The Blottered Deadpool: Stanley "Tookie" Williams

Stanley "Tookie" Williams the co-creator of the Crips was sentenced to death in 1981 for slaying four people with a shotgun. He's always maintained his innocence. His lawyers say the case is full of bad testimony given by witnesses with their own set of problems (fraud, rape, murder.)

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (no releation to Dante's ninth circle) acknowleged that witnesses in Tookie's case had good reason to lie, as their own cases may have required plea bargains.

Since Tookie's been behind bars, he's written an eight book series of children's books called Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence. These are popular books (notwithstanding the titles) and Tookie's garnered an impressive five nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Tookie's scheduled to be executed December 13. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear his final appeal. The Los Angeles Superior Court has set his execution date to one minute after midnight on December 13th, which is before other cases that had final appeals rejected by the supreme court (prior to Tookie's failed appeal).

Because Oddjack's been taken out into the fields and shot in the back of its mostly funny head, here's your Tookie Odds. Place your bets, people, the system's on trial.

Sure, he's been on Death Row about a quarter of a century and he's spent most of those years more fruitfully than people in civilian life, penning books to keep kids out of gangs, making peace between gangs engaged in bloody warfare, but hey we're talking about the donkey courts, the muleass, jackass, donkey courts.

Odds are a thick 2/1 for clemency from California's once-brawny germinator. Since Swartz's been following Reagan best he can, and since Reagan was the last governor to grant clemency to a prisoner on death row gallows in California --- this is probably where to put your money.

Odds that Tookie enters into his own children's book to battle the over-muscled cigar chomping fiend from Austria* 1/1.

That Maria Shriver disguised as Michael Jackson (wouldn't take too much work, huh?) enters the prison and performs a tribute concert, concentrating on Jacko's golden period, the days of "Billy Jean" --- a hot 3/1.

Odds that Nancy Pelosi will finally fix her face-lift: 1/5.

Odds that LA police are picking innocent people up and throwing them in the dump: YES.

That David Berman will write a tribute song called Tookie & Angel Pony; 1/1.

That Slate will ask the experts prior to December 13th about Tookie's chances. 2/1.

*A popular technique to get kids to read more books.

Clemency for a Crip? (NYT)

After 24 years on death row, convicted murderer says he's changed (The Mercury News)

LA Police Running Human Dump (Blottered)