Tookie Williams denied clemency

[wendybeth]

For some reason, Washington state seems to be a magnet for serial killers. I remember the Dodd case very well, Alex. I've also had two people I know murdered by serial killers- one was my best friend in jr. high, and the other was my sis-in-law'a sister, by Robert Yates. They found her body buried in his flower bed. I don't see the death penalty as anything other than a method for permanent removal of someone who has so broken the social contract that they are no longer trusted to live in society, any society. The latest and saddest case ocurred less than 30 miles from here, near Couer D'Alene, Idaho. Shasta Groening and her brother Dylan were abducted by a very sick man who had a long rap sheet. He murdered their family, took them up in the woods, and then murdered Dylan, who was only ten. He did so in front of the sister, who is nine. He did a lot of other really horrific things that I won't print; suffice it to say that the death penalty is too good for him.

I am still conflicted on the death penalty, but my personal experiences coupled with the knowledge that such animals as the ones listed above even exist tends to color my perspective. It's not about revenge, it's about making sure they can never, ever do this again. Ever.