Why did Haley Barbour pardon all these murderers?

[Anonymous]

He's had a ton of people executed under his tenure, so what's up?
Did he have a friend in the lot whom he needed to camouflage in the midst of 200 others? could somebody related to one of these people have uncovered some dirt on him and be either blackmailing him or about to go public with it? Any theories?

[Anonymous]

Or, and I'm just throwing out ideas here, sometimes maaaaaaybe the justice system screws over a few people.

I think the fact that over 90% were pardoned after their time was served says it all. Unless they are disbarred lawyers or doctors who have a license to restore, there is not much to be gained except to reverse an injustice.

[Anonymous]

I don't doubt the system screws over more than a few people, but he hasn't exactly shown leniency in cases calling for capital punishment.

Why did he pardon people whose time hadn't been served, and people who murdered someone?

Why should the list stop at doctors or lawyers? If you're thinking of hiring a someone in a position that handles money and it turns out they embezzled in the past, you are entitled to know (and they should find another line of work). If someone is applying for a teaching position and they were found guilty of child abuse, you are entitled to know (and they need to find another line of work). And so on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't doubt the system screws over more than a few people, but he hasn't exactly shown leniency in cases calling for capital punishment.

Why did he pardon people whose time hadn't been served, and people who murdered someone?

Why should the list stop at doctors or lawyers? If you're thinking of hiring a someone in a position that handles money and it turns out they embezzled in the past, you are entitled to know (and they should find another line of work). If someone is applying for a teaching position and they were found guilty of child abuse, you are entitled to know (and they need to find another line of work). And so on.

Leniency (actually clemency) is a matter of how tough you want to be on the guilty. Pardons are about identifying people who were wrongly convicted or convicted of a crime way out of bounds with their actual offense. Two different things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't doubt the system screws over more than a few people, but he hasn't exactly shown leniency in cases calling for capital punishment.

Why did he pardon people whose time hadn't been served, and people who murdered someone?

Why should the list stop at doctors or lawyers? If you're thinking of hiring a someone in a position that handles money and it turns out they embezzled in the past, you are entitled to know (and they should find another line of work). If someone is applying for a teaching position and they were found guilty of child abuse, you are entitled to know (and they need to find another line of work). And so on.

[Anonymous]

see how many of them know friends or relatives who are Repub donors...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:see how many of them know friends or relatives who are Repub donors...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/28/us/many-pardon-applicants-stressed-connection-to-mississippi-governor.html

Here we go. That's the reason...

[Anonymous]

If you murder someone and you get the death penalty it's the system's fault?

[TheManWithAUsername]

"...four murderers who had worked at the governor's mansion..." - WTF?

What portion of Mississippi Reps are murderers? What portion of Mississippi residents overall are past or potential murderers?

This reminds me of what someone just posted in another thread about letting the states be laboratories of government. If people could vote with their feet that effectively, there'd be like 5 people in Mississippi.

Maybe Mississippi could then market itself as a gulag for the other states. I think banishment there is far scarier than low-security prison.

[jsteele]

TheManWithAUsername wrote:Maybe Mississippi could then market itself as a gulag for the other states. I think banishment there is far scarier than low-security prison.

Mississippi is the home of the blues. If things would have been better there, we would have been deprived of Rock and Roll music. We'd all be jamming to Gran Ole Opry songs. So, let's show some appreciation.

[TheManWithAUsername]

jsteele wrote:Mississippi is the home of the blues. If things would have been better there, we would have been deprived of Rock and Roll music. We'd all be jamming to Gran Ole Opry songs. So, let's show some appreciation.

I'm going to start a conspiracy theory that Jews in the music industry have deliberately caused all American poverty.

[Anonymous]

TheManWithAUsername wrote:

jsteele wrote:Mississippi is the home of the blues. If things would have been better there, we would have been deprived of Rock and Roll music. We'd all be jamming to Gran Ole Opry songs. So, let's show some appreciation.

I'm going to start a conspiracy theory that Jews in the music industry have deliberately caused all American poverty.

I'm sure you're late to the game and somebody already thought of that one. Face it, you're a rank amateur when it comes to wingnut conspiracy theories.

[takoma]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure you're late to the game and somebody already thought of that one. Face it, you're a rank amateur when it comes to wingnut conspiracy theories.

Did you ever notice that an actual wingnut resembles a Mickey Mouse cap? I wonder whether the use of the term to refer to right-wingers is a homage to Walt Disney's politics.