2nd Look at Bush Service Award: White House panel unaware honoree was on Death Row (TOOKIE)

SF Chronicle ^ | 8-6-05 | Bob Egelko

[cgk]

2nd look at Bush service award

White House panel unaware honoree was on Death Row

Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, August 6, 2005

A White House council on volunteerism said Friday it's taking another look at how the President's Call to Service Award -- accompanied by a laudatory letter from President Bush -- was issued to Stanley "Tookie" Williams, a California Death Row inmate who has written a series of books warning young people against the gang life.

A spokesman for the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation said that neither the council nor Bush had any way of knowing that the person they were honoring was a condemned multiple murderer.

"We're reviewing the case," said the spokesman, Sandy Scott. "We're looking at who he is, how he got the award and what the organization is that certified him for the award.

"We've never had anything like this before," Scott said.

....The presidential citation, which arrived last week, was a lifetime award for more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service. Williams was nominated by William Harrison, an archbishop in the Old Catholic Orthodox Church in West Monroe, La.

[cgk]

WHITE HOUSE CONTACT INFORMATION:

Mailing Address

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Phone Numbers Comments:   202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX:             202-456-2461

TTY/TDD Comments:      202-456-6213 Visitors Office: 202-456-2121

E-Mail

Please send your comments to comments@whitehouse.gov.

[Spiff]

A spokesman for the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation said that neither the council nor Bush had any way of knowing that the person they were honoring was a condemned multiple murderer.

This is identical to what is happening with the murderous thug being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Just being nominated doesn't mean a thing other than someone filled out the paperwork and submitted it.

[cgk]

The "Catholic Archbishop" who nominated Tookie for the award is listed here:

Listing of Gnostic Churches

Gnostic/Other Related Churches

Africano Gnostica Catholica Apostolica - Primacia De North America       Archbishop William A. Harrison (Tau Moses I)

 

Mailing address

P. O. Box 1050, West Monroe, Louisiana 71294-1050

Phone

318-324-8383

Email

africanognostica@bellsouth.net

[cgk]

Exactly right. :)

[Prime Choice]

A spokesman for the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation said that neither the council nor Bush had any way of knowing that the person they were honoring was a condemned multiple murderer.

Duhhhhh...how about trying a freakin' Google Search for starters??

[Moonman62]

"Tookie" Williams, a California Death Row inmate who has written a series of books warning young people against the gang life.

I think they are all titled "Join a Gang and I'll Crush Your Skull."

[silentknight]

Quote "A White House council on volunteerism said Friday it's taking another look at how the President's Call to Service Award -- accompanied by a laudatory letter from President Bush -- was issued "

HOW STUPID. Don't they check anything out first? You would think this administration would have learned the hard way by now. There is no excuse for this one. Someone didn't do their homework. Bush probably never even saw the paperwork and I doubt he actually issues the award.

Someone should be in trouble of something this absurd.

I guess the buck stops with Bush since his name is on it. Still I doubt he is the one who issued it.

GEESH

Isn't this the same guy that is trying to get off of death row?

heh

[Prime Choice]

This is identical to what is happening with the murderous thug being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Just being nominated doesn't mean a thing other than someone filled out the paperwork and submitted it.

Speaking of which, a local radio talk show host (Bill Handel) got the nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, too. It's really burning the biscuits of the "Save Tookie" crowd. It was a brilliant move that totally invalidated the whole "Nobel nomination" crap that the liberals were parading around.   :o)

[inpajamas]

What's the big deal here?
maybe he had a true change of heart.
Award him for his books against violence and crime, and execute him for his actions of violence and crime.

I've got no problem with that.

[Pushkin]

Only in america can the man who helped invent the entire gang mess we have in this country today. A man who murdered an innocent store clerk and laughed about it. Get nominated for a Peace prize. Makes you wish we had Singapore justice for situations like this.

[Gondring]

ping

[babygene]

I have mixed feelings about this... I'm not sure being on death row should disqualify him for the President's Call to Service Award.

Has he or has he not he made an appropriate contribution? Isn't that really the question?

Under the circumstances (unfortunately), the best thing for Bush to do would be to commute the sentence and defend the award.

The world is not going to end if this guy spends the rest of his life in prison instead of being executed. There is apparently no question that this creep has done some good in the last two decades. Perhaps he will do more. Executing him now will just make Bush look like a fool.

[elbucko]

"Tookie" needs to gurney on up to the Juice Bar.

[Ben Hecks]

"Here's your award, Tookie, now get in the chair."

[sgtbono2002]

Right on .et him carry his award to hell with him.

[Brilliant]

Either they are morons, or they are Democrats trying to sabbotage the Bush Admin. I'm betting on Dems, but I suppose you could say by definition, they are both.

[sgtbono2002]

Right on let him carry his award to hell with him. I am sure the devil will find a cool spot to hang it.

[Mamzelle]

Oh, for crying out loud!! What a pain. I'm sure Ahnold appreciates the help.

[PAR35]

Last I saw they were still defending giving a patriotism award to draft dodger Cassius Clay.

They really do need a shake up at the upper levels of the White House staff.