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November 23, 2005
Tookie Williams Should Live
The countdown is on for the execution of Tookie Williams. It's an awful question: what to do with a man convicted of killing four people with no motive other than mayhem, but who has subsequently renounced violence and dedicated himself to helping young people stay out of gangs? I've listened to the arguments back and forth, but I believe they're flawed on both sides.
One one side some very famous folks (Mike Farrell, Jesse Jackson, Bianca Jagger, etc.) are making the claim that his good works in prison merit clemency. The families of the victims are understandably incensed by this argument - what good works might his victims have done if there lives had not been cut short? Do we setup some kind of points system to measure redemption - so many merit badges to earn a stay?
Yet, the arguments on the other side fail to move me as well. They talk about the message it sends to others, but studies show that punishment must be swift and certain to be an effective deterrent; the death penalty is neither. From an economic standpoint, these cases end up costing the state far more than lifetime incarceration. Finally, there's the troubling fact that more than a hundred death row inmates have later been exonerated.
So the real argument comes down to justice: is it right to end this man's life because he ended four others? If he is no threat to others now (and nobody suggests he is) then I say no; not because of his redemptive works (admirable but irrelevant) but because we are imperfect vehicles of justice.
"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord." (Romans 12:20, Deuteronomy 32:35)
Posted by Michael at 09:34 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBackNovember 15, 2005
Another Bush Moment
I was watching the news the other day, and thought I needed a Q-Tip to clean out my ears. No sooner had W. said emphatically "We do not torture" then we were informed that the administration is seeking an exemption for the CIA.
This bothers me on a couple of levels:
Aren't we supposed to be the beacon for freedom, human rights, etc.?
What will this mean for captured U.S. prisoners? Not hard to guess.
Upon reflection, I did find a silver lining: at least I live in a country where they have to ask if they can torture prisoners (and will probably be turned down.)
As an aside, how come Bush always seems so irritated whenever he's asked a question by the media? Did that part of the job catch him off guard?
Here's an oldie, but still my favorite W. joke:
How many Bush administration officials does it take to change a light bulb?Posted by Michael at 12:12 AMNone. There’s nothing wrong with that light bulb. There is no need to change anything. We made the right decision and nothing has happened to change our minds. People who criticize this light bulb now, just because it doesn’t work anymore, supported us when we first screwed it in, and when these flip-floppers insist on saying that it is burned out, they are merely giving aid and encouragement to the Forces of Darkness.
November 11, 2005
In Praise of Libraries
Being unemployed in a conventional sense (i.e. more time and less income) has given me a chance to renew my relationship with our local library. Initially, I did it to put a dent in our Amazon bill, but I've found it has other benefits as well:
Encourages me to read books I wouldn't necessarily buy
Reduces the clutter of too many books around the house
Gives me that mildly warm feeling of being environmentally sensitive
In addition to these benefits, I discovered the SF library offers free access to huge number of useful online resources, for example InfoTrac OneFile and the New York Times historical search. They also have over 1000 audiobooks and 5000 ebooks available for free download to card holders. Pretty impressive!
If you live in SF, I suggest you check it out. Regardless, it's worth seeing what your local library has on offer.
Posted by Michael at 11:43 AMNovember 02, 2005
A Life Well Lived
One last comment on today's news...
The Chronicle today featured an obituary for Helen Francis Shapiro. I didn't know her at all, but the biography points out a few wonderful things:
She went to law school when she was 58 years old, finishing second in her class (behind her daughter). This was only because she had both hips replaced in her last semester.
She practiced law until her death at 94, and was widely recognized for her humanitarian and pro bono work (some of which, she admitted, was inadvertent)
She figured out how to live well with less: "When not working, the couple drove a gas-electric hybrid car to thirft stores and spent weekends combing garage sales for the Chinese ceramics they both loved."
What a great use of a life!
Posted by Michael at 11:23 PMMicro Loans Made Easy!
Here's a really interesting idea - a web site that lets individuals make micro loans to small entrepreneurs around the world.
From their website:
"Kiva is the first and only existing option for you to make a loan to a unique microenterprise. No other organization offers the opportunity to loan - instead of, or in addition to, making a donation - to a real person and then get your money back. Furthermore, when you loan to a Kiva business, every dollar you loan goes to that business. Kiva is a very low-overhead organization that raises money offline to support its small budget. None of the money you loan goes to fund administrative costs."
What a great idea!
Posted by Michael at 08:13 AM
What Happens Here Stays Here
According to Matier & Ross in today's SF Chronicle, there's a brouhaha at the Department of Human Services. It seems that highly inappropriate pictures of a psychiatrist from the Child Welfare Department were being passed around the office. The pictures, it turns out, were downloaded from an S&M web site. However, the only infraction being considered is the downloading and printing of the pictures - the frisky doctor is in the clear.
"As far as the department is concerned, however, the doctor didn't do anything that violated the city's work rules by appearing on an S&M Web site. He's not facing any disciplinary action."
Not to sound like Anita Bryant, but are there any outside (legal) behaviors that would disqualify someone from working with children in this town? I'd suggest a few, but I don't want the search engines to get the wrong idea about me...
Posted by Michael at 07:35 AM | TrackBack
