I am far from being a bleeding heart. We all have 2 catagories in our lives bad and good. His bad catagory has really terrible things in it. He has done good with the last few years. No that does not equal clemency nor should it make up for the murders in any way. However I don't feel that you can dismiss the good this man has done either. They don't outwiegh or cancel each other out. It is possiblw to discuss the positives of this man understanding completely that he deserves to die for his murders. SHould that earn him clemency-NO. It should make us say what a waste of such potential that he has shown the last few years. Too little too late with too much water under the bridge.
So he wrote a couple of books; I don't believe they've sold very much.
He hasn't helped the police find out ANYTHING about the gangs -- and his "good work" certainly hasn't reduced the gang population by even one person; if anything, there are more gang members than before him came along.
Don't buy the Mike Farrell/Lou Grant propaganda.
I think you have your pronouns confused. You probably meant to say "I don't feel that ~I~ can dismiss..."
But as to ~me~, my friend, I ~can~ dismiss it.
Dismissed.
I'm not dismissing the possibility, but is there really any proof that his efforts have kept any kid from gang life that would not have already avoided it?
What part of evil men will do good in an effort to save their own lives... escapes you?
What good can someone do while in prison for murder? The effort is pretty much limited to writing books and saying things the media reports.
Just imagine all those illiterate nner city gang members sitting down to read a good book between murders and rapes. Can't you imagine one saying to another, "I'll help you rob that liquer store just as soon as I finish this chapter I'm reading,"? Oh the delima of inner city toughs ... "Should I deal dope or read a good book?" How often do you think reading a book wins that contest?
Can't you imagine the inner city punks gathered aound a radio tuned to NPR to hear Nina Totenberg praise Tookie for condeming the gang life?