Why Is This One Any More Important?

In a reprieve from the sports diatribe, and my exciting job duties ( I know you guys love that stuff ), I'm going to bring up a topic sure bring out the beast in everyone.

It's just after midnight here, and in a few hours, Stanley "Tookie" Williams will be executed in California. If you've been living under a rock, Williams is a co-founder of the Crips gang, and was convicted of killing four people. He has exhausted his appeals, and there has been intense pressure on Gov. Schwarzenegger of Kaleforneaa to give Williams clemency. Today, Schwarzenegger denied the request. More details here.

I'm not here to debate the death penalty. Not everyone is EVER going to agree on this one. I don't think the 'deterrent' argument holds up very well, but I do believe that societies have the right to defend/protect/punish in a manner of their choosing. But that's not what I'd like to talk about.

Williams stands to be the 12th person to be executed in California since they reinstated the death penalty in 1977. When the state ( any state ), follows through on the jury's wishes, it often makes national news. I say often, not always, because since January 1st, 2005, fifty eight people have been put to death in the United States. Eight of them were so-called "volunteer" executions, where the defendant has given up his right to any further appeals on his own accord.

So do you know who Brian Steckel is? I didn't. Mr. Steckel was put to death on November 4th of this year, in Delaware. Mr. Steckel was convicted of killing a woman after raping her in her home, and then setting fire to the home. He used the appeal process to the end, and was denied clemency by the Gov. of Delaware. Mr. Steckel said at his execution the following:

"I want to say I'm sorry for the cruel things I did. I'm not the same man I was when I came to jail. I changed. I'm a better man. I walked in here without a fight, and I accept my punishment. It is time to go. I love you people. I'm at peace."

Not unlike Mr. Steckel, Mr. Williams has exhausted his appeal process, and has been denied clemency by the Governor. By all public accounts, Mr. Williams seems resigned to his fate, as evidenced by his last known interview:

"Me fearing what I'm facing, what possible good is it going to do for me? How is that going to benefit me?" Williams said in a recent interview. "If it's my time to be executed, what's all the ranting and raving going to do?"

Mr. Williams has said that he is a changed man since going into prison, and has said that he regrets being a founding member of the Crips. Conflicting reports from the Corrections department saying that Williams was still an 'active' member were one of the reasons he was not granted clemency. Williams has never shown public remorse for the crimes he was convicted of.

So now we have two guys with similar situations. Can someone explain to me why one of them is on the news 24/7, and I've never heard of the other guy? Why is one more important than the other? Both said they were changed men. Both found God. Please, please explain to me why Jamie Foxx, Mike Farrell (from M.A.S.H. fame), Bianca Jagger, Ted Danson, William Baldwin, Russell Crowe, and Bob Saget didn't say a PEEP to save Mr. Steckel??? Their main argument is that Williams is a changed man, and because of that, shouldn't die. So why weren't they out in full force in November on Mr. Steckel's behalf?

I really hope that there's a better answer than they're just hungry for attention, or crave the spotlight, and are using this as a chance to make themselves feel better about themselves. If you want to make a difference, be consistent. Don't just stand up when it's convenient and it's has a chance to make you look good.

As I mentioned, 58 people have been put to death this year, with 8 'voluntary'. That's 50 people that took appeals to the max, and an it's not a stretch to guess that they didn't want to die. How come Stanley Williams is the only name I had heard of of those 50 people? If Foxx, Farrell, Danson etc. really want to make a difference, they should be yelling at the top of their lungs about once a week. But they won't. Even though Mr. Steckel was resigned to his fate on the day he died, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have minded if a few dozen famous people had put in a call to the Governor the day before on his behalf. To me, what they have to say about Mr. Williams carries no weight until they make even half as much of a plea for the next guy on death row. Which, if you're outside of California, you're pretty much screwed, because they didn't lift a finger for the previous 50 this year.

I'm not sure what I find more disgusting - the fact that some famous people use times like this to impress their views upon everyone else - or that there are alot of people out there that agree with them just because they're famous.