Capital punishment

Good morning!

I'm staying home today to finish up with my case write-up which is due this Thursday and also to catch up with some studies. After there are no formal classes today, and I'm willing to take the chance of skipping any Dr. Annuar's lashing... after the all, what's the odds of him turning up? He didn't turn up even once during my 2-week rotation during the begining of my posting.

Besides he stupidly said that if we miss 5 of his sessions, then we can forget sitting for our exam end of posting exam. Stupid man.... who's going to miss 5 of his sessions... like he's giving even 3 sessions.

*duh*

Anyways, logged on this morning just to check the headlines... greeted by "Gang Leader Sets to Die as Appeals Fail", referring to Stanley Tookie Williams who's set to be executed by tomorrow. He was a founder of a notorious and violent gang called the Crips and was convicted and sentenced to death for a few brutal murders more than 20 years ago.

The catch is, over the last 20+ years, he's apparently turned his life around, and has wrote many books for young people about the sins of gangsterism, apparently reaching out to many gang members who's contemplating to quit their gangs and also deterring many youngster from joining any gangs. And he's been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 5 times! So he must have done something quite amazing.

So the state of California is now in a dilemma. But this morning, the Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, denied his appeal for clemency, citing his lack of remorse for his crimes.

News like this always catches my attention because I don't have stand on capital punishment. I would and I won't. I'm for and I'm against. It depends...

But can we function that way? Why are we forced to take side? I thought being complex beings, we have to make complex analysis of complex situations like that.

Is there place for redemption? Try reading the accounts of the families of the murdered victims, their pain, the scar...

But Tookie's death wouldn't bring the victims back to life.... "But it would bring us closure" said one of the victims ailing mother....

"Tookie's a changed man. He'll do more good alive than dead" An advocate said.

At this point, this is my thought of the issue....

What Tookie has done for the last 20 years may all be well and good. But he didn't pay for his impulsiveness and his cruelty when he gunned down a 26-year-old father working in a convenience store and he has not admitted guilt (despite overwhelming evidence against him) of the slaying of a Vietnamese family for $100. He never did pay for his senselessness.

The least he could do is to give that closure so yearned by the families of his victims. If he's set on making a difference, and I'm sure his execution would send a message to those thinking of joining gangs.

The hard truth is, no one's indispensible.

In the end, we'll all be judged by the highest authority.