Some grown-up Democrat needs to have a talk with Mike Farrell. Poor Mike’s mind hasn’t been this deep in the wilderness since he and Hawkeye were operating a still in the Swamp at the 4077^th.

 

He and his other Hollywood friends are creating a problem for the Democratic Party – as if they need another one.

 

Let’s review. Stanley “Tookie” Williams murdered four people in 1981, so said a jury of his peers, which led to his Dec. 13 execution. But Tookie Williams was a wonderful man, an author of children’s books and, in the tradition of that great pacifist Yasser Arafat, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee. So say Farrell, Snoop Dog, Susan Sarandon, Jamie Foxx, Kanye West and the rest of the usual Hollywood suspects.

 

You might remember the usual Hollywood suspects – the people John Kerry infamously called the “heart and soul of this country.” The people who raise millions every year for Democratic candidates and left-wing causes.

 

It wasn’t enough for these folks to lionize the likes of convicted killers Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu-Jamal. They needed another death row darling, especially as his execution date grew near and TV cameras were most likely to record their words – condemning the decision of the jury and defending poor Tookie.

 

OK. A lot of Americans are uncomfortable with the death penalty. This includes a great many conservatives, including this columnist. One could argue that no American should be killed by the government, no matter what they did, because it is simply wrong to execute people. And many have.

 

But you don’t have to like capital punishment, or be from the camp that pumps its fists when an execution takes place, to understand that Tookie Williams was not a nice man.

 

One of the founding members of the infamous Crips street gang, Williams insisted he didn’t commit the murders of which the jury convicted him, although an abundance of testimony and forensic evidence contradicted his claim.

 

But leave that aside. He also reportedly planned an escape attempt that would have involved the murder of a prison guard. In the dedication of one of his fine works of literature, he dedicated the book to a cast of characters that also included several other convicted killers. And he claimed to be against gang violence, but he refused to help the police combat it because he didn’t want to be a “snitch.”

 

Some guy. What a hero.

 

But to listen to the Hollywood Left, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should have granted him clemency because he is making a fabulous contribution to society – even writing children’s books on the dangers of gang violence.

 

You can’t kill Tookie! Who will teach kids to be loving pacifists if Tookie is gone?

 

The problem here for Democrats is that the same people who insist on lionizing the likes of Mumia, Tookie and Leonard are among their most high-profile supporters and biggest fundraisers. And whether Democrats like to admit it or not, they have a small credibility problem on questions of right and wrong.

 

Most Americans understand that crime is a complex issue, but also know deep down that violent criminals are evil people who pose a danger to society. They want leaders who understand this as well. And if the most famous supporters of Democrats are nominating the likes of Tookie Williams for Nobel Peace Prizes, how well do they get the whole right/wrong thing?

 

If your whole point is your objection to the death penalty, your point is actually more compelling if you acknowledge Williams is a creep, then argue that it doesn’t matter because all executions are wrong on the basis of the sanctity of life. That’s a morally and intellectually consistent position. Even many who disagree with it will respect it as such.

 

But to try to make a victim and/or a hero out of the likes of Tookie Williams just makes the Hollywood Left look nutty, and makes the party they support look nutty by association.

 

George W. Bush believes in the death penalty, and as governor of Texas he was asked to spare one Karla Faye Tucker because she had become what Bush also is, a born-again Christian. I don’t recall Mike Farrell pleading for her life, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Bush acknowledged her conversion, then ordered the execution to go forward.

 

Agree or disagree. It’s not an easy issue. But you can make logical sense out of Bush’s position. You commit capital murder, you’re going to pay with your life. That’s that. Even a voter who is not entirely comfortable with capital punishment can appreciate Bush’s moral clarity, especially when compared to the left’s attempt to turn Tookie Williams into a Disney character.

 

Is there anyone in the Democratic Party who has the stature to tell these people to knock it off?