Well...the last two weeks has been a huge week for legal executioners in the United States. First, the US celebrated the execution of its´ one thousandth prisoner since 1977. WOOO HOOO!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME! I am sooooooo proud!!! Then, yesterday amid much media hoopla, Tookie Williams was killed after failing to receive clemency from THE GOVERNATOR. Tookie was the founder of the infamous "Crips" gang in Los Angeles and was convicted and sentenced to death for 4 murders in 1979. Well, we might remember who #1001 was for a while!

As anyone who knows me or someone who has read my opinions of the right wing it is probably not hard to realize that I am against the death penalty. It is really sad to me that the US still executes people. This list of other countries that do so is not great company. Other countries won´t extradite prisoners to the US if capital punishment is a possible outcome (though now they might want to add torture to the list). 85% of the executions in the world take place in China, Iran, North Korea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saudi Arabia and THE US. Great, just another thing we have in common with Saudi Arabia. Do Americans really want to be on this list? Since DNA testing has been introduced, over 120 people on death row have been exonerated. Amazing. True. WHY DO WE STILL HAVE THIS FLAWED SYSTEM IN PLACE? The flaws are appalling. Often the defendants are stuck with inept public defenders. Prosecutors are much more likely to go for the death penalty if the victim is white (regardless of the defendants skin color).

Which brings us back to Tookie. The man has maintained his innocence since he was convicted. But, he has become a changed man in jail. He wrote books (taking no profit) about the horrors of gang life. Spoke out against gangs and was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Seems to me that this man was the epitomy of "rehabiliatation". Now, isn´t that what the penal system is supposed to be for? Or do we just use the idea of "rehabiliatation" to lock people away and forget about them? If so, let´s be honest about what we are doing. If not, we have to start changing some things. Right wingers mention that he has never repented and accepted responsibility for his crimes...well, if he maintains his innocence, that isn´t really practical, is it? I don´t know if I believe him or not. I do know that we aren´t talking about letting him out of prison...just not executing him. Considering all the factors involved, it doesn´t seem outrageous to me.

BUT, since we are on the topic, if a country needs the death penalty it is Spain. And, the only crime that should be punishable by death is the RIDICULOUS and DUMB (and no, I am not judgemental at all) habit of wearing colored plastic wigs around the city during Christmas time. It is mostly kids but I saw some people in their 20´s doing it the other day. For some reason, these plastic wigs that look like something Cyndi Lauper would have worn are popular during the holidays. People walk around with pink, silver and purple wigs that look like the top of a damn Raggedy Annie doll. I always want to chime in, "You´re late. Halloween was two months ago!" I just don´t understand...What is it about Christmas and Three Kings Day (January 6th here in Spain and the traditional time to exchange presents) that inspires these dumb wigs? They aren´t even green and red, the traditional colors associated with the holiday. I´m just waiting for those big, foam fingers to become popular. I have expect to see someone running around in a silver wig with a "Go Jesus" foam finger tomorrow inbetween classes.