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Feb. 18, 2006 The special prosecutor who failed miserably to convict the Clintons in the Whitewater land case is opening his mouth and sticking his big foot squarely in the middle of it. He is asking California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to grant clemency to convicted rapist and murdrerer Michael Morales. Morales, scheduled to be executed on Tuesday, February 21, has admitted to the rape and murder of Lodi high school student, Terri Winchell, in 1981. Because he confessed to the crime, Kenneth Starr believes he should not be given the death penalty. "Unlike some who express no remorse for their offenses against humanity, Michael has not fled from his responsibility from the deed committed so many years ago in his reckless and drug-saturated youth." Starr summarized in his clemency petition. Starr goes on to argue in his petition that Morales was led astray by his manipulative crime partner who got him drunk and high on the drug PCP on the day of the murder. So, is Michael Morales saying he is responsible or irresponsible here? On one hand, Kenneth Starr argues that Morales confessed and took responsibility for the crimes. On the other hand, he advocates that Morales was "manipulated" and, "misled." Which is it, Kenneth? It is similar to a teenager coming home and saying, "Hi, mom and dad, I want to be totally upfront with you. I totalled your car. It is now the size of a grapefruit. Sorry. I did it. However, you really can't blame me because my friends manipulated me into getting drunk with them on a canal bank before I drove it off the cliff, so I don't think it is fair that you ground me!" Uh huh. Good luck with THAT reasoning. Terri Winchell was a 17 year-old high student at Tokay High School when she was set up for her murder by a man who was also dating the same guy she was seeing. Because she was involved in a love triangle with two men who also had feelings for each other, Morales was asked to help in the elimination of Miss Winchell by the jealous lover, Rick Ortega, who also was Morales's cousin. They had heard that the girl was spreading rumors that Ortega was gay and had a crush on the guy Winchell was seeing, which later turned out to be true. The two men decided that the Terri needed to be taken out. They made certain this execution was carried out successfully. Terri Winchell was strangled with a belt but before she died, the belt broke. As a result, Morales took out a hammer and hit her 23 times in the head, raped her and then stabbed her four times in the heart and left her dead in a vineyard. But, he said he was sorry. Oh, okay. The family of Terri Winchell is sorry, too. They are sorry that they never got to see their daughter graduate from high school. They are sorry they never got to see her get married or have children or come visit them on the holidays. They are sorry they never saw her smile after that fateful night or heard her laugh that warmed their heart as a child's joy makes a parent feel happy. They are sorry they had to live with the last memory of their daughter as she lay naked in the dirt, stripped and bloody because Michael Morales was a killing machine that night. But, since he feels remorse for what he did to her, he wants to be reporting for work at his prison job on Wednesday morning, business as usual. A human life is worth less because there is sorrow on the part of the person who slaughtered it attached to it? A human life filled with so much promise should not be responsible for the taking of another human life that snuffed out that promise? "An eye for an eye," is an outdated saying from the Old Testament that does not take into consideration the heart and soul of a man, if you can call him that, who now wants to live. Here is the deal Mr. Morales. When Terri Winchell comes back to this earth with the body and spirit she had before you did your number on her, sober or strung out, then you should be allowed to live. In the meantime, enjoy your execution on Tuesday. It is entirely possible that Kenneth Starr will be in the front row shaking his head in sorrow as he witnesses what you justly deserve for what you did that horrific night. He should be thankful, not sad; for the fact he was not in your presence twenty-five years ago in that Lodi vineyard. If he had been, he would not be your advocate today. He would be dead. ------------ About the author: Pat Hurley has won three Emmy awards for writing, hosting and producing television shows. He resides in Southern California. Email: coolhumor@sbcglobal.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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