Way to go, Huckabee

[SteamWake]

Way to put a pshychotic murderer back on the streets.

Now 4 law enforcment officers lay dead because of a good will gesture.


Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.

Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.



http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010385617_webmansought29.html

[Platapus]

First of all it was not Huckabee's mistake.

All Huckabee did was commute the sentence. It was the parole board who messed up the parole violation case in 2001.

If ya gotta gripe, blame the right people.

But Clemmons remained on parole — and soon after landed in trouble again. In March 2001, he was accused of violating his parole by committing aggravated robbery and theft, according to a story in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

He was returned to prison on a parole violation. But in what appears to have been a mistake, Clemmons was not actually served with the arrest warrants until leaving prison three years later. As a result, Clemmons' attorney argued that the charges should be dismissed because too much time had passed. Prosecutors dropped the charges.


If the parole board had done their job right, he would have been back in the slammer.


While it could be argued that Huckabee should not have commuted the original set of sentences, that decision was overshadowed by the incompetence of the parole board/prosecutors.

[CaptainHaplo]

I am not a huckabee fan. I find some of his positions irreconsileable with his stated beliefs.

However, the guy commuted a 95 year sentence for a person who had, at the age of 17, committed the crimes he was in prison for. He saw a person who had served some time, was a kid when they committed the original offenses, and on the recommendation of various staff, commutted the sentence at that time.

While he is not totally blameless here, the fact is, the ONLY person responsible for the heinous acts committed - is the person who committed them.

Otherwise, we would see criminals in court using the defense of "but the parole board let me out, so its their fault" I killed someone, or raped someone, or robbed that store, or whatever.

As a society we do bear some responsibility for the lack of true rehabilitation in our prison system. There is some level of responsibility when a person who shouldn't be out, is freed in error.

But if that person abuses that freedom and commits additional crimes, regardless of their type, they and only they are responsible for those choices and actions.

[Snestorm]

This has turned into quite an international news item.

It made the news in Danmark.

How unfortunate it is that Justice has been replaced by The Law.

[Torplexed]

These heinous slayings took place only a few miles from where I work. This guy Clemmons should never have been let back on the street. He's been charged with eight felony charges here in Washington State in the last five years including the pending charge of rape of a child. But they kept letting him out. This isn't about politics. A Republican governor in Arkansas. Democrats here in our pretty much one-party state. This is about an unfathomable breakdown of the system that has allowed an erratic, dangerous criminal to walk free. Stories like this illustrate how broken our system is.

What I find even more unfathomable is that he's apparently been getting help staying ahead of the police. I just can't believe there are people dumb enough to risk a stiff prison sentence to help this thug.

[Carotio]

Some people are just too mentally sick to be let out walking free in the streets ever again.

We have seen a maniac like that here in Denmark too. While he lived in Florida with his family, he murdered his mum and buried her at the beach with help from his father no less. He served some years in prison and came back to Denmark. Some time later, he had murdered his girlfriend and her two minor sons here, and not only that: he even cut them up in pieces and throw their leftovers out somewhere, with help from his father once again... :o He wasn't too cooperative towards helping the police to find the pieces, so the civil military service was sent out to find them, and I hate him forever, because I was part of that work back in 2000.

Some people should just be put in the blackest hole in a prison, and the key should be thrown away. They're scum of the Earth... :nope:

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

Huckabee you f'ed up on this big time!! Giving a pardon to a man senteced to jail for the rest of his life cause you thought it was wrong for someone of his age to be locked away for the rest of his life becuase of a crime that he commited!!!:nope: And now your pointing the finger at everyone else but yourself, kiss your political career goodbye!

[Subnuts]

Nice going, Hucky. Mike Dukakis did the same thing and his career never recovered. :shifty:

[Torvald Von Mansee]

Huckabee is a strange guy to me. He has political/social positions I abhor, but he seems so damn nice!!!!

[SteamWake]

Well the perpetrator has been permantly dealt with.

Better late than never I suppose... yea tell that to the deceased's family.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091201/ap_on_re_us/us_officers_shot

[AVGWarhawk]

If the parole board had done their job right, he would have been back in the slammer.


Sometimes the board is pushed to do things because of overcrowding. The Broomstick Killer is a classic example of this.

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

Clemmons is dead, killed by a police officer at 2:45 AM Pacfic Time in South Seattle. One person was Clemmons getaway driver and three other persons are being held on charges of assiting Clemmons to hide from police and one povided medical aid by way of gauze and duck tape.

[UnderseaLcpl]

Huckabee is a strange guy to me. He has political/social positions I abhor, but he seems so damn nice!!!!

Wolf in sheep's clothing. The merit of a person and their beliefs cannot be judged by their words or mannerisms, no matter how well-presented.

[Snestorm]

Clemmons is dead, killed by a police officer at 2:45 AM Pacfic Time in South Seattle. One person was Clemmons getaway driver and three other persons are being held on charges of assiting Clemmons to hide from police and one povided medical aid by way of gauze and duck tape.

It's a shame that all those innocent people had to pay with their lives in order for this scumbag to reach "his" (IT'S) fitting end.

[SteamWake]

Clemmons is dead, killed by a police officer at 2:45 AM Pacfic Time in South Seattle. One person was Clemmons getaway driver and three other persons are being held on charges of assiting Clemmons to hide from police and one povided medical aid by way of gauze and duck tape.

Duck tape :haha:

Sorry that still cracks me up.

Yes he is dead I provided a link a few posts up.

[Platapus]

I always wonder why people call it "duck" tape. It is duct tape.

Duct Duct. Originally designed to tape the seams in ducts.

Next time someone calls it duck tape, I will have to cry foul!

[onelifecrisis]

Sometimes the board is pushed to do things because of overcrowding. The Broomstick Killer is a classic example of this.

We have overcrowding here as well, which is something I just don't get. Maybe I'm just being dim but isn't the answer kind of obvious? Build more prisons? :hmmm:

[FIREWALL]

What a pack of WHINERS :wah:


Your all going to learn someday you can't have it both ways.

[CaptainHaplo]

OLC - while it might start a debate - its cheaper and quicker to just put em down.

I know many are not death penalty advocates, but the fact is there are people who will never be rehabilitated, have caused death of an innocent or more than one, and instead of costing the taxpayers of the nation - we should give em 2 years on death row to appeal, then execute them at the end of that time if no appeal has been successful.

[Aramike]

Huckabee is a strange guy to me. He has political/social positions I abhor, but he seems so damn nice!!!!He *IS* a nice guy.

Don't get me wrong; I've never been a supporter of his. However, I HAVE met the man on several occassions during dinners at the Arkansas Gov. Mansion several years back, and the man is about as geniune as can be. I just think his policies are often rooted in a hopeless naivete.

Frankly, I find him (even to this day) to be an incredibly likeable individual, despite our policy disagreements - not really a "wolf in sheep's clothing", as it were.

Furthermore, I find his unfortunate, misguided actions regarding Clemmons to be a sad reminder to us all that we should not overestimate ANY individual's capacity for rehabilitation, despite our best wishes to the contrary. It's a sad, albeit timely, reminder in the wake of current controversies surrounding the detainees at Guantanamo Bay. While the situations are surely not parallel, the remifications could very well be, and this kind of tragedy serves to put the politicians on notice - if you gamble on the side of the bad guy and you lose, the consequences can be severe.

[Sailor Steve]

I always wonder why people call it "duck" tape. It is duct tape.

Duct Duct. Originally designed to tape the seams in ducts.

Next time someone calls it duck tape, I will have to cry foul!
Or cry fowl.

But what if I want to tape up my duck?

Which rhymes with Huck.

So I'm not too far off topic yet.

Wading in the muck.

[August]

Or cry fowl.

But what if I want to tape up my duck?

I hear that duck tape is good for sealing quacks... :yep:

[onelifecrisis]

OLC - while it might start a debate - its cheaper and quicker to just put em down.

I know many are not death penalty advocates, but the fact is there are people who will never be rehabilitated, have caused death of an innocent or more than one, and instead of costing the taxpayers of the nation - we should give em 2 years on death row to appeal, then execute them at the end of that time if no appeal has been successful.

Personally I'd rather lock them up for life. If I have to pay some extra tax, that's fine.

[Torvald Von Mansee]

Wolf in sheep's clothing. The merit of a person and their beliefs cannot be judged by their words or mannerisms, no matter how well-presented.

He *IS* a nice guy.

Don't get me wrong; I've never been a supporter of his. However, I HAVE met the man on several occassions during dinners at the Arkansas Gov. Mansion several years back, and the man is about as geniune as can be. I just think his policies are often rooted in a hopeless naivete.

Frankly, I find him (even to this day) to be an incredibly likeable individual, despite our policy disagreements - not really a "wolf in sheep's clothing", as it were.

Furthermore, I find his unfortunate, misguided actions regarding Clemmons to be a sad reminder to us all that we should not overestimate ANY individual's capacity for rehabilitation, despite our best wishes to the contrary. It's a sad, albeit timely, reminder in the wake of current controversies surrounding the detainees at Guantanamo Bay. While the situations are surely not parallel, the remifications could very well be, and this kind of tragedy serves to put the politicians on notice - if you gamble on the side of the bad guy and you lose, the consequences can be severe.

Well, I'd never vote for him. I always look at policy and ability in a candidate before personality. It's a shame that Lincoln wouldn't have a prayer of being elected President, today. Just plain ugly, and he apparently had a really high pitched voice.

Aramike, you seem to be almost describing a right wing Jimmy Carter!!!! And he was HISTORY'S GREATEST MONSTER!!! :har:

[August]

Personally I'd rather lock them up for life. If I have to pay some extra tax, that's fine.

Agree 100%. As long as it's hard time.

[AVGWarhawk]

We have overcrowding here as well, which is something I just don't get. Maybe I'm just being dim but isn't the answer kind of obvious? Build more prisons? :hmmm:

Issue is, do you want a prison in your neighborhood? I could do without one in mine. I got enough in my vicinity. I wish I had the answer but I don't. The small time offender who does a year or two comes out and continues to commit crime. Usually ends back in prison. The hardcore criminal gets life of course or death penalty but they sit for years on death row. Classic example is the Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ramirez

Apprehended in 1985 and last I heard was still on the row in 2006. Ever seen the movie Escape for New York? Perhaps that should be done. One island out in the ocean. No means of escape. Drop food weekly. Let'em duke it out on their own.

[onelifecrisis]

Issue is, do you want a prison in your neighborhood?

Better that than dangerous criminals in my neighbourhood.

As for the idea of a prison/penal colony... yeah, I think we Brits did that already. And Australia turned out just fine. Completely rehabilitated. I think we have our answer! ;)

Joke! Joke! Don't hit me!

[AVGWarhawk]

People get upset with prisons in their neighborhoods because of possible escapes, etc. Some feel the institutions devalue their property. Numerous other reasons. Good point on Australia as a penal colony back in the day. But hey, we get Foster's, shrimp on the barbie, kangroos and Outback Steak House. :haha: