I GIVE HIM SOME CREDIT...

...and I don't support the death penalty. Yes, you heard that right.

In this country we just don't do a good job when it comes to the death penalty. In California, if you get the DP, you're more likely to die of old age than a lethal injection. The appeals process overloads our courts and costs the taxpayer millions upon millions of dollars. Not to mention we've executed some innocent folks in the past.

If you kill someone, I think the State should have the option to take your life as punishment, but first we need to improve on the death penalty process and the standards for applying it, especially in California. I'm perfectly satisfied if a killer gets to spend the rest of his wasted life in a box, thinking about his crime, and suffering in his surroundings.

Credit to Tookie? Although Tookie is responsible for killing some people, you have to give him credit for doing some good while on death row. He made an attempt, albeit limited--it's true he could have done much more, and his motivations are suspect. In the end, he did change the lives of many young people with respect to the world of gangs. However, his good works behind bars doesn't erase his crimes, nor should it provide him a pass from the death chamber.

Arnold, unless he's an idiot, will not step in and save Tookie.

Having said all that, I may not agree with the current DP process, but I do respect the law of the land. So, tonight, Tookie should pay his debt to society--in full.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

If Arnold allows the execution to go forward, look for smoke and flames in Los Angeles and the East Bay area. As a blogger, you may want to stay up for this one.

UPDATE: From Foxnews--Arnold denies clemency. (12:35 pm pst)