At around 1 PM yesterday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made public his decision regarding 51-year-old Stanley “Tookie” Williams: there would be no clemency.

At one minute after midnight, Williams was given the injection. He did not request a “last meal” nor did he have any “final words.” He was declared dead at 12:35 AM as nurses had trouble locating an appropriate vein in Williams’ arm due to his hypertrophic condition. The difficulty was with the second IV in his left arm. Williams asked: “You doing that right?”

At 12:35 they did it right.

Predicted rioting did not occur indicating that, finally, the ’70s are indeed dead along with Mr. W.

Governor Schwarzenegger issued a five-page Statement of Decision (click here for full text) regarding his denial of clemency. The governor wrote:

In all, Williams’ case has been the subject of at least eight substantive judicial opinions.2 Prior to the filing of the clemency petition, the state court habeas process was completed on June 21, 1995 when the California Supreme Court denied Williams’ fourth state habeas corpus petition.3 The federal court habeas process was completed on October 11, 2005 when the United States Supreme Court denied Williams’ writ of certiorari.

This is the governor saying: his case has been vetted to the Nth degree.

The claim that Williams received an unfair trial was the subject of this extensive litigation in the state and federal courts. The courts considered the sufficiency of his counsel, the strategic nature of counsel’s decisions during the penalty phase of Williams’ trial, the adequacy and reliability of testimony from informants, whether Williams was prejudiced by security measures employed during his trial, whether he was competent to stand trial, whether the prosecutor impermissibly challenged potential jurors on the basis of race, and whether his jury was improperly influenced by Williams’ threats made against them.

There is no need to rehash or second guess the myriad findings of the courts over 24 years of litigation. The possible irregularities in Williams’ trial have been thoroughly and carefully reviewed by the courts, and there is no reason to disturb the judicial decisions that uphold the jury’s findings that he is guilty of these four murders and should pay with his life.

The governor’s statement then hit the proverbial nail on the proverbial head:

The basis of Williams’ clemency request is not innocence. Rather, the basis of the request is the “personal redemption Stanley Williams has experienced and the positive impact of the message he sends.”4 But Williams’ claim of innocence remains a key factor to evaluating his claim of personal redemption. It is impossible to separate Williams’ claim of innocence from his claim of redemption.

The statement concludes:

Clemency decisions are always difficult. But the constitutional power of the Governor to grant clemency does not stand in isolation. It must be balanced with the Governor’s constitutional duty to see that the laws are faithfully executed. Here, Williams is clearly guilty, and the evidence and clemency materials supporting Williams’ claim of personal redemption are equivocal.

Therefore, based on the totality of circumstances in this case, Williams’ request for
clemency is denied.

DATED: December 12, 2005
Signed: ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

_____________________________________

And that’s enough on this.

You’re the governor of the State of Fornicalia, Arnold Schwarzenegger. You know that, as of yesterday (Sunday, 12-11-2005), the Fornicalia Supreme Court refused to stay the execution of Stanley Williams. The very last hope for clemency lies in your right hand, should you sign the paper granting same.

You’re a registered Republican but the Republicans and, perhaps moreover, conservatives apparently left you hanging in the breeze during your special election in November, and all your initiatives went down in flames. Just when you thought you had the support of your proclaimed party and its electorate, you discovered that support consisted of so much smoke.

You regrouped, conferred, let loose your prior Republican inner circle staffer Patricia Clarey and replaced her with the very Left-leaning Susan Kennedy. You caught flack for that from the Right as well.

Stanley Williams is slated to die at one minute past midnight tonight at San Quentin Prison north of San Francisco, by lethal injection.

You can grant clemency and perhaps pick up some votes for your 2006 re-election from the center, center-Left and far Left. That would be a given.

On the other hand, no clemency request has been granted in Fornicalia since 1967, when Ronald Reagan spared a mentally ill killer.

But if you refused clemency, you stand to alienate your potential centrist (and further) voters and perhaps garner support from the Right — but will you? You know their recent track record. Is it a given that you will acquire their support instead of their rancor or dismissal?

But wait; there’s more:

There is information to the effect that if clemency is not granted, riots may erupt throughout the state, likely in Los Angeles, similar to those that occurred in 1992 following the Simi Valley Rodney King verdict when LA police officers were acquitted.

Robin Toma, executive director of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission said, during a news conference at LA city hall:

We picked up information that led us to believe that there were some planned and intentioned acts of violence that could occur in the wake of the decision or the execution planned for Stan “Tookie” Williams.

Toma declined to elaborate on the specifics behind the threats, and sources are unnamed.

How much credence do you give to this information? And isn’t this a clear attempt to hold your decision hostage? Do you let thugs, criminals, gangbangers and their sympathizers influence your decision? Or, with this information, do you wait and offer no decision until you’ve ensured that CDC prison and statewide law enforcement agencies are properly prepared to deal with the potential threats?

I know what I would do. Mr. Williams would be allowed to meet his maker at one past midnight.

What will Governor Schwarzenegger do?

I honestly do not know.

It’s Saturday night and, after this week from Purgatory, I’ve decided to open Mr. Stolichnaya and mix him with Mr. Squirt and whatever else happens to inhabit my American-manufactured refrigerator — which is working quite well, thank you.

Therefore, this will be a post from many fronts, to include:

Business From France:
Airbus signed a $10 billion deal to supply 150 A320-series aircraft to six Chinese airlines and said it was extending “industrial co-operation” with China that may include a new assembly line in the country, its first outside Europe.

GM Makes Reappointments:
General Motors said it was discussing a board appointment for a lieutenant of Kirk Kerkorian, the billionaire investor who owns almost 10% of the beleaguered carmaker. The likely candidate is Jerome York, a former Chrysler executive. It also appointed Frederick “Fritz” Henderson, who oversaw a restructuring and job-cutting plan as chairman of GM Europe, who will become chief financial officer.

09-11 Report In:
The members of the federal commission set up to investigate the September 11th attacks issued a final report on the American government’s response to their recommendations. Although some progress has been made, the members gave a grade “F” in areas such as pre-screening airline passengers and providing cash to cities most at risk.

Much Ado About Nothing:
Federal air marshals shot and killed a man at Miami airport who said he had a bomb and ran from an aircraft. No bomb was found. It is the first case of a shooting incident involving an air marshal since September 11th 2001.

Those underpaid Air Marshals deserve an award. Do I sense a forthcoming “Today’s Hero” post?

The Bookie On Tookie:
Slated to die this coming Tuesday, December 13th, Stanley “Tookie” Williams (see photo above) can possibly acquire clemency from Fornicalia Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger — a fellow bodybuilder. Williams murdered 4 people in 1979, though his appeal says he had nothing to do with any of that. He was asleep on his bunk. He was in the next county at the time. He was tending to the needs of Karmalite nuns on that day. He was helping darker hued gradeschool children cross the intersection of Walk and Don’t Walk. He was serving lunch to South Central indigents at the Salvation Army.

Bulls**t.

Here’s what he was doing on a couple of days, because I guess he was bored and had nothing else pressing in his DayMinder:

On February 27th, 1979:
Once inside the storage room of the 7-11, Williams, at gunpoint, ordered Owens to “lay down, motherfucker.” Williams then chambered a round into the shotgun. Williams then fired the round into the security monitor. Williams then chambered a second round and fired the round into Owens’ back as he lay face down on the floor of the storage room. Williams then fired again into Owens’ back. (TT 2162).

Albert Lewis Owens died. But we don’t hear about him, do we?

Once back in Los Angeles, Williams asked if anyone wanted to get something to eat. When Sims asked Williams why he shot Owens, Williams said he “didn’t want to leave any witnesses.” Williams also said he killed Owens “because he was white and he was killing all white people.” (TT 2189, 2193).

Murder number one.

But wait; there’s more.

On March 11th, 1979:
Williams murdered three members of the Yang family at their motel in Los Angeles, for some very salient and important reasons.

At approximately 5:00 a.m. on March 11, 1979, Stanley Williams entered the Brookhaven Motel at 10411 South Vermont Avenue. (Trial Ttranscript (TT) 1411).

After entering the public lobby area, Williams broke down the door that led to the private office.

Once inside the private office, Williams, using his shotgun, killed 76-year-old Yen-I Yang; Williams also killed Yang’s wife, 63-year-old Tsai-Shai Yang; lastly, Williams killed Yang’s daughter, 43-year-old Yee-Chen Lin. Williams then removed the currency from the cash register and fled the location.

Son Robert Yang entered the motel office he found his mother, his sister, and his father had all been shot. (TT 1412-1413). Robert observed that the cash register was open and money was missing. (TT 1414). It was later determined that the robbery of the Brookhaven Motel and the murder of the three members of the Yang family netted Stanley Williams approximately $100.

Responding to the call, two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies entered, and saw Yen-I Yang lying on a sofa. He was “soaked with blood,” “gasping for air, and making gurgling noises.” (TT 1501).

They also saw the bloodied body of Tsai-Shai Yang. She was making “gurgling noises” and “gasping for air,” with “her knees drawn up under her, and her face down on the floor,” as if she had been forced to bow down before being killed. (TT 1502). Lastly, the deputies found the body of Yee-Chen Lin lying on the hallway floor.

According to the forensic pathologist, Yen-I Yang suffered two shotgun wounds. One shotgun wound was to his left arm and abdomen. This wound shredded Yen-I’s left arm, fractured his ribs, and shattered his spleen, right kidney, bowel and large vessels. The other shotgun wound was to the lower left chest. This wound also fractured ribs and shattered the spleen, right kidney, bowel and large vessels.

The first person was killed to commit the robbery. The others were killed because Williams wanted no witnesses.

In the meantime he has written 9 books. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He regrets founding the Crips street gang.

He has always maintained his innocence and claims he received an unfair trial, in part, because he was convicted by an all-white jury.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about the crime that you were convicted of? Are you guilty of that crime?

STANLEY TOOKIE WILLIAMS: No, I am not culpable of those crimes. I have been stating that fact from the incipient, from the moment of my arrest. False arrest.

AMY GOODMAN: Why do you think the jury found you guilty?

STANLEY TOOKIE WILLIAMS: Oh, it was quite easy. It was a paradigm of racism. We are talking about prosecutorial misconduct. We are talking about exclusion of exculpatory evidence. We are talking about I.A.C., which is ineffective assistance of counsel. We are talking about biased jury selection, which results in an all-white jury. We’re talking about involuntary psychotherapic druggings, the misuse of jailhouse and government informants.

________________________________________________________

Yeah right. I was asleep on my bunk at the time. How many times have I heard that? Williams denies all. Yet he proffers an account of nothing.

Sorry bucko. You’re as vapid as the incipient air escaping your 51-year-old lungs, and you’re about to meet your maker.

BABAGOI.

With each new link in my blogroll to the right, I like to introduce these sites and formally welcome them to the Bloviating Zeppelin blogsite.

Such is it with my newest member, Texas Fred!

Texas Fred was kind enough to place me on his blogroll so, without further ado, I introduce Texas Fred and give him a hearty BloZep “welcome aboard!”

Texas Fred’s website, entitled “And THAT is MY Opinion,” is labeled “News and Comments from my Conservative and Highly Opinionated Point of View.”

He writes: “Welcome to my Blog. . .Comments are moderated with Halo Scan. . .Trolls will be SHOT, survivors will be shot AGAIN.”

Yeah baby! MY kinda blog philosophy!

Hailing from Rowlett, Texas, Fred lists his favorite movies as A Few Good Men, Full Metal Jacket, the Godfather Trilogy, The Right Stuff and Apocalypse Now. His favorite authors include James Clavell, Dale Brown, W.E.B. Griffin and Leon Uris. Now this is a guy I could share a few beers with! One of my absolute all-time classic favorite books is Clavell’s Shogun!

Once again, a hearty “welcome aboard” to Texas Fred and, please, visit his website!

Excelsior!