Pres. Bush Honoree is Death Row Inmate Tookie

[CCADP]

President's honoree is inmate on death row
By BOB EGELKO
San Francisco Chronicle

SAN FRANCISCO - 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.
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A spokesman for the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation said 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.

Williams, 51, a co-founder of the Crips street gang, was sentenced to death for four 1979 murders in the Los Angeles area, crimes which he denies committing. He renounced gangs after eight years in prison and has since written 10 books.

Admirers have nominated him for the Nobel Prize in both peace and literature. A cable network aired a movie about his life last year called Redemption. Co-author Barbara Becnel, executive director of the Neighborhood House of North Richmond, said that about 60,000 e-mails have been sent to his Web site, www.tookie.com, and that he is credited with saving or turning around countless lives.

[dio]

Oh but to have been a fly on the wall in the Oval Office when this tidbit of info was passed on to Georgie boy.....LOL

[antideathpen67]

dio said:

Oh but to have been a fly on the wall in the Oval Office when this tidbit of info was passed on to Georgie boy.....LOL

lol... his chin might have dropped some

[Maggie]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh to be a fly on the wall is right!!!!!

;D

[sclcookie]

2nd look at Bush service award ---- White House panel unaware honoree was
on death row


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.

Williams, 51, a co-founder of the Crips street gang, was sentenced to
death for 4 1979 murders in the Los Angeles area, crimes which he denies
committing. He renounced gangs after 8 years in prison and has since
written 10 books for children and youths.

Admirers have nominated him for the Nobel Prize in both peace and
literature.

A cable network aired a movie about his life last year called
"Redemption." Co-author Barbara Becnel, executive director of the
Neighborhood House of North Richmond, said that about 60,000 e-mails have
been sent to his Web site, www.tookie.com, and that he has been credited
with saving or turning around countless lives.

A federal appeals court has upheld Williams' conviction and death
sentence, despite commenting that his "good works and accomplishments
since incarceration" might be grounds for clemency from the governor. His
lawyers have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review claims that the
prosecutor displayed racial bias by removing 3 African Americans from the
jury and by comparing Williams in the courtroom to a "Bengal tiger in
captivity in the zoo."

If he loses the appeal, an execution date could be set before the end of
this year.

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.

The letter signed by Bush said, in part, "Through service to others, you
demonstrate the outstanding character of America and help strengthen our
country. ... Americans continue to serve and are part of the gathering
momentum of millions of acts of kindness and decency that are changing
America, one heart and soul at a time. Your actions contribute to this
change."

The White House council was created by Bush in 2003 to promote
volunteering and is chaired by former pro football star Darrell Green and
former Sens. Bob Dole and John Glenn, who signed a separate letter
congratulating Williams.

Scott, the council spokesman, said the awards are reviewed only by the
nominating organizations -- 11,000 churches, schools, businesses and civic
groups -- and not by the council or the White House. He said more than
267, 000 awards have been presented in 2 years, though most are for a year
of service rather than the lifetime award given to Williams.

The identity of the recipient would not be a reason to invalidate an
award, Scott said, if the hours of service and the nominating organization
are legitimate.

But a California victims'-rights advocate said Bush should withdraw the
award.

"What kind of message are we sending out as a role model?" asked Harriet
Salarno, president of Crime Victims United of California.

A lawyer for a pro-prosecution organization predicted the publicity would
prompt changes in the council.

"When you give out awards like this, particularly with the president's
name on it, you have to be more careful," said attorney Charles Hobson of
the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation in Sacramento. "I'm sure they will
be more careful in the future."

(source: San Francisco Chronicle)

[sclcookie]

LMAO!

hugggz,
Suzanne

[jayden24]

The Texacutioner honors one of the men he wants to execute for lifetime achievement. How much more ironic could that get?

(I guess it could be a man from Texas that would be even more ironic)

[Maggie]

jayden24 said:

The Texacutioner honors one of the men he wants to execute for lifetime achievement. How much more ironic could that get?

(I guess it could be a man from Texas that would be even more ironic)

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!

Bush SOOO deserves this!!!!!!!!!!!

Go Tookie!!!!!! The man should get clemency IMO.