Tonight, Gov. Bill Richardson's celebrity profile jumps a few more notches as he receives the 2009 Human Rights Award at the Death Penalty Focus dinner at the Universal Studios Globe Theater.

The dinner committee is very starry. Here a just a *handful* of names:

Alec Baldwin, William Baldwin, Jackson Browne, Morgan Fairchild, Melissa Gilbert, Danny Glover, Ed O'Neill, Jeffrey Tambor, Lily Tomlin, and  Noah Wyle.

First the Pope, now Hollywood is congratulating Richardson for a job half-done! Surely one of the dinner organizers Gloria Steinem?--reads the news. He signed a repeal that starts July 1. Even then, there will still be two inmates on death row.

Richardson's the one with the power to commute the sentences to life, but he stated clearly that he will not take that action. So much for *Universal* human rights.

A more accurate an honor would be the "2009 Human Rights, But Only For Humans Who Commit Crimes Starting July 1 Award."