm not saying I'm right, but more what I think I'm starting to believe.
The Californian I was referring to was the one in the prison ward who had to carry out the execution, but I have a feeling Arnold probably had a restless night as well. It was a very political decision for everyone..he's a Republican. It also is a political statement to the rest of the world...
I just find it to be troublesome...that's all.
Obviously you know that I have been an advocate against the death penalty for some time now and I just don't understand when we felt as a country it was our right to end someone's life. He didn't have the right to do that and neither do we. Two wrongs don't make a right...we tell little kids that all the time yet do it everyday in the death penalty.
And I think you bring up an excellent point that wouldn't this man be a better use to society to have learned from his mistake 25 years ago to help others not commit the same mistake. Sometimes we are so heartless in society. That is why we end up being in this war, with these corporations, in this gruel, unjust society.
If you get a chance check out the documentary Murder on a Sunday Morning...great story that I think you would like!
Here's another thought. If we shouldn't end someone's life for ending someone else's life, then what should we do to them? Or better yet, if someone brutally murdered your family what would you want to do to them or what do you think should be done to them?
Do we just say to them, "Look man, that wasn't right. What were you thinking? Just for that you're gonna have to sit in a cell for awhile."
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