Tookie Williams - Live or Let Die?

Like Chris Rock said in his legendary 'Bigger and Blacker' stand up routine, "Nobody is just one thing. On some things I'm liberal, and other things I'm conservative." Most of the time I'm a liberal, often times very liberal, but I'm not a mindless 'follow what every other hippie out there does' type of liberal. And the sad thing is every time one of those anti-everything liberals opens his mouth it gives Fox News a couple hundred rounds of ammunition to fire at the rest of us that are simply championing progressive values - not extreme-left ideology.

So that brings me to Tookie Williams. I must say I have a great respect for his redemption, and I applaud his efforts to try and steer kids away from the lifestyle he has led. On the flipside he did ruthlessly slaughter several people, execution style. Those armed robberies didn't need to become murders. Nobody is going to say 'no' to a gigantic bodybuilder (see the picture) and his crew armed with a shotguns, he could have taken the money and maybe smacked the victims around a bit to feel tough.

So then I read an article today by D. Allen Kerr on SeaCostOnline.com, and it sums up pretty much how I feel. Read it for yourself if you like. In short, Tookie's punishment has been handed out, and it's time to let it go. We can't forget the victims whose voices are being buried under the weight of the celebrity and media hype surrounding the case. By letting justice be served, it will serve as the ultimate example of his message. He will become an anti-gang martyr after he's gone, and serve as a loud-and-clear reminder to the kids he's trying to help: "Don't be like me."

--Sean