Philip Workman: convicted of the murder of a police officer, Lt. Ronald Oliver, during a robbery in a Memphis restaurant

No veggie pizza redeems that.

Indeed mischief, there's nothing in his act that absolves him. But I see a touch of hope here, a recognition that his actions can ripple out to those around him.

Too little, too late, for sure. And it's really moreso the donations and actions of those outside of Workman's life that I found touching. A sign that out of the worst acts some good can come.

And I suppose I'm a wide-eyed idealist, but I still like to believe in at least the possibility of rehabilitation.

To perform any charitable act in the name of a convicted murderer is not only misguided, but reprehensible. "We serve this pizza in honor of the great Osama bin Laden." Nope, simply doesn't wash.

As for rehab, Workman showed no evidence whatsoever of rehab. He does not deny robbing the restaurant, nor does he deny that a cop was killed during the robbery. Wherever the bullet originated, that is still homicide, yet Workman denied it until the end. No rehab, no remorse.

Ok, good enough. The homeless got a chance to eat, and that's something that otherwise might not have happened.

Don't get me wrong, I understand your point. So, there you go.

More on Philip Workman.

I have not followed this case, and don't know the merits either way. (I think the idea of the outcry re Workman is that he was guilty of murder but not guilty of capital murder, as defined under state law.)

But I know guys in prison through my work (all guilty of their crimes, including the worst crimes), and I have found many/most to be capable of redemption.

Yeah, I think I am guilty of a few things here. One, I was drawn to the story because he specifically requested a vegetarian pizza. That's my bias showing. Two, I probably didn't read the story closely enough. Three, my post title was poorly chosen. I don't find Workman's story especially touching, though I am encouraged that he chose such a gesture as his last act. What I do find touching is that out of this horrible situation, common citizens were moved to help feed the poor and homeless.

So, sorry mischief if I raised your ire. My mind is still in vacation mode, and thusly moving slowly still.

And thanks for the links Claudia. Interesting reading so far.

Mischief, the point is that the condemned man thought of someone else besides himself, at a time and place where that is rather rare.

We are all in the same boat as him, really,though, as it is true that no good deeds outweigh any bad one. Which interestingly enough is the whole point of Christianity.

So much pizza. I hope it keeps well.