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.
Governor “Leadership” Romney( snicker ) didn’t issue in four years....one single pardon. It would of put him at risk, and as a wimpy, cautious, timid grind, he wasn’t going to risk it. One pardon he wouldn’t chance on was a Iraq veteran Officer, who shot another kid with a BB gun at like age 14 and now couldn’t apply to be a police officer. Mitt was afraid of touching that. But then since neither Mitt, his five, albeit wimpy, strapping sons never served in the military, nor any Romney male ever since before the Civil War, taking a chance isn’t in his family genes.
He also didn’t pick one single judge, which would of helped some Republicans become judges, and taken liberal sob sisters off the bench. So Mitt helped keep liberals on the bench. Of course he needed their support to pass RomneyCare.
He has nice hair. Lovely, grinding, state street family too.
You prove that with each post you make.
What has not been habilitated cannot be rehabilitated.
What? How does the fact that some FReepers supported McCain make my point moot?
I supported McCain, in the general election, against the Marxist Muslim Kenyan.
In the primary, I supported Fred.
But that’s not the issue. The issue is that the MSM did everything in its power to nominate McCain, and if you don’t know it I wonder where you’ve been and how you spend your time.
Is it possible you don’t really know that?
Mormons should of never rejected Protestantism. That’s what happens when you literally walk away from a majority. Like going to Mexico like the Romneys did.
Tough.
At least we do not have to worry about this buffoon in 2012(at least on the gop tkt)
Clemmons isn’t the same person he was two days ago. He’s dead.
Why do you keep up the lies?
In 1990, Clemmons, then 18, was sentenced in Arkansas to 60 years in prison for burglary and theft of property, according to a news account in Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Newspaper stories describe a series of disturbing incidents involving Clemmons while he was being tried in Arkansas on various charges.
During one trial, Clemmons was shackled in leg irons and seated next to a uniformed officer. The presiding judge ordered the extra security because he felt Clemmons had threatened him, court records show.
Another time, Clemmons hid a hinge in his sock, and was accused of intending to use it as a weapon. Yet another time, Clemmons took a lock from a holding cell, and threw it toward the bailiff. He missed and instead hit Clemmons' mother, who had come to bring him street clothes, according to records and published reports.
On another occasion, Clemmons had reached for a guard's pistol during transport to the courtroom.
When Clemmons received the 60-year sentence, he was already serving 48 years on five felony convictions and facing up to 95 more years on charges of robbery, theft of property and possessing a handgun on school property.
Seattle Times
Remember how Rudi was the annoited front runner in 2008 while McCain lived in New Hampshire?
Keep digging, D-bag. . . Even his show is insipid. Everything about this guy is filled to the brim with s$it.
The same can be said of Huck. Commutations at a dizzying rate and murders because of them. If this guy had remained in prison in Arkansas, these cops would be alive.
You wanna throw around your Christian stuff. Nobody is judging Huckabee’s eternal destination, just his fitness for high office and compatibility with our philosophy.
He is a liberal. Thumbs down. We have enough Rino problems in this party. Every lib I know is defending him. I wonder why.
I’ve been saying what you’ve just said. 108 years for a burglary is an awful tough sentence for a 17 year old. And also,if the parole board recommended a change in sentence.
A 47 year sentence would seem enough for the crimes committed to me too.
A lot of folks would advocate firing squad for traffic violations as long as it isn’t them. Stuff happens. Folks who start blaming everyone that ever had contact with a person, or tried to help him, are acting just like the liberals do.
Every felon that has been released from prison was released by someone. Some will change thier lives, some won’t.I don’t have any statistics here, but I’d suspect that nearly all cop killers aren’t first time offenders.
I don’t want Huck for president. I don’t think he has the leadership qualities necessary. JMO, But I do believe he is a Christian, and people ought to stop acting like he let Clemmons go because Clemmons promised him he’d whack a bunch of cops as soon as he had a chance. The biased MSM are laughing thier butts off at us now, too. All they had to do was mention a connection between Huckabee and the perp and watch him get eaten. Does anyone think THEY care one bit about the officers that got shot?
During the 2008 primarys, people on this forum brought up Wayne Dumond.
I bet you willfully ignored it, as you seem to have a penchant for ignoring the facts.
“Huckabee: Clemmons isn’t same person”
Well, I’d have to agree, since the current form is perforated multiple times and is room-temp.
I’ve got a buck that says Clemmons converted to Islam in prison. I’m just guessing but ... any takers?
And you keep repeating deanna's lies.
Perhaps you have a problem stating the truth?
--------------------------------------------------
In 1990, Clemmons, then 18, was sentenced in Arkansas to 60 years in prison for burglary and theft of property, according to a news account in Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Newspaper stories describe a series of disturbing incidents involving Clemmons while he was being tried in Arkansas on various charges.
During one trial, Clemmons was shackled in leg irons and seated next to a uniformed officer. The presiding judge ordered the extra security because he felt Clemmons had threatened him, court records show.
Another time, Clemmons hid a hinge in his sock, and was accused of intending to use it as a weapon. Yet another time, Clemmons took a lock from a holding cell, and threw it toward the bailiff. He missed and instead hit Clemmons' mother, who had come to bring him street clothes, according to records and published reports.
On another occasion, Clemmons had reached for a guard's pistol during transport to the courtroom.
When Clemmons received the 60-year sentence, he was already serving 48 years on five felony convictions and facing up to 95 more years on charges of robbery, theft of property and possessing a handgun on school property.
Seattle Times
I agree this has badly damaged Huckabee’s political future (if he even had one), and I wouldn’t have supported him for the GOP nomination. But I think it’s a bit over the top to imply Huckabee had bad intentions by giving clemency to the guy. He didn’t pardon him. He shortened the sentence from 108 years to 47 years. Clemmons was paroled — a process that does not involved the governor in AR.
Not a fan of Huckabee here, but it’s important to keep things in perspective.
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