...politically aware and don't believe in capital punishment

I like to consider myself a liberal. I like to assume that I'm another one of the anti-Bush, feministic, vegetarian, tree-hugging, anti-war Americans. Recently, I've come to realize that I haven't been a well-behaved liberal when it comes to capital punishment.

For a while I had looked at capital punishment in the, what I like to call, "grandma way". I call it this because my grandma's idea on the subject is a plateful of "eye for an eye" with a side of "let them fry for what they did." Why? Because I'm sick and tired of hearing about people dying every time I turn on the news or open the paper. Every time I hear about a child being murdered, I clench my teeth and fists. Every time I hear about Lacey Peterson I want to shit all over Scott "Always-fucking-smiling" Peterson. Every time a woman gets raped I want the rapist to drown in his own misery. I could go on, but I won't.

Yes, I wanted these assholes to die. I wanted them to feel the pain they had caused.

Then, thanks to policitally active comedian Margaret Cho, I was made aware (in my normally politically- empty thought processing) of Stanley Williams (a.k.a. "Tookie"). This is someone who I don't feel the hatred and anger against. Tookie has spent life in prison since 1987 after being accused of murder. (http://www.tookie.com/abtook.html). I realized, after researching Tookie's story, that this man does not deserve to die. Yes, he may have been in a gang, but I don't think he was responsible for the murders. I would bet money on his innocence, considering: the fingerprints found were not his, bloody foot prints were not his, and the shotgun was not his. But yet, he's guilty for it all. Explain that one to me. Maybe I'm just blind. You tell me.

For God's sake, this happened decades ago. The man has apologized (for something he swears he didn't do anyways). Unfortunately, it's a little too late to try and protest his execution. His execution date is scheduled to be December 13. This innocent man will die for something someone else did.

I hate politics, but they are a part of life. And we should all have life...including Tookie. Yes, my opinions have changed. Still, I hope that some day I will not have to look at Scott Peterson's mug, with his goofy wannabe-model-but-I'm-a-killer-so-I-can't-model-no-more smile.