Posted on 12/02/2009 4:44:10 AM PST by blf1776
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Former Arkansas Governor and Presidental Candidate Mike Huckabee spoke at the Annual Tippecanoe County Right to Life banquet in West Lafayette.
Huckabee has been under scrutiny after a man shot and killed four cops in a coffee shop in Seattle. Maurice Clemmons, the suspect, was facing a lifetime in prison in Arkansas when Huckabee was governor. Huckabee shortened Clemmons' sentence.
"Here was a kid at age 16 had committed a burgarly and a robbery and got a 108 year sentence," Huckabee said Tuesday night at the Right to Life annual banquet on Purdue's campus. "The judge thought it was unfair. The parole board did and recommended to me to commute his sentence. I didn't let him loose because I didn't have that power as a governor. I commutted his sentence to 47 years giving him the oppurtunity to be parole eligible."
Six days after posting bail in Washington on charges of child rape, Clemmons opened fire on four police officers. Huckabee says that isn't the same man he knew back in 2000.
"He wasn't a cop killer. He wasn't a rapist. He wasn't a violent criminal. He wasn't a fugitive from justice. He was a person at 16 did some dumb things and some criminal things. I don't know a single person that can look me in the eye and tell me that if they had that same file in front of them they wouldn't believe that maybe 47 years was a more appropriate sentence for what he did as a minor," Huckabee said.
Huckabee says that if he had to make that decision again today with the knowledge of what Clemmons was going to do, Huckabee would never have changed Clemmons' sentence.
"If I had the exact same information in front of me tonight that I did 9 years ago in a case exactly the same, I would make the exact same decision because I can't imagine anyone would not. If I could have looked into the future, of course I wouldn't have, but I couldn't do that," Huckabee said. "What I don't understand is those who could see his actions. The judges in Washington who knew he had raped a child and that he had now several psychotic episodes why he was able to get out on bail, that I can't answer."
A Seattle police officer shot and killed Maurice Clemmons, the man they suspected in the shooting of four Washington police officers. For now, police are searching for family and friends of Clemmons who they believe helped him elude police.
You keep stating that. Thus, like Huck, avoiding reality. However, the REALITY of the situation is that the shooter is dead!
“Will the criminal-coddling Huckster EVER take responsibility for ANYTHING?”
He did — I heard him say it last night on Hannity.
You’re probably right that such WAS the plan.
I think that plan has a monkey wrench in it right now and remember, there are 1000 pardoned criminal out there. Only 2 have spoken so far.
We could very well here other “voices” in the next couple of years.
No, Huck is toast. He is so over.
Romney remains as the single RINO option to be pushed by the MSM.
Just ask the families of those cops.
“When they make comments like “this can only be good for Romney”, like I’ve seen on other threads devoted to this topic, then they show their real motivation in constantly attacking Huckabee.”
Its not just Romney supporters. It is persons still angry over Thompson losing in 2008, et. al. For that matter it is Sarah Palin (BTW I like Palin) fanatics that see Huckabee as her main competitor. Plus, many (not all) just don’t like Southern Baptists (I’m OK with that....just admit it). Also, the libertarians (libertines) can’t stand him and what he represents (conservative protestant evangelical Christianity). The sad truth is that many are inwardly happy that peace officers died and that it could be tied to Huckabee in order to take him out (they won’t even recognize this inward depravity). There is NO great love of law enforcement on this forum.....so the outrage is in many cases disingenuous (not all of course). There are others that don’t like the part of country Huckabee is from....consider him a dumb hick. It is a long ugly list of (mostly) false outrage. Most certainly there are genuinely upset persons that consider Huckabee to be “soft of crime” which is a valid opinion. I don’t think it is them that are doing most of the trashing. They wouldn’t feel the need to...unless they strongly support someone else and are using this opportunity to advance their candidate’s chances.
>>If you never met him in person, you never knew him... I'm assuming this kid was no more than a name on a piece of paper with a record that Mike was reading. I would be amazed if Mike actually went to the big house and met with him before determining what to do with him
In his "defense" Huck said he looked at 1200 of these appeals a year and turned down 92% of them. Think about that... assuming he worked about 200 days a year, that's six a day, if he did them every day. More likely, he did them once a week, and looked at close to 30 of them in every session. He knew virtually nothing about anyone in these appeals.
Other posters have said that Huck was a sucker for the "reformed Christian" angle. Maybe the word got around.
By this time next year, Huck's pardons will be old news and be swept under the rug until such time as he secures the nomination. Then, and only then, they will drag it out again.
I'm not even saying Huck needs to win in New Hampshire. All he has to do is win in Iowa (which he did once) and in South Carolina (which he nearly did) to be proclaimed the front runner again. Florida would pretty well cement it.
Neither the MSM nor the RINO wing is dumb enough to put all their eggs in the Romney basket especially since whoever gets nominated is going to have a fairly decent chance of getting elected once all the sugar flakes off the ObaMao turd.
There were no deaths indicated in any story I've seen about it and I'd be surprised if it wasn't his first adult conviction.
In Pa. -- and in most states, I think -- you don't start being tried as an adult until 18, unless there is something exceptional involved.
The justice system is not about mercy. It’s about justice. We’re not God. We are not all seeing or all knowing. It’s hard enough to manage to be just. No one should have a sentence commuted, reduced or suspended if there was any violence involved in the commission of the crime. I believe armed robbery qualifies as a violent crime.
Oh, I’m not saying he wasn’t a bad actor, but the first bunch of crimes didn’t involve any violent behavior that would gotten him 100+ years in prison here in Texas in the first place. And Texas isn’t soft on criminals. In light of
what he did,the other day,. yes, he should have been left locked up forever. All the attacks, though have been on Huckabee, On none of these threads that I have read, has the name of the judge that just a few days ago let this guy out on bail, and this was after this guy had been arrested for more violent crimes.
I can accept Huckabee’s explanation. I do not particularly like the man, nor would he be my choice for President. I support Sarah Palin for our next President, if she runs.
These are Huckabee’s own words. If he gets into office again he will set free more violent criminals. Clemmons isn't the only violent offender Huckabee set free. He pardoned more violent offenders than any other governor. He should allowed to hold any public office again.
So in other words, Mike can put the tank helmet on and have his picture taken. He's damaged goods. Maybe he can do some background work with Newt to help the GOP in the next several elections.
Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, in a YouTube video titled "Huckabee: Gitmo Not In America's Best Interests" (accessed Jan. 7, 2008), stated:
"I've been to Guantanamo, I was there, I guess it's been about a year and a half ago. I think the problem with Guantanamo is not in that its facilities are inadequate. It's the symbol that it represents. It's clearly become a symbol to the rest of the world as a place that has become problematic for us as a nation. I was quite frankly impressed with the quality of the facilities and even the attention to care that was given to the detainees, but that aside, it doesn't alter that Guantanamo, to the rest of the world, is a symbol that is not in our best interests to continue pursuing."
Jan. 7, 2008 Mike Huckabee
Huckabee is not the whole problem with Clemmins but he is a big part of it. He originally reduced his sentence which made him immediately eligible for parole which started the whole process. If Huckabee had not done what he had done Clemmins would still be in prison.
Clemmens was not the only violent criminal Huckabee helped release. He freed far more violent offenders than any other governor. He freed Wayne Dumond who later raped and murdered an innocent young girl.
Stop bringing up Romney. Romney being was pro-choice in Mass. does not in anyway excuse Huckabee’s actions.
Finally, I deeply resent people who say that opposing the release of violent criminals is anti-Christian. When you say that because you are in favor letting violent criminals go free and kill innocent people you are a better Christian than I am makes me very angry. I strongly disagree with all the politicians who release violent criminals including Huckabee and I resent people like you who say that makes me anti-Christian.
Just because Huckabee didn't release more violent criminals than he did does not in any way excuse his actions. Releasing a violent criminal back into society where he can harm innocent people is an enormous risk and responsibility. It should be done very rarely and only after it has been shown conclusively that he will not commit more violent crimes. Huckabee did none of this. He released many violent criminals irresponsibly and said he would do it again today if he could.
What a load of crap he isn’t the same person, he was convicted in your state of 5 crimes that would not have allowed him to even be considered for parole until 2048. Your clemency actions helped put this animal back on the streets.
I don’t support you Huck for a pleathora of reasons, this particular action is way way way down on the list. The fact you are a lying slimeball, which you are proving once again with statements like this one, are far far higher on the list the clemency crap itself.
deanna is still in denial about Clemmons current oxygen consumption.
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