Today, I watched the news this morning in my PJs with my coffee. I'm always skeptical of the news, and treat it, of course, like other peoples opinions, rather than, facts.
I watched the story about saving Stan "Tookie" Williams from death row.
One of his major supporters is Jamie Foxx, who played Tookie in the movie Redemption. I don't know much about Jamie Foxx personally. Although, I did wait on his father and a friend at a nudie bar once. And I will say that the other waitresses that day didn't want to wait on this table because they looked like poor, black men. Of course, that irritated me, on so many fucking levels. I never did work with the brightest of individuals at the nudie bar. In fact, on that particular day, I was working with the two waitresses that annoyed me the most. I often took pleasure in making fun of them, in ways that they couldn't really figure out what I was saying or doing, but it sure did hurt their little bitty tiny feelings anyway.
Some times they would collectively tell on me. Yet, while all of us, sitting in the office, they would never be able to explain what it was that they were exactly telling on me for. "She's being a bitch...I just know it.", they would say. Boo hoo hoo.
Needless to say, I took the table, and I made my money, as always. It's foolish to see any other color at the fucking nudie bar besides green. When will we learn our lessons?!? And this father was very proud of his son. He had pictures in his wallet to show. Very proud dad, indeed. Do, I really have proof that it was Jaime Foxx's dad, instead of some man with a story. Nope. But, at nudie bars, everyone had a story...That's the gimmick. And I was only there to bare witness, and bare waitress.
Anyway, back to my original thought. Tookie's other supporter in Snoop Dogg. Now, I like Snoop Dogg's music. However, I do not think that it's children appropriate, no, and he does continue to portray and maximize the benefit of the "thugs" life. He's a self stated pimp. I have yet to see if that's really and truly how he lives his life now, or if it's just a gimmick. Hard to make that call. And, at the very least, he being a society pimp, it way cooler that the white man's hidden pimping. We all have to, hands down, give him that!!!!
My thoughts on Tookie are as such. If he did not receive a fair trial, that is certainly one thing. Black people historically have not gotten a fair shake of things, and even in my own neighborhood, my work, my town, I still see this occurring. So, this is a strong point to consider. And he should not die if this was truly the case.
However, having had some personally bad experiences in my life, it's a strange call, death row. Some people go through life, just never getting caught. And at times, they redeem themselves on their own. It is a bit strange to say, just because you got caught, you are the one that has to die.
On the other hand, if you are the one who is involved in bad, bad things, and do get caught, it's not fair to the rest of us to keep you around. That's for sure. I don't want to keep footing the bill for food and lodging.
And, I do find it a bit insulting that while in prison, people suddenly find God or suddenly find the willpower to do good, once isolated from society. Everyone has that choice on the outside, too. I didn't have the luxury or having my meals catered to me, books brought to me, my education free. That point is a little sticky with me. Yeah, I do know exactly how bad prison is, but there are certain perks that no matter how bad the outside society is, the rest of us have to make our way, uncatered to, and without free education, without the free time to ourselves to culltivate big thoughts. Should we all go to prison to become better people? What about all the people that despite all the odds on the outside become badasses?
So, I am conflicted about the death penalty and Tookie.
One of the debaters this morning, pointed out, that while in prison, Tookie hasn't had a stellar career. He's thrown feces at guards, etc. I'm not sure that should count, exactly. I do not believe that Tookie would get off of prison death row and be caught fielding crap around the prison. Prison Guards are oftentimes, similar to the waitresses at the nudie bar, not the brightest or most thought provoking of our humans. And, I was mean to the waitresses on a regular basis, out of my own superior feelings towards them, and my own frustration of hearing them talk. Had I had to crap, or the inclination, I might have thrown my own poop at them. However, this is not acceptable behavior at the nudie bar, but is a common theme in the prison system. So, I'm not sure that we can call Tookie out for that.
So, my questions are these: Did he get a fair trial? If not, he should not die...just on principal.
However, just because he's done good while being locked up, that shouldn't erase what he did while the rest of us were struggling in the same world, outside of the bars of the prison system, should it?!?
Also, of those among us who just didn't get caught, will we face the same death, and be noble and rise up to confess our sins and crimes against humanity? Good enough for Tookie, good enough for the rest of us, right?
I am conflicted on this topic.
If it were my son or man or dear friend that were hurt during the commission of a crime, I would want to kill that person myself, and since that is against the law, I would want to see that person die in the chamber, yes, I would. So, who am I to say that those families that crimes are committed against not get the same justice? But, it has to be a fair trial, with no questions, that has to be prevalent. I would want to make sure that the right persons were paying for the crime. I would want the correct person to die.
In all fairness, I cannot say whether or not Tookie should be executed without hearing from the families that were the recipients of his initial crimes. The news program and the website for saving Tookie did not include those opinions; therefore, I cannot make a clear judgment on this matter. And the fact that Arnold Swartaneger is having to make a decision on clemency for Tookie Williams is just a joke to me, personally. I do not think that he should be allowed to make this decision. He has not been the positive cross over example like Clint Eastwood, Sonny Bono and the likes. What are you kidding me?!? On that point, I do absolutely feel sorry for Mr. Williams.
Tookie's website is www.savetookie.org just in case you want to check it.
Below, is an email that I sent out about a situation that occurred while be laid out with a broken leg. A strange similarity to the situation that occurred this morning, which parallels the topic. And killing people always merits discussion.
I have gotten the go ahead from the doctor to return to work for half days starting on Halloween. I'm thinking about going back to the office as Superman. My time has come. I have started driving a bit, and that's very freeing. I'm also way more tired. So here comes the Pain and the Gain. I will start Out Patient Therapy next week. I am looking forward to the pool therapy. St. David's pool is extra chlorinated to safe guard against "little accidents". That is a comforting thought. So congratulations to me for making it through to this part of my accident.
Now to the weird part. I must state that both my Occupational Therapist and my Physical Therapist are wonderful, intelligent, extremely educated humans, before you begin to read this.
My Quaker In-Home Occupational Therapist Mary has been writing this man on death row for sometime. She has become his friend. He was scheduled to die yesterday at 6:00 PM, as every death row inmate is schedule for that exact time in Texas. And a side note, it is my understanding that "the last meal" is really whatever the prison's kitchen can provide that's like what you've asked for. If you want KFC chicken strips, you will not be getting the Colonel's 12 Secret Herbs and Spices. You will get Huntsville 12 Secret Herbs and Spices. So, I did think that part was kind of extra shitty.
She went to visit this man this week. While visiting him, he had family and friends, etc. One of his friends was a woman who had been writing this man for over six years. She flew all the way from England to visit with him before his execution. She had also grown so fond of this inmate that she named her son after him, and has begun to create a wall mural in his honor. I(I personally think that perhaps if you go to this point with an inmate, you might have a bit of a screw loose. It is weird.) Quaker Mary stated that while she and her church went to visit these inmates, and they may be bad people, there is also the flip-side of this and there is God in them as well. She did not believe that after getting to know him that he did it. My Quaker was very saddened this week by this loss of a human on the planet. However, she will continue to write and minister to inmates on death row.
I also saw my Physical Therapist Therapist, Holland Frank, this week. Holland Frank married a woman who's daughter was married to a very abusive man. The step-daughter and husband bore a child and then divorced due to his violence. Oh, the restraining orders and court battles that ensued. Eventually, this woman had to go underground to get away from her jealous, abusive ex-husband. Later, this ex-husband would pay a man $1,000 to kill the woman's new boyfriend. The new boyfriend was a fireman with two children from a previous marriage. His body was found shot in the head, in the middle of a field, with no wallet or id of any kind.
The killer who received the $1,000 for the hit (yes, just $1,000, which I thought was very inexpensive for a hit) was caught using a credit card of the dead man, and is currently serving a life sentence. The ex-husband got death row. Holland Frank had first hand knowledge of this man's ugliness. And there is currently a investigation ongoing into how a birthday card was received from this man on death row to the son, after the woman and her son's identifies had been changed and their whereabouts ordered to be kept secret because of his previous death threats and violence- there was a leak in the system. Even from death row, this man had convinced someone to sympathize with his plight. It's been said that criminals can be rather convincing and persuasive, and will only tell you what it is that they think can benefit their situation with you.
Holland Frank and Quaker Mary and I talked at length this past couple of weeks about death row and the implications of it, and the religious aspects of it, the societal aspects of it, etc.
Luis Ramirez who was executed yesterday at 6:00 PM was both the one and the same man to both Holland Frank and Quaker Mary. The Friend to Quaker Mary and Stalker to his step-daughter and grandson to Holland Frank. And somehow, out of all the Rehab Patients in All the World, I had them both in my home. We were now, not only drawn together by my own knee injury, but by a gripping society topic, and a killer's death. Ramirez was the 15th Texas death row inmate to have his execution carried out this year.
Quaker Mary gave me a copy of the statement that she wrote about her friend Luis Ramirez and a copy of the song that she played to him and herself for comfort. Holland Frank got so angry, and asked me to throw out the papers, as this man was a very bad man, and the planet was better without him. I replied to both that I would write this story about how we all met at my house and how I am still no clearer on my feelings about the Death Penalty than before I met them...
http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/?SecID=278&ArID=148062
XO,
June Doe
Now to the weird part. I must state that both my Occupational Therapist and my Physical Therapist are wonderful, intelligent, extremely educated humans, before you begin to read this.
My Quaker In-Home Occupational Therapist Mary has been writing this man on death row for sometime. She has become his friend. He was scheduled to die yesterday at 6:00 PM, as every death row inmate is schedule for that exact time in Texas. And a side note, it is my understanding that "the last meal" is really whatever the prison's kitchen can provide that's like what you've asked for. If you want KFC chicken strips, you will not be getting the Colonel's 12 Secret Herbs and Spices. You will get Huntsville 12 Secret Herbs and Spices. So, I did think that part was kind of extra shitty.
She went to visit this man this week. While visiting him, he had family and friends, etc. One of his friends was a woman who had been writing this man for over six years. She flew all the way from England to visit with him before his execution. She had also grown so fond of this inmate that she named her son after him, and has begun to create a wall mural in his honor. I(I personally think that perhaps if you go to this point with an inmate, you might have a bit of a screw loose. It is weird.) Quaker Mary stated that while she and her church went to visit these inmates, and they may be bad people, there is also the flip-side of this and there is God in them as well. She did not believe that after getting to know him that he did it. My Quaker was very saddened this week by this loss of a human on the planet. However, she will continue to write and minister to inmates on death row.
I also saw my Physical Therapist Therapist, Holland Frank, this week. Holland Frank married a woman who's daughter was married to a very abusive man. The step-daughter and husband bore a child and then divorced due to his violence. Oh, the restraining orders and court battles that ensued. Eventually, this woman had to go underground to get away from her jealous, abusive ex-husband. Later, this ex-husband would pay a man $1,000 to kill the woman's new boyfriend. The new boyfriend was a fireman with two children from a previous marriage. His body was found shot in the head, in the middle of a field, with no wallet or id of any kind.
The killer who received the $1,000 for the hit (yes, just $1,000, which I thought was very inexpensive for a hit) was caught using a credit card of the dead man, and is currently serving a life sentence. The ex-husband got death row. Holland Frank had first hand knowledge of this man's ugliness. And there is currently a investigation ongoing into how a birthday card was received from this man on death row to the son, after the woman and her son's identifies had been changed and their whereabouts ordered to be kept secret because of his previous death threats and violence- there was a leak in the system. Even from death row, this man had convinced someone to sympathize with his plight. It's been said that criminals can be rather convincing and persuasive, and will only tell you what it is that they think can benefit their situation with you.
Holland Frank and Quaker Mary and I talked at length this past couple of weeks about death row and the implications of it, and the religious aspects of it, the societal aspects of it, etc.
Luis Ramirez who was executed yesterday at 6:00 PM was both the one and the same man to both Holland Frank and Quaker Mary. The Friend to Quaker Mary and Stalker to his step-daughter and grandson to Holland Frank. And somehow, out of all the Rehab Patients in All the World, I had them both in my home. We were now, not only drawn together by my own knee injury, but by a gripping society topic, and a killer's death. Ramirez was the 15th Texas death row inmate to have his execution carried out this year.
Quaker Mary gave me a copy of the statement that she wrote about her friend Luis Ramirez and a copy of the song that she played to him and herself for comfort. Holland Frank got so angry, and asked me to throw out the papers, as this man was a very bad man, and the planet was better without him. I replied to both that I would write this story about how we all met at my house and how I am still no clearer on my feelings about the Death Penalty than before I met them...
http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/?SecID=278&ArID=148062
XO,
June Doe
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