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.
Romney has already faltered. If he thinks he can use this tragic situation to his own political benefit then he is even worse a human being than I thought him to be previously.
No, the blood of the cops is on the KILLER’S hands, the one who (presumably, he still hasn’t been caught, tried and convicted) actually pulled the trigger.
Uh, the prosecutor was screaming at the of his lungs that this guy was a one-man violence and death machine just waiting to be loosed on a new batch of innocent victims. But Clemmons, a manipulative sociopath, said "Praise Jesus! I've seen the light!" and Pastor Huckabee wiped a tear from his eye and said, "Praise Jesus! Come forth from that tomb, ye reborn of the Lamb!"
He also stated he denied 94% of the cases that came on his desk every year. Are you aware of that? Would you have made it 100%? What is the mercy involved in that?
That’s a prosecuter’s job, but they aren’t always right. There are many factors involved in sentencing.
Your post shows a lot of respect for the GOP establishment.
Where was the GOP establishment in 1978 on the question of who should be the 1980 nominee?
Any idea?
I have an idea: NOT Ronald Reagan.
Just as your post seems to say: NOT Sarah Palin.
Give Romney some credit. It won’t kill you. Unlike Huckafool, he didn’t pardon or commune the sentence of any criminal while governor.
Actually this thread is not about Romney. But you are making it about Romney.
In case you hadn’t noticed, Romney is not too popular around here.
Huck and Romney aren’t popular around here and the reasons they are not is based on their records, not their religions.
Conservatives believe in the Constitution and we also believe in religious freedom in America. One of the main reasons people came to America.
Huck and Romney have been their own worst enemies and it is all about policy.
That’s posted because Jim Robinson himself doesn’t like Romney. There are many Freepers who still do, especially the Mormon members. 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.
You have no idea who you’re talking to. Let’s just leave it at that.
If Huck were a Buddhist, would you label our so-called attacks on Huck anti-Buddhist; if Huck was an atheist would they be labelled as anti-secular?
C’mon get a life. Just because Huck is a Christian doesn’t mean he can hide behind his Christian faith or that his critics are lambasting him based on his Christian faith.
I have been a poster at FR for several months. 95% of the posters are rational and intelligent and know enough to focus on what is important in any story which is the event itself.
Simply, Huck caused Clemmons to be put back on the streets. Clemmons shot and killed 4 police officers (they found a dead police officer’s gun on Clemmon’s person after he was killed). Huck didn’t pull the trigger, but he allowed a person who should have been still incarcerated back on the streets.
You argue we shouldn’t hold that against Huck. Well in the real world we might not, but this is hardcore politics, baby, and in hardcore politics, this is definitely political in terms of any Presidential aspirations Huck has because it goes to his judgment, the quality of his decisions and to his political savvy. And that is highly relevant regardless of who the presidential aspirant is.
Yep, looks like the Left’s favorite Candidate, HUCK! has already hit 2 roadside bombs on his way to the WH. I wonder how many of the other 998 he will manage to evade.
I don’t hate HUCK!, I just love Squirrels.
BTW I do support a boycott on ex-AR Governors!
Given just this information, I would agree with Huckabee. However, I suspect there is more to it that he is leaving out.
Prosecutors are swamped by the normal caseload. Then the burden of making a case against revolving door releases by bleeding hearts is added to their pile. Blaming them for Clemmons is ridiculous.
Perhaps not, but he has the blood of thousands of aborted babies in Massachusetts for supporting 50 dollar co-pay abortions in that state while governor.
When I heard Huckabee on Hannity’s radio show, He said he was taking responsibility for his decision and, based upon what was known then, would make the same decision today.
to me that is taking responsibility of making a decision based upon what was known at the time.
This is a case that shows that all parole boards have a certified pysic to tell them what the person will be doing in 5-20 years.
He granted clemency and pardons at something like 10 times the rate of neighboring governors.
Question for you: if someone murders one of your loved-ones, and that murderer gets convicted in a court of law and sentence to a just sentence who has the RIGHT to show LEGAL MERCY and let him FREE?
Please think a moment before responding.
When Jesus asked us to forgive, did he really mean to forgive people for their crimes against OTHERS?
Please think a moment before responding.
It’s one thing to forgive an affront against YOURSELF. It’s quite another to forgive and act done by a criminal against ANOTHER PERSON.
What gives you the right to forgive in that case?
Are you God?
Is Huckabee God?
He certainly tried to play one in the governors chair.
The killer is dead. Shot by a cop yesterday afternoon.
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