SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cut his honorary ties to his hometown in Austria on Monday after officials in Graz criticized him for denying clemency to a death row inmate.

 

Schwarzenegger demanded that Graz stop using his name on a sports stadium and in promotions and returned a "ring of honor" he had been awarded by city officials in 1999, saying politicians in his hometown appeared to have rejected him.

 

A petition drive had been launched in Graz to have the town rename a stadium that has been named after Schwarzenegger because the Austrian-born governor allowed the execution of death-row inmate Stanley Tookie Williams this month.

 

Williams, an ex-leader of the Crips gang who supporters said had redeemed himself by campaigning against gang violence, was executed by lethal injection on December 13 after Schwarzenegger and the courts rejected all of his appeals.

 

The city council of Graz had been due to rename the local stadium on January 19, according to Schwarzenegger's letter to Graz Mayor Siegfried Nagl.

 

"The reason for this action is apparently a decision I reached as governor of California," Schwarzenegger said. "I rejected the clemency of a rightfully convicted four-time murderer after thorough review, and as a result, he was executed according to the laws of this state."

 

"In all likelihood, during my term as governor I will have to make similar and equally difficult decisions," Schwarzenegger wrote. "In order to spare the responsible politicians of the city of Graz further concern, I withdraw from them as of this day the right to use my name in association with the Liebenauer Stadium."

 

Schwarzenegger, a former body building champion and Hollywood star, trained at the stadium as a young man. It was renamed in his honor in 1997.

 

He said he was returning the "ring of honor."

 

Since "the official Graz appears to no longer accept me as one of their own, this ring has lost its meaning and value to me," he said. "It is already in the mail."

 

Schwarzenegger said he still considered himself a native of Graz and an Austrian. "I look forward to visiting Graz again as soon as time allows," he said in the letter released by his office

 

 

 

:finger

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cut his honorary ties to his hometown in Austria on Monday after officials in Graz criticized him for denying clemency to a death row inmate.

 

Schwarzenegger demanded that Graz stop using his name on a sports stadium and in promotions and returned a "ring of honor" he had been awarded by city officials in 1999, saying politicians in his hometown appeared to have rejected him.

 

A petition drive had been launched in Graz to have the town rename a stadium that has been named after Schwarzenegger because the Austrian-born governor allowed the execution of death-row inmate Stanley Tookie Williams this month.

 

Williams, an ex-leader of the Crips gang who supporters said had redeemed himself by campaigning against gang violence, was executed by lethal injection on December 13 after Schwarzenegger and the courts rejected all of his appeals.

 

The city council of Graz had been due to rename the local stadium on January 19, according to Schwarzenegger's letter to Graz Mayor Siegfried Nagl.

 

"The reason for this action is apparently a decision I reached as governor of California," Schwarzenegger said. "I rejected the clemency of a rightfully convicted four-time murderer after thorough review, and as a result, he was executed according to the laws of this state."

 

"In all likelihood, during my term as governor I will have to make similar and equally difficult decisions," Schwarzenegger wrote. "In order to spare the responsible politicians of the city of Graz further concern, I withdraw from them as of this day the right to use my name in association with the Liebenauer Stadium."

 

Schwarzenegger, a former body building champion and Hollywood star, trained at the stadium as a young man. It was renamed in his honor in 1997.

 

He said he was returning the "ring of honor."

 

Since "the official Graz appears to no longer accept me as one of their own, this ring has lost its meaning and value to me," he said. "It is already in the mail."

 

Schwarzenegger said he still considered himself a native of Graz and an Austrian. "I look forward to visiting Graz again as soon as time allows," he said in the letter released by his office

    :finger   

 

Cool Arnie........

 

I wonder if the next condemmed inmate to be executed in Cali, next month i think, will get the same buildup by the bleeding hearts and useless actors as ol' Tookie was. He's white, very old, and has a number of medical conditions, including near blindness. Somehow i doubt it very much, and Arnold will reject his plea for clemency as well, as he should, time for this cat to meet his maker too..........

 

Wonder if Mike, Susan, Jesse, Al, and Najii will stand up for him.......... :headshake

 

Just going through what I've been through the last week or so and remembering all the attention this worthless piece of garbage received. . .it makes me so sick to my stomach that people that deserve that kind of publicity (good people who spend their lives doing for others) get jack s***.

Just going through what I've been through the last week or so and remembering all the attention this worthless piece of garbage received. . .it makes me so sick to my stomach that people that deserve that kind of publicity (good people who spend their lives doing for others) get jack s***.

 

Your father-in-law had love and the type of respect a man can only earn. This piece of s*** shouldn't even enter your mind in any form of comparison.

It's not a comparison at all, just a general observation. Thanks for the kind words though.

that is pretty cool.

Cool Arnie........

 

I wonder if the next condemmed inmate to be executed in Cali, next month i think, will get the same buildup by the bleeding hearts and useless actors as ol' Tookie was. He's white, very old, and has a number of medical conditions, including near blindness. Somehow i doubt it very much, and Arnold will reject his plea for clemency as well, as he should, time for this cat to meet his maker too..........

 

Wonder if Mike, Susan, Jesse, Al, and Najii will stand up for him.......... :headshake 

 

 

 

Human live is so worthless. How could we possibly go wrong by killing people? I still find it laughable that GOPernauts that don't trust the government to treat their colds with a national health plan, feel that same government is perfectly capable of deciding which citizens should live and which should die.

 

We should have an abortion jury. Allow any woman who wants an abortion to go before a jury and explain why her fetus should die. If they vote blood, kill the baby. Because GOPernauts support the governments right to kill anyone for what they decide is a death penalty case.

I know I won't be committing murder now. I didn't realize that I could recieve the death penalty for doing it. Now that I do know I definitely won't be killing anyone. Thumbs up America for putting in something like that. I'm sure murder rates will drop to zero now.