Clemmons is Dead
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A deadly ambush at a coffee shop near Tacoma, Washington on Sunday morning left four police officers dead. The shooter, Maurice Clemmons, had a violent history that included a life imprisonment sentence. Former GOP Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee set him free, despite his violent history and vehement protestations from prosecutors and victims’ family members.
12/1 8am Eastern. Clemmons is dead. SPD found him in South Seattle early this morning and fatally shot him.
VIDEO: Huckabee Grants Clemency (set to “Yesterday” by The Beatles)
Video link posted by Allapundit who says, “It’s worth revisiting this relic from last year’s GOP primaries to remind you how much the issue dogged Huckabee even then. Given the mammoth volume of clemencies he granted, cases like Dumond and Clemmons are best viewed not as isolated lapses in judgment but as statistical inevitabilities.
Mike Huckabee ran in the 2008 presidential campaign and is considering making a second presidential run in 2012. I didn’t support him in 2008, because he has a pastoral background. Nothing against ministers, but I can’t think of a worse preparation to be Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. I hadn’t heard about his penchant for mis-applying “Christian forgiveness” to convicted criminals until today, but it merely affirms for me that my instincts were correct. Pastors should stick to saving souls and leave the dirty business of law enforcement and war to others.
Huck’s comment on the Clemmons fiasco: “If I could have known nine years ago, looked into the future, would I have acted favorably upon the parole board’s recommendation? Of course not,” he said. “One of the things that is horrible and just, again, one of the realities you have to confront is the criminal justice system is far from perfect, and in this case it failed miserably on all sides.”
Allahpundit says, “Actually, the justice system succeeded: Clemmons was locked up and hit with a nice long sentence. It was you who failed, champ. This makes twice in 24 hours that Huck has none-too-subtly tried to evade responsibility for his role in this.”
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Comments
By SirJaxx on December 1st, 2009 at 9:28 pm
What a Stupid column. How about Clemmons responsibility for his Own Actions? I am No Huckabee Fan, and Didn’t vote for him, but a Commutation is Not a Release, plus Clemmons has been arrested and jailed several times Long after anything Huckabee did.
The Truth is simple, You take a Life, You Forfeit your own. No More Appeals, and once convicted, you go straight to the Gallows, and when you Publicize it on Public TV, Criminal Behaviors will Change!
By Admin on December 2nd, 2009 at 10:34 pm
ok, the column is not stupid (be nice please) Huckabee aside– most would agree that criminals aren’t reformed in prison (though Dr. Brian is our resident expert on these issues) so then commuting sentences (reducing) could probably play some small role in exposing society to unwarranted crime. Public legislators hold some accountability for this Huckabee included. You raise important points in reference to the media/public’s role in perpetuating false “value” in criminal behavior and or criminalizing stereotypes and I believe that is a more important issue as it affects our entire society.