President Bush pardons eight, including convicted bootlegger

WBAY.com ^ | 3/04/05

[Libloather]

Bush pardons eight, including convicted bootlegger

WASHINGTON - President Bush has acted to pardon eight people, including a man convicted of bootlegging 45 years ago.

It's the first round of clemency orders in the president's second term -- and brings his total since taking office to 39 pardons and sentence commutations.

Those pardoned include three men from Texas, and one each from New York, Florida, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Their offenses range from misusing mortgage funds to theft of government property. The bootlegger, Charles Russell Cooper of Corpus Christi, Texas, was given three years' probation.

By historical standards, Bush has issued relatively few pardons. Most presidents issue hundreds. Bill Clinton gave out 456, including 176 on his last day as president.

Franklin Roosevelt issued the most pardons -- more than three-thousand during his four terms. Only two presidents never pardoned anyone -- James Garfield and William Henry Harrison.

[Sir Gawain]

I'm all for community standards. The community should be able to decide what they will accept and what they will not. The city should be the center of politics and the state should be the highest level for laws and regulations.

[sergeantdave]

I'd like to be pardoned for wearing a green, luminous leisure suit to a bar and restaurant back in the disco 1970s. I gave it to Goodwill. It's probably still hanging on the rack.

I live in fear that someone may have a photo of me in that.

[Thommas]

I thought Joesph Kennedy (Sr.) was dead!

Hahahahahah!

[sittnick]

You should also remember that there are still a good number of dry towns, from Wilton CT to entire counties in Texas.

There was a great article in a Mopar magazine about modified Chrysler New Yorkers in the early '60's doing 2AM runs of hootch through North Carolina. These cars had a beefed up engine, but mostly frame, suspension and brakes, so they could go with a full load in the trunk, removed back seat, etc. at +110mph. Those cars were used because they were fast, held a decent amount (the trunks on early '60's Chrysler C-bodies are huge), and would not raise suspicion when seen at a distance.

[RadioAstronomer]

I'd like to be pardoned for wearing a green, luminous leisure suit

I had an orange satin tux (black sequens on the lapels) with tails once. LMAO.

[Imaverygooddriver]

Well if so he should be exposed. That is treason and a betrayal of this country, I don`t care WHO it is. Any sitting President that pardons these types for favors, ESPECIALLY those that put the lives of Americans in jeopardy should absolutely be exposed and have their lives destroyed, and now I know why Bush Sr. has been making buddy buddy with Cinton recently.

[Willie Green]

Probably drove thru a dry county.

I bet he was smuggling tequila from Mexico.

[Joe 6-pack]

"There was a great article in a Mopar magazine about modified Chrysler New Yorkers in the early '60's doing 2AM runs of hootch through North Carolina."

One of the two big car mags (Motor Trend or Road & Track) also had a pretty extensive article some 10 years ago or so in regards to the Chryslers...from the pics in the articles all I could imagine was Andy and Barney going after these these guys and eating their dust...

That wouldv'e been unpardonable...;-)

[Mudboy Slim]

"...he was just signing books for his many fans who paid - big."

Dirty rotten scoundrel...MUD

[upchuck]

I'd like to be pardoned for wearing a green, luminous leisure suit to a bar and restaurant back in the disco 1970s.

Hmmm...

Green, check
Luminous, check

That must be you in the middle, eh?

[cyncooper]

Bill Clinton gave out 456, including 176 on his last day as president.

For which he was handsomely compensated...

[Clemenza]

He was transporting Coors beer across state lines in the South.

[Deguello]

"Producing liquor clandestinely"

Yes, no, sorta, maybe.

Liquor by the drink was not legal in Texas until the 60's. Even then as now, some counties or parts of Texas counties are "dry". Some are dryer than others. Some can sell packaged beer, some can add wine and some with liquor but not by the drink. The dryest have no sales of any type.

This version of bootlegging was bringing regular, taxed liquor into a dryer area for sale. Again, this can be beer, wine or hard liquor.

[traviskicks]

"I'm all for community standards. The community should be able to decide what they will accept and what they will not. The city should be the center of politics and the state should be the highest level for laws and regulations."
---

Fair enough.

You might enjoy the link on my tag line.

[cyncooper]

BTW, I posted a thread yesterday on the latest Marc Rich news---seems he answered some questions in writing for Henry Hyde's investigators but they don't think Rich is being forthcoming (what a shock--not).

The last paragraph of the article I posted mentioned the grand jury is still looking into the pardon...

[Libloather]

I live in fear that someone may have a photo of me in that.

Were you ever at the annual leisure suit convention?

[Joe 6-pack]

I was aware of that...been through a few dry counties in TX and elsewhere...I used the example of producing one's own to avoid the taxes, but smuggling or importing from elsewhere also applies...

Bootlegging is essentially tax evasion.

[SF Republican]

And why did bootlegging happen?
Because NASCAR had not been invented yet.
We have a winner; was not bootlegging the start of NASCAR - ie Jr Johnson down in Carolina trying to out run the local revenuers

[Joe 6-pack]

"Bootlegging is essentially tax evasion."

(at least from the fedgov's perspective).

[gimme1ibertee]

Beg your pardon?