Tookie killed ... someone

An excellent column [on Tookie Williams, "Executing Change," 11/30/05.] As a usual opponent of capital punishment, I respectfully disagree with your position. Even if he was innocent of these heinous crimes, as a former leader of a crime syndicate, do you think there is a chance that he may have ordered or committed the act of murder? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people that were killed because of the decisions that Mr. Williams and his rival gang members made for the last 30-odd years. And now that it [is] his time to meet his maker, he falls back on his recent past to say that [it] excuses him from paying the ultimate price. I say that he gets what he deserves, and if there is a god that forgives him after he gets to experience what he so wantonly gave to others, let that be his gift waiting for him on the other side.... Maybe Karla Faye Tucker can fix him breakfast when he arrives.

Eugene Depew

Honolulu, Hawaii

Tookie's jury

Concerning the Tookie Williams article ["Save Tookie Williams," online op-ed, 11/30/05]: Just a note to correct your description of the jury as "all white." One black and one Asian served on that panel. The death penalty is barbarous, but arguments against it should be based on factual information.

Drue Mathies

Nevada City

Catholics should stay

Like many Catholics, I almost left the Church when it became hard to recognize the message of charity, peace, tolerance, and economic justice. The themes of shame, revenge, retribution, and small-mindedness have emerged recently in tacit support for war, the death penalty, exploitative capitalism, divisive nationalism, sexism, and homophobia. Priests began to abuse their pulpits by using communion as a litmus test for Catholic elected officials (Geraldine Ferrarro, John Kerry) only when their policies opposed selected right-wing, rather than voluminous left-wing, interpretations of the gospel.

However, your article on Most Holy Redeemer, where I (a straight, married father of two) attend mass, recalls a tradition of brave spirituality with St. Francis of Assisi, Thomas Merton, Archbishop Romero, Mother Teresa – and the Tenderloin legacy from Fr. Alfred Boeddeker through Fr. Louis Vitale. There is no better agent of social change, no better wake-up call for what is right and just, than the humble Good Example. MHR sets this every day, with its compassionate embrace of all people.

The need for Catholics to stay and fight for justice from within the church is like the need for blue-staters to stay in this country and work for change, when it would have been so tempting, and so wrong, to leave for Canada.

Peter Albert

San Francisco

Is Kimberly hella uptight?

Who uses the word "hella"? Are you hiding something from us? Are you really a "Hollaback" girl? It speaks for your generation and your frame of reference on "Gramps Jagger" [Sonic Reducer, 11/16/05]. Instead of a decent critical piece, you've revealed your pathetic cynicism in how you bash the band, their theatrics, and the concert-goers. The lead singer for the Rolling Stones outperforms bands half of his age on every night that he performs. Just because he's not a shoe gazer does not mean he's illegitimate. The fact that you'd mention your "gawk" at these "graying" couples doing the mashed potato is grossly immature and downright mean. You represent what I hate about the new "mod," I'm too-cool-for-my-own-asshole San Francisco. You are not a fan of anything, and you don't respect other fans. In mentioning the multiple fiery ejaculations you must be frigid, dear Kimberly, and oh my god, you got it on your face. Didn't your mother tell you not to let a man do that on your face?! See a psychiatrist for some happy pills, because apparently you're pretty uptight.

You were "slightly" shocked to see that the vocalist-guitarist in Metallica was clean-cut? Where the hell have you been? They've had that look for at least 10 years.

Calling the Stones unwashed pop-rock to the masses, you overlook that they appeal to generations of listeners, and just because the music you listen to has to crawl out from under a rock to be seen and probably tastes bad is obvious evidence of your disdain for classic rock and roll. In mentioning how old they are is so overly redundant. People are just happy to see them, and because you are unsentimental and cold, and like I said earlier, frigid, you have no heart capacity to understand this. People get old, and one day you will get old, and one day you'll be dancing hella bad. Overplay of the "moldies," as you call it, is because they've been around for 40 years. Obviously you will one day want to hear your favorite bands about 40 years from now, but you won't be able to, because they won't hold a candle to the the Rolling Stones.

Christi Ciani-McDonald

Oakland