Gary Ater, at the American Chronicle, is taking the pre-emptive self-pardon talk to new and entertaining heights. In a recent column, he says:... It was at that time that the Republican leadership's congressional stooges, House Speaker, Dennis Hastert, and Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist, (now thankfully, long-gone from the House and Senate) jumped into high gear and pushed a bill through that
Charlie Savage of the New York Times has written a very general front-page piece on the pardon power and the Bush administration. He begins by noting applications for pardons and commutations are "at historic levels" and, among those seeking clemency are Michael Milken, Randy Cunningham, Edwin W. Edwards, John Walker Lindh and Marion Jones. PardonPower talked with Mr. Savage earlier this week and
The Mississippi Press reports there is much "community anger" as a result of Governor Haley Barbour's commutation of the life sentence of Michael David Graham, who was convicted of murder. Graham has served 19 years of his original sentence. But a spokesman for Barbour is declining comment saying, "We've released all of the information we are going to." A policeman who was once of the first to arr
The New York Daily News is reporting on Roger Adams, the former U.S. Pardon Attorney who was "fired for making racist remarks in the case of a beloved Brooklyn minister facing deportation." More specifically, Adams is reported to have said that a clemency applicant (whose application is supported by Hillary Clinton) was "about as honest as you could expect for a Nigerian. Unfortunately, that's not
i apologize for the delay in postings but this last week has been crazy due to health issues. starting next thursday a guest bloggers will be taking over for a bit but i promise that once im back on me feet everything will be back to basics. meanwhile im going to try and post until then!xoxophoto cred: vogue russiajuly 2008
PardonPower notes a blur over at PRWeb.com which features a commercial enterprise known as ClearMYrecord.com. The blurb notes that the folks at ClearMYrecord.com have "announced" that they have "successfully assisted a customer in winning a pardon from President George W. Bush." Furthermore, they say, "the successful effort ultimately took a fraction of the time usually required and cost less than
SingleGuyMoney is currently under construction. Please be patient and if this is your first time here, please be sure to come back. I plan to have the updates completed by this afternoon. ** The updates are completed. I hope you guys like the new theme. Let me know what you think. **
Ronald Gene Taylor, who was released from prison last October when DNA cleared him of a rape conviction, considers himself now "officially a free man." Taylor has received a pardon from Governor Rick Perry. He can now also collect about $700,000 from the State of Texas if he agrees not to sue. See story here.
I am human. I have the capability to think and feel. I can be your best friend and, rubbed the wrong way, your worst enemy. I have many faults as all humans do. I sincerely believe that there is a goodness in everyone. If I can't find the goodness in a person, I ask for Divine intervention.I've ranted my rage. Now I ask for the Divine.
Lance Griffin of the Dothan Eagle has written a great little article on former Alabama Attorney General Richmond Flowers (D) who also ran for governor in 1966. Flowers was convicted on federal charges of extorting payments from life insurance companies in return for being allowed to do business in the state in 1969. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison and fined $10,000. But Flowers claimed the c
The Cape Breton Post reports the following regarding Conrad Black:Conrad Black says he’s not asking for a presidential pardon for his conviction on fraud and obstruction of justice charges and is “pursuing justice through the normal channels.”In an e-mail to The Canadian Press a week after a Chicago court heard his appeal, Black says he doesn’t want to predict an outcome.But he says he is
The Post and Courier reports the state "could save up to $800,000 a year by keeping better track of mobile phones and pagers given to state employees and using more efficient calling plans." At least this was the conclusion of an audit released on Wednesday. Among other things, the following is noted:... The report, which looked at use of communication devices for fiscal year 2005-06, pointed out
As of today, here are the Top Ten Google responses to the search string "Bush should pardon ..."10. Teri Schiavo9. Mark E. Whitacre - PardonPower8. Jim Taricani7. (Bill) Clinton - Human Events6. Our Pig Ginny - PigPardon.com5. Roger Clemens4. All of the Turkeys3. (Scooter) Libby - Think Progress2. Paris (Hilton) - Huffington Postand the number one Google reponse to the search string "Bush should p
The Chicago Sun-Times recently got a charge out of reporting that presidential candidate Barack Obama had promised not to pardon or grant even a commutation of sentence for his friend, the recently convicted Tony Rezko. As it turned out, Mr. Obama made no such promise. The story was based on commentary by an Obama spokesman. See story here. Here are some reasons, however, why I think Obama should
The Chicago Sun-Times reports Democratic candidate Barack Obama has promised that, if he is elected, he will not pardon Tony Rezko for his corruption convictions or grant a commutation of sentence. Rezko was recently convicted on 16 of 24 corruption counts. The Sun-Times reports that "Republicans quickly seized on the verdict with an immediate round of internet-based advertising questioning Obama
The Daily Journal reports George "Homer" Ryan has started a letter-writing campaign among to convince President Bush to grant his father, former Gov. George Ryan (R) either a pardon or commutation. Homer says he wants to "appeal to the good nature of the most powerful man in the world" because his father does not "deserve this." The letters will become part of the family's petition to the Office o
It is one of the most fascinating, moving stories of forgiveness and mercy that you will ever hear ... or, it is one of the best book-selling gimmicks to come along since Scott McClellan grew a conscience. The Union Leader reports Lylah Rose Goldwater had actually planned on killing Shayne Pitts, but felt like her daughter's voice was telling her not to go through with it. Pitts had murdered Goldw
Over at Sentencing Law and Policy, there is commentary on Scott McClellan's new book, Scooter Libby and John McCain's views on things. I had actually started a post on McCain and the pardon power back in February and just never got around to proofing it up. This might be the time to let it out. Here is what I came up with:* On January 26, 2001, Senator John McCain called Bill Clinton's pardon of M
John Kass has graced the Chicago Tribune with an editorial that is hard to beat for sheer over- the-top hyperbole. He writes that former Governor George Ryan "got more than a fair trial," indeed he got a trial that was "more fair than any defendant" Kass has ever seen (no sample size is reported). Kass also complains that Ryan deserved more that the six and a half year prison sentence that he got
Today's Washington Post features a story by Carrie Johnson which focuses on the task facing the new U.S. Pardon Attorney, Ronald L. Rogers. Among other things, the article notes:Rodgers inherited a stack of nearly 2,000 requests for pardons and commutations of prison sentences in the waning months of the president's administration, a time when pressure to exercise the clemency power intensifies. "
For the last 11 years, government officials have been trying to deport rapper Slick Rick to his United Kingdom country as a result of crimes he committed in the states. Governor David Paterson just granted him a pardon which means he can officially stay in the country and this legal matter is finally over. I never saw Slick Rick as a UK dude, I always saw him as an American. Never the less, thi
Governor David A. Paterson announced today that he has granted Ricky Walters a full and unconditional pardon of his 1991 attempted murder and weapon convictions, in order to allow Walters to seek...
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It is no wonder people have a hard time learning the English language. We have words that are written or said the same, yet they have different meanings. The word “cricket” is a great example.
More: continued here
Life is unpredictable. You can’t think what is going to happen with you in a next few moments. So is a criminal record. Whether you are right or wrong, it does not matter. Only your past record matters when you are applying for admissions in a college or for a new job and if you [...]
Hayden Panettiere freakin' loves those sea creatures. So much so that she's auctioning off a VIP whale-watching trip with you, her and five of your closest friends (Interesting number choice...). The auctions are a joint effort with Hayden's new social networking site Zude and The Whaleman Foundation. Here's the details straight from the eBay itself:
You and up to 5 guests will join Hayden Pane
As I was researching stories and information on last weekends deadly storms and tornadoes I came across a story out of Charlotte, South Carolina about how viewers were peeved at their local television stations for breaking in during their favorite prime time shows during a severe weather event on Thursday May 8th.
As a television meteorologist [...]
:: PÅ ZENG JINYAN´S BLOGG hittar man i dag från Pingsthelgen, den 11-12 maj, bl.a. följande referenser:* OLYMPISK NÅD (alt. amnesti) för politiska fångar som en gest av goodwill föreslås av Dui Hua Foundation. Zeng Jinyan ger sin kommentar: Det skulle också innebära en myckenhet av än mera goodwill för Kina. Läs artikeln i LA Times om vad Zeng Jinyan säger om saken.* KAMPANJEN Släp
He was active in party politics and his buddy is sometimes given credit for getting Mother's Day officially recognized in the United States. But he fell into some legal trouble, was convicted, and found himself looking at a $12,000 fine and a prison sentence of 5 months. Things didn't look very cheery in the appellate process either. But, you see, this fellow was "close" to high-ranking White Hous
Gov. Mike Beebe has announced his intent to grant a pardon to Harold White, who was convicted in 1987 of delivery of marijuana. However, prosecutor Robin Carroll is objecting to the pardon application. See story here.
Here is a great article about one Jimmy Hinton, who dealt cocaine for five years and could be seen carrying around hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, that is until a routine traffic stop in 1995. Hinton then spent five years in prison. And, when he left, former Governor Mike Huckabee (R)granted him a pardon. Now Hinton shares his story in elementary schools and in juvenile detention facilities. As he tells his listenters, "My calling now is, after all I've gone through, is to reach back and get you, so I want to stop you before you get to where I had to go."
Blackbird's ears leave something to be desired. You've probably noticed thatour ears don't stick out like they do on most animals, plus they're covered infeathers, a big no no in the ear design world. The humans don't realise that theconstant peeping sound we make while hopping around is us saying "What?" "Pardon?" "Eh?" Since our ears are so useless we do rely rather a lot on our eyes to keep ussafe from scumbag cats. The twitch of a bush is enough to send me squawkinginto the air in a high state of panic. So you can imagine my dismay at learning that Imay need glasses! I discovered this fact while I was having a long conversationwith a hedgehog, which turned out to be a scrubbing brush. It rather looks likeI may need to rely on my sense of smell from now on.
The Washington Post's Al Kamen is giving some attention where little attention is usually given: to the U.S. Pardon Attorney. Kamen suggests the recent appointment of Ronald L. Rodgers to the position (see PardonPower post here) is "possible good news" for convicted felons. Kamen also describes the Office of the Pardon Attorney as a "much criticized" and a "creaky" program. See Post article here.
The Associated Press reports that a Clarendon County police deputy, Todd Avant, has been granted a pardon less than one year after he pleaded guilty to possessing a gambling machine. Avant, who was fined $500, is seeking to get back his law enforcement credentials. Story here.
From the U.S. Department of Justice: The Justice Department today announced that Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey has appointed Ronald L. Rodgers to serve as the U.S. Pardon Attorney. Rodgers will oversee the Office of the Pardon Attorney, which is responsible for reviewing petitions for executive clemency and preparing recommendations for the President.Rodgers has served with the Department of Justice since March 1999 in the Drug Intelligence Unit of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, where he has been Director of the Unit since September 2005.Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Rodgers served on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1977 to 1999. His final active duty assignment was as Circuit and Deputy Chief Military Judge of the Navy-Marine C
Faceless Werewolves have smoothed it out a bit on their sophomore effort. Not in that way -- the Austin trio is still tired of talkin', and would rather just take you home and tear into your naughty bits.
Today's Chicago Sun-Times reports that Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) will not "open the books" on many pardons he has granted. The Sun-Times reports executive clemency files maintained by the Prisoner Review Board "typically show police reports, court records and letters of recommendation -- all accessible from the agency in the past." But Blagojevich's administration is now denying access to documents regarding the dozens of pardons he has granted by rejecting a Freedom of Information Act request from the Chicago Sun-Times. In 2003, Blagojevich's administration allowed access to most executive clemency files, but a Blagojevich spokeswoman refused to answer questions about the policy shift.The governor has received criticism for pardoning Chandra Gill from a felony battery conviction and for gr
In an editorial for today's St. Louis Dispatch, Bob McClellan writes about clemency in the state of Missouri. Along the way, McClellan writes:In a legal sense, it is about executive clemency, a seldom-used procedure by which a governor can grant a pardon or commute a sentence. Missouri governors have exercised this power only 15 times since 1992. One case involved an outright pardon. That went to Johnny Lee Wilson in 1995 after an investigation concluded that Wilson had been wrongly convicted of a murder. Most of the others involved commutation from a sentence of life without the possibility of parole to a sentence of life with the possibility of parole.Although clemency is seldom granted, hope amongst the clemency-seekers has been running high ever since Gov. Matt Blunt announced he would
A recent article in the Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA) discussed the story of Pharmacist William L. Baker who was sentenced to two years in prison in 1980 for improperly refilling prescriptions (or, more specifically, refilling prescriptions for regular customers without first contacting the prescribing physician). Only 3 of the original 14 charges against him remained when a plea bargain was struck. Last month, the 69-year-old Baker, now a practicing attorney, was pardoned by President Bush. Baker filed his application back in 2002, "for the hell of it," just after graduating from Gonzaga Law School, whose Dean felt as though a "hanging" judge had given him a "raw deal." Baker passed the bar and persuaded the state bar association to grant him a law license.Last year, during the review pr
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In August 2005, the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles granted a pardon to Lena Baker. The Board believed Baker should have been charged with voluntary manslaughter instead of first-degree murder. The twist was that Baker had been denied clemency once before, back in 1945, and went on to became the only woman ever executed in Georgia's electric chair. Her final words were, " "What I done, I did in self-defense. I have nothing against anyone ... I am ready to meet my God." Actress Tichina Arnold is now playing Baker in "The Lena Baker Story," a featured film at the Atlanta Film Festival. See story here and here.
~Snooper~OK folks...in a comment board on this blog at ANO, a blogger left a message for us and this post is in response to his comment. Climb on board of this cause and do it NOW NOW NOW!!The issue is regard to this post here: Global Cltural Jihad: Patriot Convicted For Removal of A Mexican Flag and the injustice dolled out by a Leftinistra moron judge that should be impeached. Check out the video and check out Bob's post and join the ruckus!.
In this editorial, looking back on the governorship of Reuben Askew (1971-1978), Martin Dykman notes:In another defining moment, Askew in 1975 approved a full pardon for Freddie Pitts and Wilbert Lee, blacks who had spent 12 years in prison, eight of them on death row, for another man's crime at Port St. Joe. News that he was considering the pardon was poorly received in the Panhandle and cost him votes in his 1974 re-election.A later study by the Florida Commission on Capital Cases concluded 23 inmates on death row in the state were wrongfully convicted. See the Commission's study here.
Canadian pardons: A billiards player, who also happens to be a good friend of mine, sent me this link to look at – National Pardon Centre – and give my thoughts about it. Thus, here are my views. The National Pardon Centre website provides Canadian pardon services designed to assist individuals with the clearance of criminal records in Canada. A non-profit organization, the National Pardon Center offers services for Canada Pardons and USA entry waivers in Canada. It operates in Montreal, Quebec and Calgary, Alberta and provides its services across Canada. The National Pardon Centre is the first fully bilingual walk-in centre and Canada's only coast to coast pardon and waiver service. The National Pardon Centre provides Canada Pardons which remove criminal records, USA entry waive
In the next month we are doing something we never thought we would do; a home remodel. When we purchased our home back in 2006 we never envisioned having to replaced the furnace, the AC, put in a bath tub, and build a new garage all in the first year of living there.When we moved in to the 1917 Chicago style bungalow we already knew we were going to replace the existing 1927 one car garage with a new two car garage that also had attic storage so that was in our budget. We did not anticipate the furnace going out the very first time we turned it on, AJ not being able to sleep upstairs without us (the traditional master is on the first floor), or a flooded basement just three short weeks after we moved in.We set to work cleaning up the water soaked basement (and putting in new walls to make
In July of 2006, John Faulk was drinking and driving a speedboat in a restricted area and, as a consequence, hurt eight people and killed one Michael Haslam (who was sitting on a pontoon boat). Faulk's unsuccessful defense was that he consumed a large amount of alcohol after the accident, while waiting for the police to arrive on the scene. On Monday, a pastor, college pals, friends and family requested leniency from Judge Ben Fuller. Faulk's mother put is this way: "Please give him a pardon or parole or whatever. We don't want him to go to prison or jail." Fuller responded with a 30-month sentence split so that Faulk will serve 18 months in jail for the most serious charge and a year concurrently for misdemeanor assault charges. The victim's wife says the sentence is too light and remains
Oh no doubt you guessed this one already. Done by Picasso in 1932, it is called "Girl before a Mirror." It can be seen at MOMA. It is said that the "model" was Marie-Therese Walter, Picasso's mistress at the time. The Artsy people claim that the reflection in the mirror is a death mask and that the painting is a confrontation with mortality. Also it can be seen as daytime and night time and her reaching out an attempt to integrate the two.I am always suspicious of art critics and their psychological interpretations, but I sure know that I feel like this some mornings when I look in the mirror. Well, it looks to be a long post today so we better get at it. It's raining steadily here in Iowa and I have chili on the stove simmering and cornbread ready to begin its final incorporation for bak
~~**~~**~~**~~I'm not sure about you, but I am fairly puzzled at the "help" Bush and the boys are offering to this beleagured country in this current economic crisis. I'm not jumping for joy at the idea of our measley check. We are by temperament not likely to help by spending it in any case, except to pay a bill or two. No big splurge for us at the adult candy store. Paul Krugman from the NYTimes calls it the Dilbert strategy, just bells and whistles to make us think they are really doing something. No, they agree more with our boy John McCain that we just better suffer it out. After all, the government can't be to blame with its ridiculous blind eye to consumer lending practices, its bloated war funds, and other such nonsense. Did I say that I can't wait for this atrocious administration
Pete McDonough is a professor at Rutgers University and served as director of communications for N.J. Gov. Christie Whitman (R). He also served as executive director in the N.J. State Assembly, chief of staff for a member of the U.S. House of Representative and media trainer for the U.S. State Department in Eastern Europe. Today McDonough says:President Bush could surpass the totals [for] all [former] presidents by issuing a blanket pardon to all current and former professional baseball players who have been involved in illegal activities related to the use of steroids, human growth hormones or any of the other performance enhancing substances that have cast a pall on the great national pastime.Hmmm. How long before anyone came up with that idea? McDonough describes the clemency process in
The journals of political science are notorious for ignoring the pardon power - state and federal. But a political scientist at the University of Alabama who has studied state and local government and federalism is making a pardon prediction. According to TimesDaily.Com :University of Alabama political scientist William Stewart, who attended much of [former Alabama Governor Don] Siegelman’s trial, said he expects Siegelman will be free for a number of months because of the length and complexity of the appeal. He said he believes Siegelman could avoid going back to prison if either Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama is elected.“He’ll be out for a long time and may never go back. If he’s out until January and we elect Clinton or Obama, I expect he will
This article discusses the case of one Robert Michael Milroy who was convicted of five counts of importation of heroin and five counts of using the U.S. mail to facilitate the importation of heroin and received a seven year prison sentence 1975. Milroy was pardoned by President Bush on Monday. But the more interesting part of the article is this section:The Associated Press reported that a spokesperson for Bush said the president didn't personally know any of the people pardoned. “I don't believe he personally knows any of them,” White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said during a briefing yesterday. “The pardon attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice regularly provides the president with recommendations... The president considers these clemency recommendations as they come in t
The Board of Regents will soon vote on the appointment of Ross Margraves Jr. to the Texas A&M at Galveston's Board of Visitors. Margraves is a Houston lawyer, Galveston property owner and avid Aggie fundraiser. What makes it all interesting is that, in 1996, he was also convicted of using a state-owned plane for a personal trip while serving as a member of the board. In 2003, Margraves' felony was pardoned in a 9-to-8 vote taken by the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Gov. Rick Perry then endorsed the pardon. Margraves says the previous conviction "doesn't have anything to do with this." See story here.
In 2006, Roy Roberts pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder after a stabbing attack on the teenage daughters of his girlfriend. Now, Roberst has signed a plea deal which is said to require that he spend the rest of his life in prison. State District Judge Tony Marabella says the plea agreement (exchanged for a death sentence) prohibits Roberts from ever applying for parole, a commutation of his sentence, or a pardon from a governor. In addition, Roberts agreed to never try to make any money by selling books or profit from the case. See full story here.EDITOR: While I cannot speak with expert knowledge of the laws of the State of Louisiana, it seems there are some things worth exploring in this case. The plea agreement (as described) does not allow Roberts t
Back in the day, Ted Kennedy was piling-on Gerald Ford for his pardon of former President Richard Nixon. More recently, Kennedy was giving Ford a "Profile in Courage" Award for making the "correct" decision in the matter. Hoping to seize upon history's quirk, Vice-President Cheney said this in a recent interview:The president had to go up -- chose to go up before the Judiciary Committee of the House and testify in order to put down the rumors that somehow there had been a deal between he and President Nixon, that if he would pardon Nixon, then he would get to be president himself. I rode up there with him that day and sat in the hearing room while he answered all those questions. I know how much grief he took for that decision, and it may well have cost him the presidency in '76. Thirty ye
In a recent post (here: Arkansas: Pardon Revisited), PardonPower discussed the case of the former Attorney General of Arkansas, Steve Clark, who now desires to be mayor of Fayetteville. Problem is Clark is a convicted felon. Good news is that he was pardoned by former Gov. Mike Huckabee, in 2004. It is now contended that Arkansas Supreme Court rulings suggest that a pardon alone does not make Clark eligible. The attorney for the secretary of state says an expungement of the conviction is required before Clark can run again. See story here.
Steve Clark served as attorney general for the State of Arkansas from 1979-90 and was widely considered to be a potential Democratic nominee for governor in 1990. Then an investigation found that he had spent $ 115, 000 in such a way that he was eventually convicted of felony theft. Clark resigned from office and was fined $10,000. He was also ordered to pay restitution and court costs. In 2004, then-Gov. Mike Huckabee pardoned Clark, who is now an instructor for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Clark also collects fees to give speeches on addiction, ethics and the law. Now, he is considering running for Fayetteville mayor. The Arkansas State Constitution prohibits those who are convicted of embezzling public money or “other infamous crimes” from holding any office of trus
The Washington Post reports that Ollin Crawford has been granted a pardon by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D). Crawford served a twenty-three year sentence for robbing banks of $10,000 with a fake (or at least never found) grenade and running afoul of the state's three-time loser law - which made her ineligible for parole. According to the Governor, the prosecutor and the judge in Crawford's case "never contemplated that she should serve this much time." As lieutenant governor, Kaine told then-Governor Mark Warner (D) that she deserved "special attention." A legislator from Norfolk, Algie Howell Jr. (D) took interest in Crawford as well, as did prison guards, inmates, administrators and a warden. See story here. Additional background here.
Judicial Watch has recently announced that it has received an "official" copy of the Marc Rich / Pincus Green pardon application via a FOIA request. I have had the application in hand for several years now and composed a brief description of it in a passage in my forthcoming book, Pardon Me, Mr. President: Adventures in Crime, Politics and Mercy. Below is a snippet:... The application for pardon, submitted on December 11, well emphasized what must surely have been considered to be the single most important detail by the applicants. The first two sentences of the “Executive Summary” (page two) which followed a cover sheet read:This petition sets for the request of Mr. Marc Rich and Mr. Pincus Green for a Presidential Pardon. Mr. Rich and Mr. Green are internationally recognized business
Judicial Watch has announced that it has obtained the "official" pardon application submitted to the Clinton White House by attorney Jack Quinn on December 11, 2000, on behalf of former fugitive Marc Rich, who fled the United States to avoid prosecution on racketeering, wire fraud and tax evasion charges. The application was made available in response to a FOIA request made in 2006. (Editor: unofficial copies have been available for many years now). Rich's ex-wife, Denise, made large contributions to Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign and to the Clinton Presidential Library foundation in the months leading up to the pardon. The National Archives, under the direction of Bill Clinton, continues to withhold hundreds of pages from public disclosure. Judicial Watch also says that it expects to r
Florida newspapers, such as the Miami Herald have been singing the praises of Gov. Charlie Crist (R) for his efforts in regard to "sunshine" (or more openness) in government. Crist issued “A Week of Sunshine” Proclamation last week recognizing March 16-22, 2008, as Sunshine Week for the citizens of the State of Florida. The Proclamation urges citizens to celebrate the State of Florida’s dedication to making state and local government more accessible to the public. The Herald notes:Gov. Crist [created] the Commission on Open Government, which has held three public hearings around the state. A fourth is scheduled in Fort Lauderdale in May. Discussions at the hearings already have triggered an opening of clemency records. Former inmates who apply to restore their civil rights may now se
3/13 - Illinois: Further Objection to Gill Pardon3/10 - Illinois: The Governor's Next Pardon?3/7 - Illinois: Report3/6 - Illinois: Investigation (Update)3/4 - Illinois: A Grant. A Pardon. An Investigation.
O Lord, the hour of your favor draws near, the day of your mercy and our salvation - when death was destroyed and eternal life began.We acknowledge our sins and our offenses are always before us.Blot out all our wrongdoings and give us a new and steadfast spirit.Restore us to your friendship and number us among the living who share the joy of you Son's risen life.Amen.
The Champaign News-Gazette reports that one of the officers involved in the arrest of Chanda Gill is not at all pleased to learn that Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich (D) has pardoned Gill. DeAnn Winn-Maurer says she would have objected to the pardon in advance, had she had the opportunity. Winn-Maurer says she feared for her own safety during the 2002 fight between Gill and Latasha Cain and the disruption put an end to a 13-year career. The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. says, however, that Gill's conviction was "insane" as it did not involve "raucous behavior or stealing." Winn-Mauer respectfully disagrees and has four hand surgeries as evidence to the contrary. To this day, she suffers from a dull ache and painful involuntary spasms in the hand. See complete story here. See also: Illinois: A Grant. A Pa
Pastor Onslow D. Ross (aka "Chief Apostle") of the Reaching Souls Cathedral of Praise Apostolic Church (Macon) is looking at the possibility of more than 60 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines after being found guilty on 54 (of 56) counts related to the misuse of a $389,000 insurance check. A church musician says the federal government "is grossly attacking a pastor from the same religion as the one on which this country was founded." While a jury found problems with Ross's purchases of clothing for himself and church officials, luxury cars and electronic equipment, another church member says, "If you don't deal with mega ministry-minded people, you won't understand what we do." Ross's attorney also complained about the fact that, at trial, the government had the tendency to d
In a Real Clear Politics editorial here, Ed Koch has linked the pardon power to the hot topic of prisoner interrogation and the use of torture. Koch writes, among other things:I believe that torture may be warranted in the "ticking bomb" situation, where the interrogators reasonably believe based on credible information in their possession that the suspect knows where the "ticking bomb" is located and no other source is available to them. I do not believe there should be any statute or regulation authorizing torture, but we must depend on interrogators of conscience, mindful of the consequences of their actions. If any such interrogator is wrong in his judgment, tortures the suspect and elicits no bomb information, he should be indicted and serve a prison sentence upon conviction. If he el
The Atlantic features an editorial which discusses the dilemma of two public defenders who have announced that a deceased client killed a man nearly thirty years ago. All the while, a wrongfully convicted suspect, Alton Logan, has been in prison - a pretty gloomy consequence of the attorney-client privilege. The editorial notes former Illinois Governor George Ryan (R) commuted 156 death sentences out of concern that just one of the sentenced might be innocent and submits: "Surely Governor Rod R. Blagojevich (D) can grant a single speedy pardon for one irrevocably wronged man?"Editor: Indeed, Blagojevich's awkward pardon of Chandra Gill - see posts Illinois: A Grant. A Pardon. An Investigation and Illinois: Investigation (Update) - would suggest that, absent some startling and immediate rev
An editorial in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin calls on the Hawaii state legislature to "stop meddling' with the pardon power. According to the editorial. Gov. Linda Lingle (R) has issued more than 70 pardons since taking office five years ago - a number that is "consistent" with past governors. And, according to the Star-Bulletin, none of the pardon have been "controversial." Nonetheless, the state legislature has approved a bill that would require the judicial branch to review all probation applicants, leaving the Paroling Authority to review only applications from those imprisoned or on parole. The bill would also require the governor to give 30 days of public notice, including the reason(s), before issuing a pardon. See more details here.
Michael Lorraine Lord is about to serve a 48-hour jail sentence. His crime? While seeking employment in June 2006, he presented a forged letter from former governor Jim Hunt's office pardoning a 1994 conviction. In actuality, his clemency request had been denied. Lord, who had served as a county administrator and town manager also got two years probation, a $5,000 fine and court costs. Assistant District Attorney John Criscitiello says, "This is the most brazen crime I have seen in my time as a prosecutor." Lord's attorney says that his client exercised "very poor judgment." See full story here.
Hillary Clinton loves to take credit for being an active participant in her husband's administration and boasts that she has been "vetted" as a candidate many times over. But USA Today reports that archivists at the Clinton Presidential Library are blocking the release of hundreds of pages of White House papers on pardons that the former president approved, including clemency for fugitive commodities trader Marc Rich. The decision to do so is "based on guidance provided by Bill Clinton that restricts the disclosure of advice he received from aides, prevents public scrutiny of documents that would shed light on how he decided which pardons to approve from among hundreds of requests." The article also notes:... Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., criticized Sen. Clinton this week for not doing more t
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) granted a pardon to an officer of a church school in the midst of approving a $1 million state grant that would help programs affiliated with the church. On top of that, the money eventually went to a private school which bought a Loop office condo. Rep. Kack Franks (D-Woostock) a member of the state legislature has scheduled hearings to investigate the grant and the Governor's office says it is now looking into whether or not the school associated with Pilgrim Baptist Church is "viable." Rep. Franks says the Governor basically gave "a non-existent school a million dollars to buy a floor on a condo building with no students, no faculty, no clear date of opening, and that apparently didn't have a tax-exempt status until they wer
A recent US study revels that forgiveness does not come in natural for both sexes, but males find it difficult to forgive than females. In forgiveness-related studies conducted by the...
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About 129,000 Kentuckians cannot vote because of felony convictions. But, those who complete their sentences will be able to have their voting rights restored more easily under changes to the pardon process announced by Gov. Steve Beshear (D). Beshear said he will drop requirements for an essay and three character references - requirements created by the previous Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R). There will also be a revocation of a $2 fee because Beshear says, "This disenfranchisement makes no sense." Corrections officials will help interested felons with pardon applications before their release from prison or jail, and Beshear's office will process more than 1,500 applications left behind by Fletcher, plus 176 new applications filed since January 1. Story here.
Gov. Steve Beshear has made no effort to push for a significant plank in his gubernatorial campaign platform: an amendment limiting a governor's pardoning powers. Rep. Darryl Owens (D-Louisville), who sponsored House Bill 5 and chairs the committee that would hear the proposal, says, "I haven't heard from him, but that's not unusual." In January, Brashear promised to "lead" the fight. A spokeswoman said Monday that the Governor remains committed to the bill and will discuss it later.During the fall campaign, Beshear repeatedly criticized former Gov. Ernie Fletcher for pardoning his entire administration during an investigation of state hiring practices and pledged he would make sure no other governor uses pardons to stop ongoing criminal investigations. Fletcher and 14 others were eventual
The Globe and Mail reports that one of the individuals on our Pardon Watch List is indeed hoping for a presidential pardon. 63-year old media baron Lord Conrad Black is hoping George W. Bush will come through. As his lawyers put it, "You never know." Black has reported to a low-security jail in Florida to begin serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence for fraud and obstruction of justice.Jacob Frenkel, a former U.S. prosecutor says "It's very plausible that as soon as the election ends, President Bush could commute or issue a pardon." Frenkel also believes that President Bush may have an "emotional incentive" in Lord Black's case because of the involvement of Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, who also the special prosecutor in the high-profile case
The National Pardon Centre is a well known no-profit organization that offers people the possibility to apply, in a very simple way and directly online, for a Canadian Pardons (a request to remove all your criminal record from public file in order to live your life without restriction) and United States entry waiver (it allows legal access to the USA despite is you have criminal record). If you are interested in apply for a Pardon or to join the entry waiver, you need to submit your application to the Canada Government (to the National Parole Board) and to the American Government (to the Department of Homeland Security). These applications are not simple to prepare and cost you not only lot of time and energy (you need to retrieve a great quantity of documents and you must be sure to not
Today's Washington Post notes that the President, when asked whether he would disclose the identities of donors to his library, said, "We'll look at the disclosure requirements and make a decision." He also noted that "some people . . . like to give and don't particularly want their names disclosed, whether it be for this foundation or any other foundation. And so we'll take that into consideration." The Post considers this the "wrong" answer. Why? Because:It was an outrage when Mr. Bush's predecessor, President Bill Clinton, collected millions of dollars in secret money for his library while in office. Just how outrageous became clear as Mr. Clinton left the presidency, when he granted a pardon to fugitive financier Marc Rich; Mr. Rich's ex-wife had given $450,000 to the Clinton library.Y
Many of William F. Buckley's Firing Line debates and regular television programs were dedicated to the topic of the death penalty. And there was certainly little doubt as to where he stood on the issue. In an August 1989 editorial Buckley wrote, "My own opinion is that too few, not too many, people are being executed in America."But, if you look through the body of Buckley's work, especially his editorials, you cannot help but see that Buckley's view of the death penalty included an emphasis on the need for the intelligent use of the pardon power. For example, in the above mentioned editorial he also wrote:But it makes very good sense to be as certain as circumstance allows that the right people go to the death chamber. Hang one man, prove the next day or year that he was in fact innocent,
Living in a society and under the influence of different people they tend to do different things and some on purpose and some unknowingly. Friends and the neighborhood also define the personal traits of a person. He/ She will find it hard to understand the norms and values of the society if grown up in a criminal family or a society. They tend to acquire the wrong habit and will not allow any one to interfere in their way of doing things unless acted upon by some good influential people. So they may not be bad at all but got among wrong people.National Pardon Center is a non profit organization which will help criminals to clean their image. National Pardon Center is also a community based resource center offering free educational seminars throughout Quebec and Alberta. A criminal record i
In December of 1976, William F. Buckley, Jr. angrily expressed his concerns over the pardon process noting, "Chile may be showing greater concern for its political prisoners than the United States." The anxiety stemmed from the fact that Buckley wanted to see Howard Hunt's two and a half to eight-year prison sentence commuted. Harvard Professor James Q. Wilson had noted that anyone else with Hunt's record would have probably been given a 30-day suspended sentence. But Judge John Sirica was handing out "extraordinary prison terms" in order to "put special pressure on his prisoners to cooperate with the prosecution." Buckley wrote:In the office of the Attorney General of the United States is someone called the Pardon Attorney. His job is to prepare recommendations for the President of the Un
After having browsed through the William F. Buckley Archive at Hillsdale College, I note that the man actually wrote many an editorial on the pardon power, both state and federal. I thought I would summarize highlights in what I found in two or three posts, beginning with what most under-informed persons consider the Mother of All Pardons: Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon. In his editorial of September 12, 1973, Buckley addressed what he felt were the major objections to the pardon. Some of his commentary remains impressively relevant to clemency issues today.Buckley rejected the notion that Nixon has not "shown a proper contrition" and did not "apologize" for his actions and dismissed the complaint that the pardon precluded the establishment of his guilt. As far as Buckley was concer
The National Pardon Center or NPC is a non profit organization, offering a wide range of services for Canada pardons and United States entry waivers in Canada. The services: Canadian Pardons which remove criminal records. USA entry waiver services for legal access to the USA. Fingerprinting services and background checks for identification and certifications. Free counseling, client case reviews and assessments...etc. Free educational resources to local community service organizations, so that they have better access and role to excel in the field. Honest, straightforward and reliable counsel, which doesn't mislead you. What is a Pardon or waiver application ? A pardon or waiver application is an application that you submit to the government. The Canada Pa
This week, Fox News commentator and radio show host Bill O’Reilly came to Michelle Obama’s defense. . . sort of. When a caller chastised Obama over her comments regarding her pride in America, O’Reilly interjected that, without evidence, he is not willing to allow such character attacks on Obama on his station.That’s commendable enough, but what O’Reilly said is more important than the reason he said it. Here is O’Reilly’s statement, as reprinted by Media Matters for America (the entire exchange with the caller can be read there, as well):You know, I have a lot of sympathy for Michelle Obama, for Bill Clinton, for all of these people. Bill Clinton, I have sympathy for him, because they're thrown into a hopper where everybody is waiting for them to make a mistake, so that th
If you’ve read the Stop the Presses blog for any amount of time–and we hope you have–you know that we’re not likely to use this space to toot our own proverbial horn. That’s why I hope you’ll forgive us a moment of self-indulgence to tell you about something exciting that recently happened here at Levick: [...]
Saudi King 'Abdallah bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz has issued a royal pardon for the "girl from Al-Qatif" who was gang-raped.Last month, a Saudi court sentenced the girl to six months in prison and 200 lashes for "illegally being alone" with a man at the time she was kidnapped by the seven rapists.The king was exercising his right to intervene in judicial affairs in cases when such intervention would produce extensive public benefit.In response to the decree the Saudi justice minister said that the pardon did not raise doubts about the integrity, fairness, and freedom of operation of Saudi judges or of the Saudi judicial system.
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Near the end of this video you will hear Governor Huckabee mention Anthony Circosta. Anthony is a resident of Massachusetts who asked Mitt...
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Acquitted murderer returns an INT for a touchdown: 6 pts
Kicker kicks go-ahead field goal: 3 pts
Said kicker being told mid-interview by the other team's QB that the game's not over and seeing his reaction: freaking priceless...
By the way...something else I just find hilarious... Ya think Ozzie Newsome would like to take that little waiver from 2 years ago back? He pissed away the best QB on the team! Not saying anyone knew it at the time, but man, he's gotta be kicking himself in the ass about now.
It has been reveled that Hillary Clinton has accepted thousands of dollars in cash donations from some of those controversially pardoned by her husband Bill Clinton during his last moments of presidency.David Herdlinger, a former prosecutor in Springdale, Ark plead guilty in 1986 to mail fraud after being accused of taking bribes to reduce or drop charges against defendants charged with drunken driving offenses. He was pardoned by President Clinton in January 2001; he donated $1,000 to Sen. Clinton's presidential campaign in August.Alfredo Regalado was pardoned by Bill Clinton for failing to "report the transportation of currency in excess of $10,000 into the United States" and has donated $2,000 to Hillary's campaign. John Deutch, whom served as President Bill Clinton's CIA director was pardoned of charges he had mishandled government secrets before the Department of Justice could even file the proper paperwork against him. He has given has given the maximum allowable donation
The national pardon center is a bilingual non profit organization for the people of Canada handling pardons and waiver services in Canada. When the people need personnel counseling regarding US waiver and border criminal activity the pardons canada help to resolve the problem. Here ill give the summary of National Pardon Centre is a Canadian non-profit that assists with remove criminal records. Canadian pardon services and United States entry waivers online application. We can easily understand the rules and regulations of Canadian and US judicial laws as per directions of pardons counselors. A pardon Canada which is given by the government of Canada will clear a Canadian from any criminal record they had from the public file which therefore let them go on with their lives. It’s a complete legal activity of both states Canada and USA.
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