Posted on 12/10/2005 7:13:38 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will not decide on Saturday whether to grant clemency to former Crips gang leader Stanley Tookie Williams, who is slated to be executed on Tuesday for murdering four people in 1979, his office said.
Barring clemency or last-minute court intervention, officials will administer a lethal injection to Williams at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday in the death chamber at San Quentin State Prison.
The case has generated widespread interest and fierce debate over the death penalty in the United States because Williams, 51, has written a series of books warning young people against gangs and says he has found redemption.
His supporters have said he should be spared so he can continue his anti-gang work from behind bars.
The governor's office told Reuters that Schwarzenegger would not be making a decision on Saturday and gave no indication of when he would.
Following a clemency hearing on Thursday, Schwarzenegger said the decision was a "heavy responsibility" and he was carefully studying all sides of the issue.
Granting clemency would be a risk for Schwarzenegger, weakened by a stinging loss on all his initiatives in a special election he called last month, as it could alienate his Republican party.
But it could help boost his flagging popularity in a state where Democrats are the largest party as he looks to reelection in 2006.
U.S. governors typically stay executions because of doubts over evidence in the case or fairness of the trial rather than because of redemption. Williams has said he did not commit the murders, but said he hurt many people as leader of the Crips gang in the Los Angeles area.
All I can say is if Ahhnold lets Dookie live then he is the ultimate girlie man
On the one hand, on the other hand..............
Republicans still undecided on Schwarzenegger's abilities
This undated photo provided by the California Attorney General's Office shows Albert Owens. Stanley Tookie Williams was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Owens at a 7-Eleven in Whittier, Calif., in 1979. He's scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday, but has asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to grant clemency and reduce his sentence to life in prison without parole. (AP Photo/California Attorney Generals Office)
He should wait until Wednesday to decide.
It's time to flush the Dookie
If Arnold doesn't know by now what he should do, he might as well just toss a coin. What more does he have to consider that he hasn't already?
If the death penalty had been carried out on a timely basis he wouldn't have written any books and there wouldn't be anything to consider now.
Stick the needle in him and get it over with.
The night before he went on the Leno show and announced, everybody was sayin there was no way he was gonna run.
But I had a feeling deep down that there was no way he would pass on running.
My hunch is this time he might already be calling the neighboring States and asking about National Guard men for the LA area, and he's gonna not gonna grant clemency.
There must be odd on this in Vegas, anybody hear any reports?
"The case has generated widespread interest and fierce debate over the death penalty in the United States because Williams, 51, has written a series of books warning young people against gangs and says he has found redemption."
I guess that's the new sentence for committing murder, then. Writing some books. I guess maybe we should just make Saddam write an essay on why what he did was wrong for his fellow dictators and call it even.
I'll tell you what, Norm, if Arnie commutes that SOB I'll join up with the ilk!
He didn't want LA to burn down over the weekend.
Wait til the middle of the week for that.
Arnold isn't going to grant clemency, if he was he would have done it already. He is holding off because of the riot threat, he will wait until the last minute and maybe not say anything at all because he doesn't have to. This of course is just MO.
I gave arnold a pass on his chief of staff pick because she will be their only as long as he is.
But him picking that rino for a judge was a middle finger to all conservatives. What a disgrave to replace janice rogers brown with a former democrat.
Him picking that rino judge was far worse than anything he will do with tookie or his chief of staff.
I posted this earlier today:
Bet half the people here want Arnold to let Tookie off so that they can get off blasting the Gov.
I agree. This is too important to rush a decision.
I'll bet they don't. We all want to see this jerk die.
EXCELLENT post, Norm.
GOOD to remember his victims.
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