Suspend executions -- for now

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 12/8/5 | Joan Ryan

[SmithL]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should not grant clemency to death row inmate Stanley Tookie Williams.

Nor should he deny it.

The governor should shelve the clemency hearing scheduled for today. He should call a press conference instead. He should say that in listening to the debate, he has come to understand that the challenge before him is not to parse the singular circumstances of one man's life. It is to tackle the much larger and more relevant issue that has been pushed to the surface by the Tookie Williams case: the public's conflicted feelings and growing questions about the death penalty itself.

Then Schwarzenegger should announce a moratorium on all executions in California, following in the footsteps of another law-and-order Republican governor, former Gov. George Ryan of Illinois.

This not only is the thoughtful, prudent course of action, given what we know now about flaws in the judicial system, but it has the added advantage of turning a radioactive situation for Schwarzenegger into a defining moment. He can stake his claim as a bold, courageous leader without, in actuality, taking much of a political risk: Most Californians favor a moratorium.

[newzjunkey]

What conflicted feelings about the death penalty? Tookie's only getting this coverage because of the color of his skin. Next month the white guy won't get anyone to say "boo" or him. The very same thing happened with the prior two death sentences in Arnold's term: the black got huge press coverage, Mike Farrell and the usual race hustlers beating the bushes. The white guy? Nada, even from Mike Farrell and Bianca Jagger.

Arnold needs to end this charade and deny clemency.

[newzjunkey]

I say SPEED 'EM UP!

Since 1977 only 9 have been put to death here in California. A tenth was put to death but that was in Mo. where he also had a death sentence. There are over 700 on death row right now in California. Tookie will be the third during Arnold's tenure with a fourth due in January.

[ElPatriota]

I have mix feelings about Arnold... I maybe wrong but I think he will give in to the media's pressure and pardon his life.

But if he has the ba**s to do what is right, well, I guess, I would be truly amazed...

[newzjunkey]

LOL.

[dagnabbit]

Why not just deny Tookie food and water?

Works for me.

[45Auto]

The "thoughtful, prudent " course of action would be to strap him in and load him up. "Justice delayed is justice denied."

[calcowgirl]

My only "growing question about the death penalty" is why it takes so damned long to kill off these vermin once convicted and sentenced.

Amen!

[absolootezer0]

that's what i've heard from alot of people. "10 years ago i'd have said hang him, but look at all he's done now."
who cares. glad he did something positive while waiting to die, hopefully both his reformation and execution will stop others from following his path. i pray he's found God and has a chance at heaven. but he needs to die.
his death will deter 1,000's more than his book ever could, his clemency will encourage joining for young gangsters will no longer have to fear the death penalty if they are caught.

[BillyBoy]

>> Gov. Ryan did the right thing because it was very clear that the justice system in IL was broken (50% of those on death row could be exonerated by DNA evidence). <<

Out of the last eight governors elected in Ilinois, four have been indicted (including ol' George Ryan himself). That means only 50% haven't been charged with criminal wrongdoing. Going by George Ryan's own rules, the system is "Broken" and we must recall Governor Blagojevich immediately and put a "moritorum" on electing Governors for the foreseeable future. ;-)

[BillyBoy]

>> following in the footsteps of another law-and-order Republican governor, former Gov. George Ryan of Illinois. <<

Ah yes, RINO Lyin' Ryan. That would be the same "law and order" George Ryan who's currently on trial for criminal wrongdoing and about to be locked up for handing out driver's licenses for the bribes. The same George Ryan who's favorite admirer is Fidel Castro. The same George Ryan who's "Illinois FIRST" tax and spend scheme took Illinois from a $2 billion surplus to a massive defecit. The same George Ryan who had a 20% "approval" rating when he left office, and the same George Ryan who saw two out of four of his "innocent" murderers get arrested and go BACK TO PRISON for MORE crimes after he pardoned them.

Yeah, Arnie should "follow in the footsteps" of that guy. Great role model if he'd like his approval ratings to plummet so low that he'd make Bob Taft look popular. And if he follows George Ryan's "legacy" of breaking EVERY campaign promise, he'll be right up there with Jimmy Carter in the legacy department.

On the other hand, they'd be a nice irony if the Arnoldbots got EXACTLY the kind of RINO "leadership" we got in Illinois after they promised Arnold would "deliver" their state. Check it out how much our RINO "delivered"

Illinois BEFORE George Ryan's criminal reign:

U.S. SENATORS
Dick Durbin (D)
Peter Fitzgerald (R)

GOVERNOR: Jim Edgar (R)
LT. GOVERNOR: Bob Kustra (R)
SECRETARY OF STATE: Jesse White (D)
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Jim Ryan (R)
TREASURER: Judy Barr Topinka (RINO)
CONTROLLER: Dan Hynes (D)

GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
SENATE PRESIDENT: Pate Philips (R)
HOUSE SPEAKER: Mike Madigan (D)

Illinois AFTER George Ryan's criminal reign:

U.S. SENATORS
Dick Durbin (D)
Barack Obama (D)

GOVERNOR: Rod Blagojevich (D)
LT. GOVERNOR: Pat Quinn (D)
SECRETARY OF STATE: Jesse White (D)
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lisa Madigan (D)
TREASURER: Judy Barr Topinka (RINO)
CONTROLLER: Dan Hynes (D)

GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
SENATE PRESIDENT: Emil Jones (D)
HOUSE SPEAKER: Mike Madigan (D)

Vote for RINOs, they can win!!!

[calcowgirl]

Yikes! Thanks for the snapshot education on Illinois!

[Jigsaw John]

Just kill this piece of filth.

Relax. It's all but done.

[SJSAMPLE]

With stats like those, theoretically, someone sentenced to Death Row has a significant chance of outliving the rest of us.