Beautiful Card

I received a Christmas card from my friend Rachel in England today. When I first opened the envelope and looked at the card, I thought I was looking at one of those expensive folksy designer cards. This photo doesn't do justice to the card; it's hard to photograph the full 3-D effect of the star and the angel.


Imagine my delight when I discovered that Rachel designed the card herself. I knew she said she was an artist, but WOW! If you were to hold the card in your hands and look at it, you could tell that she put a lot of work into making it. It is truly a gift I will treasure for a long time. Thank you, Rachel!

Brief Thoughts: Execution of "Tookie" Williams

The last thing I want to do is piss off anyone, but I am a death penalty proponent and believe Stanley "Tookie" Williams should have been executed years ago. I am sick and tired of endless appeals convicted murderers are allowed to make to try to avoid being executed. They didn't give their victims the same courtesy, so why should they be allowed to tie up public funds over and over?

I know Gov. Schwartzenegger is catching hell for his decision, but he did not make this decision lightly ... he put a lot of thought into it and weighed both sides of the argument before making his decision. Even if he granted clemency, I would have respected him and his decision because he had access to Tookie's prison records and could weigh all the good and bad behavior presented. Many of William's supporters had not been made aware of his past bad behaviors in prison or were against the death penalty anyway.

It's a sad ending to an already tragic situation. Four people died because of Williams, and now he's dead, too. I truly hope he had found redemption and made his peace with God. He leaves behind a mixed legacy: the Crips gang is still alive and well, yet William's anti-gang books are helping kids get out of and/or stay away from street gangs.